Yachtmaster Coastal Skipper Motor Exam Syllabus

Candidates may be given the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge or competence in the aresa listed below. In each section the examiner will expect to see the candidate take full responsibility for the management of the vessel and crew.

In Coastal Skipper exams the candidate will be expected to deomonstrate understanding but may not have had the opportunity to practise all aspects of the syllabus under a range of different weather conditions.

1. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
   Questions will be confined to the International Regualtions and although candidates must be aware  of the existence of Local Regulations, they will not be expected to memorise specific local regulations.
   General rules (1-3)
   Steering and sailing rule (4-19)
   Lights and shapes (20-31)
   Sound and light signals (32-37)
   Signals for vessels fishing in close proximity (Annex II)
   Distress signals (Annex IV)
2. Safety
   Candidates will be expected to know what safety equipment should be carried on board a vessel, based either on the recommendations in the RYA Boat Safety Handbook C8, the Special Regulations of the ORC or the Codes of Practise  for the Safety of Small Commercial Vessels. In particular, candidates must know the responsibilities of a skipper in relation to:
   Safety harnesses
   Lifejackets
   Distress flare
   Fire prevention and fighting
   Liferafts
   Knowledge of rescue procedures. Helicopter rescue
3. Boat Handling
   Candidates for Coastal Skipper examinations will be expected to answer questions or demonstrate ability in simple situations only. Candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore will be expceted to answer questions or deomstrate ability in more complex situations and will also be expected to show a higher level of expertise:
   Coming to and weighing anchor in various conditions of wind and tide
   All berthing and unberthing situations in various conditions of wind and tide
   Recovery of man overboard
   Towing under open sea conditions and in confined areas
   Boat handling in confined areas
   Boat handling in heavy weather
   Helmsmanship
   Use of warps for securing in an alongside berth and for shifting berth or winding
4. General seamanship, including maintenance
   Properties, use and care of synthetic fibre ropes
   Knots
   General deck-work at sea and in harbour
   Engine operations and routine checks
5. Responsibilities of skipper
   Can skipper a motor cruiser and manage the crew
   Communication with crew
   Delegation of responsibility and watch-keeping organisation
   Preparing vessel for sea and for adverse weather
   Tactics for heavy weather and restricted visibility
   Emergency and distress situations
   Victualling for a cruise and feeding at sea
   Customs procedures
   Standards of behaviour and courtesy
6. Navigation
   Charts, navigational publications and sources of navigational information
   Chartwork including position fixing and shaping course to allow for tidal stream and leeway
   Tide and tidal stream calculations
   Buoyage and visual aids to navigation
   Instruments including compasses, logs, echo sounders, radio navaids and chartwork instruments
   Passage planning and navigational tactics
   Pilotage techniques
   Navigational records
   Limits of naviagtion accuracy and margins of safety
   Lee shore dangers
   Use of electronic navigation aids for passage planning and passage navigation
   Use of waypoints and electronic routeing
   Use of Radar as an aid to navigation, pilotage, collision earning and collision avoidance
   An awareness of the capability of the vessel including an understanding of the tactics affecting stability
7. Meteorology
   Definition of terms
   Sources of weather forecasts
   Weather systems and local weather effects
   Interpretation of weather forecasts, barometric trends and visible phenomena
   Ability ro make passage planning decisions based on forecast information
8. Signals
   Candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore and Coastal Skipper must hold the Restricted (VHF only) Certificate of Competence  in radiotelephony or a higher grade of certificate in radiotelephony.