How to pass your Yachtmaster Practical Exam

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore has lengthy been the qualification that cruising yacht sailors, each novice {and professional}, have aspired to. Fairly apart from the very fact that it’s the gateway to working within the yachting trade if the will so takes you, it’s good to know that you’ve got mastered the sweep of expertise and expertise vital so that you can be deemed competent at skippering a crusing yacht.

I’ve needed to check myself and see if I used to be as much as scratch for years, and I lastly obtained the braveness as much as put my expertise beneath the highlight earlier this summer time. I used to be going to be taking the take a look at with my good friend Andrew, as we’d been speaking about doing our Yachtmaster for twenty years.

Final month I shared my expertise of preparing for a Yachtmaster exam to get our rusty expertise and data again as much as commonplace, and to test that there weren’t any main holes in our repertoire. Now that the RYA Yachtmaster scheme has turned 50, we have been additionally to see how issues have modified with expertise.

Issues like chartplotters and cell web have made some areas massively simpler, however deliver their very own challenges, and within the first half, we found that navigating these programs and understanding what data to belief requires simply as many expertise and as a lot judgement because the outdated strategies.

If something, additionally they deliver extra alternative for distraction from the true world with loads of potential for making navigationally critical errors. The usual for passing the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore examination is simply as demanding because it ever was.

Having checked out security briefs, marina boat dealing with, navigation and pilotage, it was now time to maneuver onto boat dealing with beneath sail, the extra crucial security manoeuvres, in addition to among the softer expertise concerned in skippering a crew. The examination was looming…

The Yachtmaster crew (L-R): Matt Sillars, Andrew Eastham, Row Staples, Theo Stocker

Skippering the boat

A part of the rationale for having our supercrew, Row, on board for the prep week was that it’s all nicely and good crusing solo, however a skipper wants to have the ability to lead and handle a crew safely, and ideally create an environment on board that’s harmonious, efficient and pleasing, placing the proper stability between being clearly in management, facilitating everybody to play their half, and having fun with life at sea.

Briefings

An enormous a part of that is round good, early communication within the inevitable type of briefings. Now, this isn’t patronisingly sitting everybody down and telling them to do issues they’re completely able to doing, however of speaking what you need to occur, earlier than it occurs.

Briefings could be temporary and on-the-go, so long as they’re clear and you’re assured your crew perceive. It additionally calls for some extent of foresight and competence in your half – for those who haven’t anticipated one thing, you possibly can’t temporary for it. Whether or not it’s leaving a berth, setting sail or combating a fireplace, everybody having a job and being outfitted with the talents to do their jobs ought to engender a satisfying sense of competence and achievement for everybody concerned.

Article continues under…

Andrew and I have been struck by how a lot we’re each used to only getting on and doing stuff on our personal boats, both by ourselves, or with out ensuring the crew know what we’re considering. Speaking out loud was a useful behavior through the week. In marina manoeuvres, we tried to warn crew on the foredeck that we have been about to show, or go astern, in order to not unbalance them, and our coming alongsides have been loads smoother when everybody knew what order to get the strains throughout in.

Be certain that there’s cake and low – particularly throughout your examination

Comfortable expertise

Whether or not you’re crusing with strangers you’ve by no means met earlier than, or with your loved ones who know your flaws solely too nicely and are often ok to level these out to you, managing interpersonal relationships on board is a talent that’s exhausting to show however crucial to a protected and completely happy crew. The extra competent and in management you are feeling, the better this can be, and considering forward will enable you to hold your stress ranges down.

Beneath the attention of an teacher or examiner, we have been after all on our greatest behaviour. It helped that every one of us genuinely loved our time on board and one another’s firm, however considering by means of what your crew could also be feeling or considering will assist. Swallow your pleasure and do among the jobs others won’t get pleasure from.

So long as the boat is beneath management and also you’ve obtained some capability, make everybody a cup of tea and provide the choccy spherical. Give individuals issues to do, however allow them to relaxation after they want a break too. Be certain that they’ve all obtained suncream on. Keeping track of their wellbeing isn’t all the time straightforward if you’re nervous, harassed, or don’t fairly know the place you’re.

