RYA Yachtmaster - Suggested Schools ?

[limejucer]

Cbcat.
Zero to hero is the teaching side with a number of supported stabs at exam. Also called fastrack usualy ending with comercialy endorsed Yachtmaster coastal but possibly offshore if you have enough experiance. look at boss/uksa for detailed explaination. you could both get comercial yachtmaster coastal quite quickly if you have a good sailing background.
Gaining Yachtmaster Ocean is a top grade ticket, with this you can get boasting rights and best trips.

Regards from a coastal

[Mexdon]

Allabroad has my vote. I will do my course with them this year. The fastrack does not need to be done in one hit. It can spread over 3 or 4 one moth courses to fit your schedule if need be.

I investigated a number of schools over the past two years and kept coming back to them because of the flexibility I need.

This is the link to their website: Allabroad | Allabroad Sailing Academy

Best of luck with whomever you choose.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

I believe the OP also said he wishes to work his way up to Yachtmaster... which seems like a very sensible approach to gaining the qualifications he needs We all need to start somewhere!

No he didn't , he originally mentioned specifically that he was investigating fast-track rya Yachtmaster courses. Though I notice in a later post he did say as you mentioned

The two are very different approaches.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by limejucer

Cbcat.
Zero to hero is the teaching side with a number of supported stabs at exam. Also called fastrack usualy ending with comercialy endorsed Yachtmaster coastal but possibly offshore if you have enough experiance. look at boss/uksa for detailed explaination. you could both get comercial yachtmaster coastal quite quickly if you have a good sailing background.
Gaining Yachtmaster Ocean is a top grade ticket, with this you can get boasting rights and best trips.

Regards from a coastal

The YM ocean is not the top ticket. It's really a " add-on" to the offshore, which is the main ticket and the one everyone means when referring to the YM. It's actually very easy to get a YM ocean l but the catch is you must have the rather more difficult YM offshore first.

The YM ocean was even easier to get a few years ago as you could take your sextant sights on the decks of a tanker on a course run by a school and the 600 mile passage counted. Today at least they make you it on a yacht.

Just to reiterate the YM offshore is the one people talk about. It's the entry to commercial small boat work or super yacht. Deck crew and officers. It's also a reasonably difficult one to get.

In my view the really really hard one and one with best bragging right is RYA YM offshore instructor. That's a HARD exam.

Dave

[Tingum]

Seems to me the biggest difference between an MCA vs USCG license is that the MCA license can simply be bought by paying the school and taking the test, while the USCG requires actual experience. I had to document over 700 days at sea before I sat for my masters license. In my opinion a license without experience is a joke!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Tingum

Seems to me the biggest difference between an MCA vs USCG license is that the MCA license can simply be bought by paying the school and taking the test, while the USCG requires actual experience. I had to document over 700 days at sea before I sat for my masters license. In my opinion a license without experience is a joke!

Lets just clear up some stuff.

The RYA Yachmaster Offshore ticket, is the top of three independant tickets

Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper ( now YM |oastal) & YM Offshore

Each course produces a ticket not dependant on the other, Both YM Coastal and Offshore have practical prerequisites. You cannot pay and take the test, if you dont have the sea mile experience..

In all cases for these tickets, there is a practical exam. carried out on a leisure boat ( these are primarily leisure tickets). In the case of YM Offshore , the standard is high and the examiner is separate to the school ( in fact there no requirement to attend any classes or schools) There is a separate sail and power Yachtmaster offshore

Because of the high standards associated with the RYA YM, it is accepted in some countries, primarily the UK, in respect of commercial small boat operation and since the MCA in the UK is almost single handily responsible for organising the super yacht industry, training wise, the Yachtmaster Offshore is accepted as the entry ticket to the industry. Usually the YM cert is commercial endorsed by the MCA for such use ( basically a medical ). In some countries where it is accepted for small commercial boats, it is a subject of some annoyance to professional mariners. However in no way is it a method of gaining certification in the "merchant marine".

If the OP wants to progress in the "industry", I would advice him to ignore lower tickets and focus on acquiring his YM Offshore. The theoretical backgrounds to Day Skipper, YM Coastal and YM Offshore are quite similar and anyone with reasonable application can master it. The practical exam is obviously graduated but again a determined individual can handle it. Obviously the sea miles have to be built and thats takes the time.

The YM Ocean, is a "add-on" ticket, it requires the holder has alrady got a YM Offshore. It primarily shows competence in celestial navigation and simple competence at that, as it now only requires sun sights ( which must be gathered on a single 600 mile offshore trip). Its not "above" the YM offshore ticket ans its not a standalone ticket at all. ( in fact the exam is easy)

So the RYA tickets do require experience, but its not in any way comparable with commercial licenses such as master tickets or STCW95. Its the pinnacle of a leisure sailors competency training, but its not so for professionals.

apples and oranges

Dave

[limejucer]

As go boating now says Day skipper/coastal and offshore all have practical exams. But ocean yachtmaster requires yachtmaster offshore before you can sit the 'simple test'.
for insurance purposes the difference between.

Yachtmaster Ocean

A person holding a Yachtmaster Ocean qualification is experienced and competent to skipper a yacht on passages of any length in all parts of the world.

and

Yachtmaster Offshore

The Yachtmaster Offshore is competent to skipper a cruising yacht on any passage during which the yacht is no more than 150 miles from harbour.


are also reflected by some job adverts. if you want to skipper a Maxi etc.

Perhaps it is the wording that is causing dispute so instead of Ocean is above offshore we can agree ocean is offshore plus a little exam based on 600nm passage as skipper or mate

[barnakiel]

There used to be a nice crossing course from Gibraltar. You could get some ocean miles and get your RYA grades in one go. Expensive but definitely not boring.

b.