Yachtmaster Ocean Theory & Qualifying Passage
This course prepares experienced skippers for the prestigious RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence. The programme combines the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course with an exhilarating Pacific ocean qualifying passage.
Description
The programme begins with the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shore-based theory course, where you will learn both traditional and modern methods of ocean navigation.
The syllabus covers celestial navigation, ocean currents, meteorology, and ocean passage planning. You’ll learn how to use a sextant and practise reducing sun and star sights to determine your position at sea.
Once the theory is complete, the crew comes together to plan the ocean passage. Subject to weather forecasts, we typically begin with a coastal passage from Sydney to Eden, followed by an ocean passage to the World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island.
Depending on crew numbers and conditions, we often complete a second qualifying ocean passage back to Eden before returning to our base at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney.
Course Programme
Week 1 – RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Shore-based Theory
Week 2 – Ocean Passage Planning / Begin Ocean Passage
Week 3 – Ocean Qualifying Passage
Week 4 – Ocean Qualifying Passage
Note: If you join our December course, there is a four-week break in training over the Christmas period (between Weeks 1 and 2 above). The ocean passage for this course begins in Hobart, Tasmania, and finishes at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney.
For all other course dates, there is no break in the schedule. The ocean passage starts and finishes at our base at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney.
Lord Howe Island
Our Lord Howe Island passage is a true blue-water ocean sailing adventure to one of the Pacific’s most spectacular destinations.
World Heritage-listed for its outstanding natural beauty and named in National Geographic’s Best of the World 2021 travel list, Lord Howe Island is a jewel in the Pacific with pristine beaches and a magnificent coral lagoon.
The diving and snorkelling here are world-class. With visitor numbers strictly limited to just 400 at any one time, the island’s unique ecosystem is carefully protected as “the world’s last paradise.”
To sail to Lord Howe is a rare privilege that very few have the opportunity to experience.
During the passage, crew members rotate roles as Acting Skipper or Watch Leader, ensuring everyone logs the required 600-nautical-mile qualifying passage in a position of responsibility.
You’ll experience breathtaking seascapes, encounter dolphins and whales, and of course, see flying fish! This is offshore sailing at its finest.
The Yacht and the Instructors
Our Lord Howe Island adventures are run on our training vessel, SV Arctos, which was built for a Southern Ocean circumnavigation and is ideally suited to a passage of this nature.
This is a fully supervised training passage, led by two experienced and highly qualified AMSA Sailing Masters and RYA instructors.
What's included
Meals on yachts, safety equipment, publications, tuition
If you book our December course, you will need to factor in the cost of a flight from Sydney to Hobart to start the ocean passage.
Qualifications and experience
- 1,500 sea miles logged
- RYA YM Ocean Shore-based Theory
- RYA YM Ocean Qualifying passage
Meals on yachts, safety equipment, publications, tuitionIf you book our December course, you will need to account for the cost of a flight from Sydney to Hobart to begin the ocean passage.Qualifications and experience• 1,500 sea miles logged• RYA YM Ocean Shore-based Theory• RYA YM Ocean Qualifying Passage
Before you start
- You are a confident yachtsman or woman who, as a minimum, has taken part in an RYA Coastal Skipper course or had equivalent offshore sailing experience.
- We prefer if all crew members have completed an ISAF-recognized Sea Survival course
What next?
Before your oral exam for the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence, you must
- Hold the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence
- Have completed the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shore-based theory course
- Have completed a Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage.
- Have prepared a narrative of your qualifying passage including details of your navigational sights for submission to the examiner
If you intend to use your Yachtmaster Ocean qualification commercially, be prepared to go for a straightforward medical.
Consider following this course with a Cruising Instructor week to teach yachting at an RYA school like Flying Fish!