Briefings could be casual, so long as your crew is evident about what’s taking place and what to do

Command and security

On the similar time, you’re liable for maintaining the boat protected. There can be instances when it’s good to make it clear who’s in cost, and what you’re and should not pleased with on board. Andrew and I are used to scampering round a ship, however reminding one another to clip on earlier than going ahead for a person overboard, or discovering a protected approach to alter the mainsail leech line was a helpful reminder to err on the facet of warning. Display which you could pre-empt dangers and keep away from or mitigate for them.

Boat husbandry and housekeeping

Critical issues on board are extra possible for those who don’t carry on prime of the little issues. We labored exhausting to ensure the boat was in a great state through the week; tidy the galley up and stow the crockery earlier than you set sail, coil the halyards and features away when you’ve completed reefing. A snake’s wedding ceremony within the cockpit goes to result in jammed strains and tangled ft. For those who’re pleased with the image of the place the boat is and the way she’s crusing, go searching you to ensure the main points are proper too.

Shout man overboard and level on the casualty. Crash tack to cease the boat

Man overboard

Man overboard is nearly one of the vital critical occasions that may occur on board a cruising yacht at sea. Getting them out of the water as rapidly as potential is of paramount significance. After I final did a crusing course almost twenty years in the past, the drills have been the identical as they’ve all the time been – select whether or not you need to get again to the MOB beneath sail or engine, do your manoeuvre, then fish out the fender and bucket with a boathook.

I’ve spent a while for the journal testing not solely the sequence of actions on this manouevre however the way you then truly get the casualty out of the water, and was chastened by simply how exhausting it truly is to carry a dead-weight casualty from the water onto deck, particularly if they’re incapacitated.

I used to be inspired, due to this fact, that the RYA’s method to MOB coaching has moved on, breaking it down into three areas: stopping man overboard within the first place, getting again to the casualty, and getting them out of the water.

The same old factors of minimising time on deck, clipping on in tough climate or when alone on deck, solely going ahead on the windward facet, and all the opposite precautions, are one thing to drill into your crew, and as skipper, it’s necessary to make sure a protected tradition on board.

You possibly can nonetheless practise with a fender, however getting again to it is just half the job

Man overboards are now not taught completely beneath sail. Sure, we practised crusing again to a fender within the water, however this could solely ever be as a backup to the quickest and most dependable approach to get to your MOB, and on boats with engines, that’s beneath energy.

The order during which we did the drill throughout our coaching was as follows:

1. Elevate the alarm – Shout man overboard and level on the casualty.
2. Cease the boat – Cease the boat by crash-tacking to heave to, and guarantee crew don’t launch the sheets. At this level you’re near the MOB and beneath management.
3. Mark the mob – Throw within the horseshoe and danbuoy, then allocate somebody to level on the MOB. At this stage you must also be capable of talk with them.
4. Make a misery name – Somebody can then go under to hit the VHF DSC misery button and to mark the MOB on the plotter, however don’t hassle with a voice Mayday name at this level – it’s too gradual until you’ve got a big crew.
5. Begin the engine – Examine the strains are clear, begin the engine, furl the jib and centre the primary.
6. Put together for restoration – As you motor spherical, the crew can get the MOB restoration equipment prepared – a seize bag within the cockpit locker contained a 6:1 useful billy with a sling already hooked up.
7. Rig the useful billy – The useful billy is hoisted on a spinnaker halyard, and guyed forwards to cease it swinging – we used the spinnaker pole downhaul, however a clip to the shroud may also work. The tail could be taken to a main winch by way of a turning block if further energy is required. Earlier than crew go ahead, they need to clip on to forestall a second MOB, so have tethers within the bag too.
8. Depower the primary – As soon as downwind of the MOB, come onto an in depth attain and the primary could be eased out with the deck crew ahead of the shroud, and if a topping carry is fitted, scandalise the increase to maintain it away from heads. For those who’ve obtained lazy jacks, you may drop the primary, however don’t drop the primary onto deck the place everybody can be working.
9. Method and fasten – As you come to the MOB, intention upwind and drift down. A loop of rope could be thrown over the casualty, which can be simpler than attempting to catch them with a flimsy boathook.
10. Hoist them aboard – Get them to place the sling on if they will, or use the loop of rope secured to the useful billy to hoist them. A floating loop of line pre-attached to their lifejacket, just like the MOB Lifesaver, would additionally velocity issues up right here. In the event that they’ve not been within the water lengthy, and also you’re solely doing a brief carry, deal with getting them out of the water somewhat than maintaining them horizontal.

