An RYA Yachtmaster™ Certificate of Competence is often the ultimate aim of aspiring skippers.
It is a well known, highly respected qualification worldwide, proving your experience and competence as a skipper.
Unlike other courses in the cruising programme, there is no formal training to complete in order to become a Yachtmaster™.
Instead, provided that you have sufficient experience and seatime, you can put yourself forward for an exam to test your skills and knowledge.
Many Yachtmaster™ candidates choose to book themselves into an RYA training centre for some tailor-made tuition to prepare them for the exam, but this is not compulsory.
Yachtmaster exams can not be conducted by the Training Centre you attended or by the instructor you used. Talk to us about organising your exam with an independent Yachtmaster examiner.
Please allow a minimum of 10 working days for an examiner to be allocated to you. • Book an Advanced Powerboat, Yachtmaster™ Coastal or Yachtmaster™ Offshore exam
Also available as part of Sail Training Holidays - Click the link below to find out more
RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Exam Prep (Practical) price per day
This teaches skippering techniques for yachtsmen and women with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation, wanting to undertake coastal passages by day and night.
Like the Day Skipper course, this course consists of skippered passages in a variety of situations, with an increase in the degree of complexity and ability.
Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages and learn more about passage planning, pilotage by day & night, boat handling, safety & emergency situations.
It is a satisfying but intensive course.
You are expected to complete the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster™ Offshore shorebased course beforehand as there is insufficient time to teach you theory during the practical course.
Coastal Skippers should be able to undertake more difficult passages by day and night and handle the yacht in more demanding conditions.
Course content includes: Passage planning, Preparation for sea, Pilotage, Passage making and ability as skipper, Yacht handling under power, Yacht handling under sail, Adverse weather conditions, Emergency situations.
By the end of the course you should have the knowledge, if not the experience, to become a Yachtmaster™
Training available on:
Your own yacht
Our awesomely appointed Sydney 36
Our 43 foot luxury catamaran
See dates under 'Dates & Buy Now' tab.
Pre-requisite: RYA Day Skipper, RYA Yachmaster™ Coastal Skipper Theory course
Learn to skipper a short passage with the instructor on hand to give advice and encouragement and ensure your safety.
Experience being in charge, taking credit when it all goes well and being responsible when it doesn’t.
Skills taught: Preparation for sea, deck work, navigation, pilotage, meteorology, rules of the road, maintenance and repair work, engines, victualling, emergency situations, yacht handling under power, yacht handling under sail, passage making, night cruising.
Catamaran & monohull training available.
Own boat training also available.
Pre-requisite: RYA Day Skipper Theory course
Also recommended is Australian Sailing’s “National Keelboat Program” if no prior experience, to teach you to sail around a course and control the boat's speed.
Course taught over 5 days in 9 to 11 hour day, blocks.
We do NOT overnight on our yachts due to Covid restrictions.
If you are thinking of doing your RYA Day Skipper Practical course, we have availability for the first and third weekends each month, throughout 2022. Both these courses will be conducted out of Palm Beach, Pittwater.
The next weekend is a 2-day course on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th December, 2022. The two days are long and start at 09:00hrs and conclude at 18:00hrs, sometimes as late as 21:00hrs. The cost is $395 per day, so a total of $790.
The second weekend is a 3-day course on Saturday Sunday and Monday. On the Saturday of this weekend, weather permitting, we will be passage making to Lake Macquarie, which is 36 Nautical Miles to the north of Barrenjoey. During Sunday we will be sailing all over beautiful Lake Macquarie, which is 5 times bigger than Sydney Harbour. On the Monday, we will sail back down the coast to Pittwater and finally Palm Beach. The cost for this weekend is $395 per day, so a total of $1,185.
If either or both of these weekends appeal to you, please let us know. It will be great fun to have you along.
Due to Covid restrictions there is no overnighting on our training boat. Therefore we help arrange AirBnB, or similar, accommodation ashore. This makes for a magical weekend in either The Hawkesbury and / or Lake Macquarie. Or, you can overnight at your home.
RYA Day Skipper
Practical course notes
INCLUDED
RYA Day Skipper Practical price per day or 2 consecutive days
Whale Watching Newcastle offers you the unique experience of sailing with us on our beautifully appointed catamaran & see the spectacular annual migration of over 20,000 magnificent Humpback whales!