Requirements for Yachtmaster offshore exam (2024)

There is some confusion around the requirements for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Coastal or Offshore exam. We hope this guide helps explain these requirements.

Whats covered

In this post, we will answer the following questions:

• Sea time requirements for the Yachtmaster Offshore exam
• Qualifying passages
• If my sea time is all on Superyachts
• How to record my sea miles
• Converting from sail to power
• What first aid qualification do I need
• Power or Sail?
• Commercial endorsem*nt
• Do I need RYA Yachtmaster Theory
• What other skills do I need for the RYA Yachtmaster

Sea time requirements for the Yachtmaster Offshore exam

To sit theRYA Yachtmaster offshore exam, you are required to have, as a minimum, the following experience. All completed within the last ten years:

• A minimum of2,500 miles are loggedbefore you sit the exam. At least half the sea time must be in tidal waters.
• 50 days at sea on yachts up to 500GT.
• During your qualifying sea time, you would have completedfive passages of over 60 miles**. Two of these passages would have been at night, and two acting as skipper.All fivequalifying passages must have been on a vessel between7 and 24m in length.
• At least five days experience as skipper.
• A valid First Aid Certificate.
  • Please note if you hold an STCW Elementary First Aid, then it must have been issued in thelast five years.
  • For RYA First Aid, it’sthree years.
• A GMDSS short-range VHF radio certificate

Click here if you need to refresh yourSTCW Elementary First Aidor complete aGMDSS short-range VHF course.

Qualifying passages

As shown above to sit the Yachtmaster Offshore exam you MUST have completed at least five passages of over 60 miles. Two of these five pasages would have been overnight passages and two acting as skipper.

A 60 mile qualifying passage is defined as:

A non-stop vouyage from departure port/safe haven A to departure port/safe haven B (Point A and B can not be the same place). You have not stopped off anywhere on the way. The distance, in ths case 60 miles, must be measured as a straight line from port A to port B.

All five qualifying passages must have been completed on a vessel less than 24 meters in length.

Acting as Skipper

For two of thje 60 mile passages you must have been acting as skipper. The skipper is the person nominated and responsible for the planning the passage. The skipper is not necessarily the most experienced or qualified person on board but must be the person with responsibility for the safe execution of the passage. If the skipper’s role is transferred to another person at any time during a passage then neither person can claim to have skippered that passage.

What if all my sea time has been on Superyachts/vessels over 24m in length?

The RYA accepts that 50% (1,250) of the qualifying sea miles gained on a vessel over 24m can be used towards the2,500 milesrequired for the Yachtmaster Offshore exam.

You will need to provide a testimonial or Discharge book confirming 1,250 sea miles.

The other50% of the qualifying sea time must have been completed on vessels between 7 and 24 meters in length. Some Superyachts have large tenders and chase boats. In this case, any miles gained at the helm go some way to 1,250 sea miles.

Sea time requirements for RYA Yachtmaster Coastal

1. 30 days at sea on a vessel less than 24m in length, and a minimumof 800 miles loggedbefore you sit the exam. At least half the sea time must be in tidal waters.
2. Two-days as skipper, on a vessel less than 24m in length.
3. 12 night hours.
4. Short-range radio certificate (VHF), or equivalent.
5. A valid First Aid certificate.
6. You must be 17 years old at the time of the exam.

If you hold the Coastal Skipper course completion certificate then the miles required for Yachtmaster Coastal reduce to 400.

Converting from sail to power

To convert from Yachtmaster offshore sail to Offshore (Power) you must have completed, in the last 10 years:

1. Minimum of 1,250 miles on a vessel between 7 and 24 meters in length
2. 25 days living onboard
3. 3 days as skipper
4. Three passages of over 60 miles, including one overnight and one as skipper

How to record your miles for the RYA Yachtmaster exam?

Your experience would have been built up over some time on various types of yachts. The miles that you have gained on vessels between 7 and 24 meters in length in thepast ten yearscan be recorded in either:

1. RYA’s G158 logbook
2. A CVdetailing your sea time
3. An Excel spreadsheet

When recording experience at sea, make sure you detail the following:

• Dates the passage/trip took place.
• Name and type of vessel
• Details of the passages
• Miles sailed on the passages
• Night hours (if applicable)

Flying Fish has created a simple spreadsheet that you can use to record your sea miles.
Yachtmaster power personal log

What First Aid Qualification do I need for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore?

You must have a valid, in-date first aid qualification to sit the Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore exam. RYA first aid, STCW, Seafish first aid certificates are all accepted by the RYA.

If you hold the STCW Elementary First Aid certificate that was issuedmore than 5 yearsago, then you will need to refresh yourfirst aid qualificationbefore sitting the Yachtmaster exam.

Power or sail?

The RYA offers two practical schemes depending on whether you want to skipper a Power or Sail. boat. Both schemes lead to the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence. The requirements for the Yachtmaster Offshore power or sail qualification are the same, minimum of 2,500 miles, etc.

Commercial endorsem*nt

Many choose to commercially endorse their RYA Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore exam qualification after completing the RYA Yachtmaster exam. If this is your chosen path, then in addition to holding a valid first aid and VHF certificate listed above, you will need the following:

1. Either anENG1 or ML5 medical
2. STCW or RYA Sea survival certificate
3. Complete the RYA’s onlinePPR course(need link)

Once you have completed these three steps, you can apply forcommercial endorsem*ntthrough the RYA.

STCW Endorsem*nt

CompleteSTCW Basic Safety Training, then the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate will be endorsed to allow the holder to skipper a commercial or privately owned vessel up to 200 gross tonnes, which may be greater than 24m in length.

Do I need RYA Yachtmaster Theory?

In short, yes. To become an RYA Yachtmaster offshore then, you need to be able to navigate as well as handle the boat at sea. Furthermore, holding the RYA Yachtmaster Theory as well as your Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence is required if your goal is the Officer of the Watch 3000GT. If you have not sat at the chart table for a while, then consider a combinedYachtmaster Offshore Theory and practical prep course.

What other skills do I need before I join a prep course?

If you are considering aYachtmaster Prep coursethen Flying Fish will provide some pre-course reading. If you did some background reading before your prep course, it would help if you had a good knowledge of the following:

• I.R.P.C.S (rules of the road) and distress signals.
• Weather. The passage of frontal depression, sea breeze, fog, effects of wind and tide, and terminology used in a weather forecast.
• Navigation. Understand how to calculate tidal heights, course to steer, and estimated position.
• Ability to tie the basic knots.
• Have knowledge of Radar, rule 19, and how to use it for collision avoidance.
• TheG158 logbookprovides all sea time requirements and a section where you can record all your sea time.