Cease the boat by crash-tacking to heave to with out easing the sheets. It’s best to then be stopped, beneath management and near the MOB

Practise alongside

It’s a extremely informative course of to check out this final half while alongside within the marina, with the ‘casualty’ an actual particular person mendacity on the pontoon. Whereas they’d be moist, heavier and needing lifting additional in actual life, that is
a really protected and managed means of practising along with your system and adjusting it till everyone seems to be completely happy they know what to do.

Having executed this train now, I’m eager to do a full man overboard drill in the beginning of each season and in the beginning of each journey so that everybody on board is aware of what to do – it’s this observe that’s the deciding think about whether or not you will get an MOB again or not.

When you’re used to lassoing, it’s virtually simpler than utilizing a ship hook

Manoeuvres beneath sail – selecting up a fender

Crusing again to a fender is an effective talent to have, have been your engine to fail throughout a MOB – a line wrapping across the prop, for instance – or simply to get again to a favorite hat or fender that’s gone overboard. It’s like crusing onto a mooring, however simpler in some ways with out having to issue within the tide.

The essential precept is that you simply need to method on an in depth attain with sufficient area to decelerate and arrive beneath management, capable of spill all the facility from the primary. There are two slight variations in which you could bear away on a broad attain to begin with as you sail away from the fender, or you possibly can attain away, then dip downwind after the tack. For those who do the latter, the dip down will should be a major bear away.

As you’ll be sending crew ahead to the shrouds, you’ll nonetheless must furl the jib and scandalise the primary in your ultimate method. I managed to get myself confused a couple of times and went to place the fender on the windward bow like a mooring, which isn’t going to work.

Choosing up a mooring beneath sail is a satisfying talent to grasp. Put the buoy in your windward bow so it doesn’t drag you right into a gybe

Mooring beneath sail

There are just a few manoeuvres that everybody ought to be capable of do. When you might hardly ever sail onto a mooring buoy, understanding how to take action is an effective talent to have ought to you’ve got engine hassle or simply for displaying off. On the similar time, it’s a great indicator of a sailor’s really feel for the boat and the way it will reply to the weather.

When approaching into wind and tide collectively, our Jeanneau Solar Odyssey 37 from 2008 had a reasonably shallow forefoot, in order quickly as our velocity dropped off, the bow tended to repay rapidly.

You don’t need a flogging genoa over the crew on the foredeck both, so furling the genoa away is an effective possibility, however you’ll sail slower and with extra leeway, so should be barely larger upwind than you first anticipate.

With wind and tide opposed, you’ll clearly method beneath genoa alone, however with wind and tide at roughly proper angles, you’ll want to evaluate which method is required. There have been two elements that caught us out a few instances, apparently extra necessary in lighter airs.

The primary is that because the boat slows down the tide turns into proportionally extra necessary, and secondly, on the similar time obvious wind will lower and transfer aft, additional filling the mainsail. The lesson was to arrange for a wind-against-tide method rather more readily than we would in any other case have executed.

You might end up having to sail again into harbour with engine issues.

Crusing onto a pontoon

You might be unlikely ever to sail right into a marina finger berth and I wouldn’t advise attempting. You might, nevertheless, end up having to sail again into harbour with engine issues. Whereas a Pan Pan name is fairly ubiquitous lately, a Yachtmaster ought to be capable of take care of engine issues at sea, and if not, to sail themselves again into harbour somewhat than relying on being rescued.

