You must be 17 years old to sit the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam.

You would have the following miles logged on a Motorboat between between 7 and 24m in length.

• A minimum of 2,500 miles are logged before you sit the Yachtmaster offshore exam. At least half the sea time must be in tidal waters.

Note: If you have been working on a Superyacht/a vessel over 24m, then at least 1,250 sea miles gained on the larger vessel can be used towards the 2,500 required.

• Five passages of over 60 miles, acting as skipper for at least two of these passages completed on a vessel between 7 and 24m in length.
• 2 of 5 passages above would have involved overnight passages.
• A GMDSS short-range VHF radio certificate
• A valid First Aid Certificate.

Please note that if you hold an STCW Elementary First Aid, it must have been issued in the last five years.

• All qualifying experience must be within ten years before the exam.

Click here if you need to refresh your STCW Elementary First Aid or complete a GMDSS short-range VHF course.

Please click the link below for more details on recording your sea miles, converting from sail to power, and lots more.

Requirements for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam 

For RYA Yachtmaster’s to work as professional skippers, you must apply for commercial endorsement through the RYA. If you plan to work in the maritime sector, please see our article on how to apply for Commercial endorsement.

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Power certificate of competence allows the holder to skipper of a Motorboat up to 24 meters in length, 150 miles from a safe haven.

Add STCW Basic Safety Training, and you have a qualification to skipper motor boats up to 200GT, which may be more than 24 meters.

Not all candidates have the sea time or command experience for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate.

Candidates with 800 miles logged choose the Yachtmaster Coastal certificate. Furthermore, some skippers have no intention of going offshore and want to stick to coastal waters.

If you own a motorboat, have no intention of going offshore, and are looking for a qualification that provides confidence, we recommend the Yachtmaster Coastal route.

This course is suitable for RYA Yachtmaster Coastal.

Fish Tales is a Fairline Phantom 40′. She has two Volvo Penta 370 HP diesel engines. She is a shaft-driven boat with a bow and stern thruster to help with maneuvers.

Fish Tales has two 12″ Garmin 8600 series plotters, a 24″ Garmin HD Radar, and an engine and rear-facing camera. All the instruments connect to a TV in the saloon so the entire crew can visualize the navigation exercise.

She is a comfortable, well-equipped boat with heating, a generator, and all the safety equipment you would expect to find on a CAT 2-coded vessel.

If you choose to stay with us, you will stay in one of our self-catering crew houses in Cowes, which are comfortable and centrally located.  There is plenty of space to complete homework and chat through the day with others on the course. Our accommodation is a 5-minute walk from the town and our training centre.

All customers booked onto our Yachtmaster Prep courses have their own room.

• All training, fuel and berthing fees included
• 100 miles logged
• Accommodation is not provided onboard.

£231 Yachtmaster Offshore/Coastal exam fee is not included.

Monday

• Introduction to the boat, systems, and safety producers onboard
• About the exam, what to expect
• Engineering, engines, control systems, and what to look out for
• Boat handling
• Marina berthing
• MOB and recovery at sea

Tuesday

• Engine checks/safety brief
• Navigational exercises in the Solent
• Anchoring
• Picking up mooring buoys
• MOB and recovery
• Marina berthing
• Night-time navigational exercises

Wednesday

• Engine checks/safety brief
• Marina berthing/confined space boat handling
• Single engine berthing
• Picking up mooring buoys
• Navigational exercises day-time
• Night Navigation exercises

Thursday

• Engine checks/safety brief
• Navigational exercises in the Solent
• Radar
• Picking up mooring buoys
• Marina berthing/confined space exercises
• Single engine berthing

Friday

• Engine checks/safety brief
• Navigational exercises in the Solent
• Boat handling exercises/single-engine berthing
• MOB and recovery
• Revision of the Yachtmaster syllabus

Friday afternoon, the RYA examiner arrives

Saturday/Sunday

The examiner will join the boat, and your instructor will step off. The Yachtmaster Power exam will last between 12 and 48 hours depending on the number of candidates being examined, a maximum of 4 in any 2-day session. The exam will take place within the Solent. The examiner will ask each candidate to perform a series of practical and navigational exercises based on the weather and tidal conditions of the day.