Most harbours may have a pontoon or berth with a comparatively open method, and it’s affordable to count on to have the ability to sail onto it. The calculation of which method to make use of is way the identical as for choosing up moorings beneath sail, although with different boats round and a stable pontoon to hit, the results of getting it incorrect are larger. Dealing with a ship in confined waters means you’ll must hold management at low speeds, and be considering forward about escape routes if it’s not going in line with plan.

For us, crusing on the mid-river pontoon reverse Warsash on the backside of the Hamble river supplied a great open method, and simply sufficient wind to get away with a wind-and-tide collectively method, although a genoa-only method might have been safer.

A correctly guyed pole is a extra seaworthy setup than simply clipping the pole onto the sheet

Crusing downwind

The hazards of a crash gybe are well-known, significantly from the mainsheet and increase scything throughout the boat, with a excessive potential to wreck each crew and boat. I had sailed a bit near a gybe with the jib collapsing earlier within the week, and once I had deliberately gybed, I hadn’t absolutely centred the primary.

Though no hurt was executed, the increase did clatter throughout noisily. Matt gave a stern warning concerning the dim view an examiner would take of this – a possible prompt fail – and we agreed that rigging for downwind legs can be worthwhile, together with each preventer and poling out the genoa.

Rigging a preventer

Rigging a preventer is comparatively simple. We selected the longest, strongest line we had on board within the type of a spinnaker sheet. This was led from the tip of the increase, the place it was secured with a spherical flip and two half hitches – each a powerful knot and simply launched beneath load – then ahead exterior the whole lot to the bow fairlead, after which aft to a cockpit winch.

It takes a bit little bit of rigging, but when the result’s a a lot safer and extra manoeuvrable setup, then it’s price doing, even on comparatively brief legs

When poling out a headsail previously, I’ve all the time set the pole utilizing the pole uphaul and downhaul then clipped the sheet into the tip then unfurled the headsail. This works positive in settled circumstances for brief legs away from delivery. Have been you to want to gybe, change course, or furl away the headsail rapidly, nevertheless, it will depart you with the harmful proposition of a free, heavy pole doubtlessly swinging freely on the foredeck that additionally prevents you sheeting the sail in for an upwind course with out first unclipping it from the pole.

Developing with an answer

Matt set us the duty of rigging the pole in such a means that it might be locked in place whether or not the sail was set or not, and that the headsail might be sheeted in for upwind crusing with out going ahead to unrig the pole.
After a little bit of head scratching, we discovered an answer.

The pole might be held in place by the pole uphaul, the downhaul, which served to tug the pole forwards and down, and a further aft man, which was an additional line taken from the pole finish to the aft mooring cleat. We hooked up a 3rd sheet, within the type of a spinnaker sheet, to the jib’s clew, by means of the pole, and aft to a spinnaker block on the stern after which onto a main winch.

The consequence was that chafe was minimised, the pole might be locked in place whether or not the sail was set or not, and if we did must gybe or sail upwind, the conventional jib sheets nonetheless had a correct lead, albeit the pole would should be held aft and the headsail with a few reefs to maintain it away from the pole.

With examiner Andy Wright aboard, the examination was lastly underway

The day of the examination

The examination begins a day or two earlier than the examiner turns up, in that she or he might need to see a passage plan you’ve ready prematurely. If so, the examiner may have handed the knowledge to you by way of the varsity offering the coaching.

It’s finest to do that two or three days earlier than the examination so that you haven’t obtained a last-minute panic, however not too far prematurely that you simply’ve forgotten the sums you’ve executed and why you made the alternatives you probably did. I used to be set a passage from Bembridge to St Vaast on the Cherbourg peninsula, giving me a doubtlessly fiddly drying harbour at both finish, although the forecast given was a conveniently beneficial Westerly Pressure 4-5. With passage plan full, and a few last-minute swotting up on lights, shapes and sounds, Andrew and I retired for an early night time.

After the windless drizzle of the day earlier than, Friday dawned vivid and breezy with a forecast of a great Pressure 5 from the southwest and loads of sunshine – sufficient that we’d must be on our toes, however a minimum of one thing we might get our tooth into. Matt had reassured us that making errors wasn’t the tip of the world through the examination, if we confirmed competence in getting ourselves again on monitor.

Andrew provides the crew an on-deck security briefing, together with the MOB restoration equipment

Minor errors are to be anticipated and it’s extra necessary the way you reply to your individual mistake. The one kinds of issues that may in all probability be an outright fail, apart from flunking our lights and shapes, are security crucial issues equivalent to a collision, operating aground, an lack of ability to navigate and pilot, or an uncontrolled gybe.

We have been joined at 0900 by our examiner Andy Wright, an RYA Yachtmaster teacher coach, examiner and centre inspector, an MCA Grasp 200 who works as an RNLI space lifesaving supervisor and who additionally volunteers with the Rona crusing undertaking. There’d be no ‘getting away with it’ right here.

We started the day with a espresso and chat, and Andy spent a while asking about our causes for taking the examination, earlier than laying out what he can be in search of. ‘I’m not going to be attempting to catch anybody out, however what I need to see you exhibit is which you could skipper the boat, navigate the boat, deal with the boat beneath energy and deal with the boat beneath sail.’

Andrew talks examiner Andy by means of his pre-prepared passage plan

The protection briefings

We started, as we had with our prep week, with security briefs, with Andy and I splitting above and under decks.

With the engine bay open, Andy took time to probe our data of engine troubleshooting, asking us to level out varied elements of the engine, the totally different significance of blue, black or white smoke from the exhaust (incomplete combustion, burning oil and overheating, by the best way), and how you can change filters, impellers and belts and how you can bleed the gas.

On deck, we have been requested to clarify when and why every form of flare can be used. None of it felt overly pressured, nevertheless it was definitely an in-depth examination of our data.

Throughout the day, these conversations continued as he drew data out of us in areas that weren’t being virtually demonstrated on the day – 15-20 minutes on lights, shapes, sounds and collision avoidance, together with how we’d deal with totally different situations in visitors separation schemes.

Andrew factors out the place the MOB useful billy and sling is throughout his security temporary

He requested us to speak by means of our passage plans, after which went additional to see whether or not we knew if the boat we have been on was legally allowed to take action, and what the executive and immigration necessities can be on both facet of the Channel – a tough one given the continued chaos and confusion that surrounds small boat crossings lately.

Being examined underway

In between these chats, we obtained underway. First with our marina manoeuvres out and in of a collection of more and more difficult berths, placing the boat into positions that we would not have chosen, together with a berth two area right into a gulley with a yacht moored both facet of the area and a ship reverse. Ferry gliding in bows-first wasn’t too difficult, however with wind and tide pushing us on, getting out once more was more durable. I opted to make use of prop stroll to tug the strict out towards a bow line – barely unconventional, and it wanted a little bit of oomph to maintain our bows clear, however I obtained away with out a collision.

We then had half an hour or so to every put together a brief passage plan and pilotage from every finish, this time from Hamble to Portsmouth and again. As these weren’t Andrew’s residence waters, he was relieved that I used to be going first.

Navigating the boat, piloting into Portsmouth, and recovering a MOB stored Theo on his toes

I do know Portsmouth nicely, however hadn’t been in for some time. With a plan full, Andy requested me to clarify the route I’d chosen. Whereas I had the route within the chartplotter, I’d picked waypoints close to easy-to-find buoys so I might see I used to be in the proper place from the cockpit, and I’d elected to not minimize the nook over the shallows off Hill Head to maintain us away from a lee shore.

I’d even have to make use of the Outer Swashway on the best way in, as we’d be near low water and missing depth by about 0.3m to get in by way of the Inside Swashway.

Emergency on passage

Underway, and with Row on the wheel, I had choices to make about what number of reefs to place in, and I used to be torn between crusing the boat correctly and being overly cautious. Beginning with one reef, with the breeze creeping upwards, life was comfier with two reefs in. I needed to cease myself from any gung-ho makes an attempt to tighten leech strains, electing for a fast heave-to to type them out. Coffees wanted to maintain on flowing through the passage, and lunchtime was upon us earlier than I knew it.

We would have liked to plot a rock-solid passage plan

Whereas the pasties have been heating within the oven, there was time for a repair on the chart, or would have been had the fender not fallen overboard. We went by means of our drill and I used to be relieved to get again to the MOB first go. Andrew and Row checked out me to see if we have been doing ‘the entire thing’ and as Andy hadn’t flinched, we rigged the useful billy, hooked up the fender to the sling and hauled away till it was safely aboard – it’s a fancy course of that basically does want observe, nevertheless it had gone nicely.

A way of aid

As soon as safely in Portsmouth Harbour, it was my flip to search out and decide up a mooring buoy beneath sail. Tied up and handing over skippering obligation to Andrew for his flip within the scorching seat, I instantly felt a wave of aid that my passage, pilotage and dealing with appeared to have gone okay. It was solely early afternoon, nevertheless, and we wouldn’t be completed till we’d executed our night time navigation.

There was a recent breeze from the southwest for the passage to Portsmouth

Andrew’s passage went nicely, too, in a constructing breeze that was extra on the nostril on the best way again, whereas I used to be under wrestling with getting a tray of meatballs and sauce right into a wildly swinging oven. I’m ashamed to say that when it was Andrew’s flip at MOB, regardless of a flawless method, I tousled the lasso and missed the fender. Sorry, good friend.

Evening navigation

By the point we have been again on a mooring inside Calshot Spit it was time for supper and a short respite, earlier than plunging on into our night time nav workout routines.

Very like earlier within the week, we have been requested to navigate to unmarked areas and Andy gave us a little bit of time to arrange these. Whereas we have been doing this, he additionally checked our data of how the radar labored for collision avoidance and for navigation, and how you can extract related data from each the chartplotter and the AIS.

My night time nav started nicely, utilizing a number of sources of place data as requested, and nearly making sense of my unexpectedly drawn sketch and notes, in search of the traits of explicit lights (you’ll must know the way fast VQ in comparison with simply Q actually is) and utilizing the radar to plot our course.

Andrew plots a visible repair because the solar begins to set

Because it was prime of the tide, nevertheless, each ship in Southampton appeared decided to set sail, together with the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary cruise liner with attendant tugs, police launches and celebration boats following behind. Cowering together with the channel, my plan was thrown into disarray and I misplaced the plot on radar, and we have been blinded by disco balls and oil terminal lights alike. Fortunately, Navionics is certainly not banned, and a fast vary and bearing within the palm of my hand gave me a course and distance to my imaginary level. One other step nearer.

Nonetheless, Andrew wanted to pilot us up the Hamble River, the place Hamble Level’s sector lights could be simply misplaced within the welter of shore lights, and I used to be requested to deliver the boat alongside, stern first on the finish of an extended gulley, giving me one other likelihood to mess issues up, proper as much as the final minute.

Again at Calshot darkness falls forward of the night time navigation workout routines

Debriefs

However with the boat tied up and put to mattress, Andy took every of us off for a fast chat on the pontoon. Luckily, he was happy with how we had executed and broke the information that we had each handed. Phew – mission achieved!

We might lastly open these beers and revel in what we had simply achieved. Each of us had discovered the week intense, all-absorbing and demanding – maybe unsurprisingly. Consequently, we felt that we’d been compelled to up our sport when it got here to our crusing and skippering, and our expertise had been up to date by a decade or two.

We have been now a lot better-rounded skippers than we’d been earlier than. There have been numerous learnings and a few new expertise to take again to our personal boats, too, however we had additionally had a enjoyable week alongside the best way.

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