Our Yachtmaster Prep and Exam Week is designed for sailors who already have the knowledge, skills, and experience required for the Yachtmaster Offshore or Coastal qualification but would benefit from final coaching and practice before the examination.

We aim to fine-tune your skills and ensure you are fully prepared and confident for the assessment.

The Yachtmaster Examination

During the Yachtmaster exam, you will be asked to demonstrate your boat handling, seamanship, and navigation skills under sail and power, both by day and night. You will also manage a variety of simulated safety and emergency scenarios.

The RYA Yachtmaster Examiner will assess your practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and ability to manage the vessel and crew safely. The key factor is simple: Are you safe?

Course Programme

Monday: Yachtmaster skills training + evening session (finish approx. 2130)
Tuesday: Yachtmaster skills training
Wednesday: Skills training + exam briefing; Yachtmaster exams commence at 1700
Thursday: Yachtmaster exams continue
Friday: Exams finish around 1300; group debrief at 1600

During the training days, you will practice boat handling, safety and emergency procedures, pilotage, and navigation, covering all key exercises expected during the exam.

Before joining, you should ensure your shore-based theory knowledge is up to standard. The prep week does not allow time to teach topics such as IRPCS (Collision Regulations), tidal calculations, or navigation theory.

The Yacht and the Instructor

You will train in a small group (maximum of four students) aboard one of our RYA-approved Beneteau 40.7 training yachts.

The training is led by a qualified RYA Yachtmaster Instructor with detailed knowledge of the exam requirements.

On Wednesday at 1700, the RYA Yachtmaster Examiner will join the yacht to conduct your exam, and your instructor will step ashore. From then on, it’s over to you!

Location and Weather

Exams proceed in most weather conditions and typically take place offshore near Sydney and within Sydney Harbour.

This course is non-live-aboard. However, if you are travelling from afar and would like to stay on board in the marina, please contact us to arrange this.

• Tuition, logbook, pre-course reading.
• Life jackets and safety harnesses are provided. Wet weather gear is available on loan if needed.
• All vessels have an enclosed bathroom on board.
• Please bring your own lunch and snacks.
• We provide tea, coffee, and water on board. 

The RYA exam fee is payable to the examiner on the day. (Yachtmaster Coastal $405, Yachtmaster Offshore $465)

Qualifications and experience 

• 100 sea miles logged
• RYA Yachtmaster Coastal COC (Sail) or
• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore COC (Sail)

• Our Yachtmaster prep and exam week is for candidates who are 90% prepared for their exam and just need a bit of polish to get through.
• Please see the FAQ section below for precise details of qualifications and sea time requirements required before participation in this course.
• If you are in any way uncertain of your theory knowledge, you should attend a Yachtmaster Shore-based Theory course before you submit for examination.
• If you feel you could benefit from some more time to practice the essential skills of the Yachtmaster before joining this week, you should join our Yachtmaster Practical Skills course first. 

• You need a commercial endorsement to use an RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence commercially. See our FAQ section below for details on this.
• Consider training as an RYA Yacht Cruising Instructor, which would allow you to work at over 2,400 RYA-recognised training centres across 58 countries worldwide.
• Your next step is RYA Yachtmaster Ocean. 
   

• Yachtmaster minimum sea time requirements 
  • For Yachtmaster Coastal,  it's 30 days on board, two days as skipper, 800 miles, and 12 night hours.
  • For holders of the RYA Coastal Skipper certificate, the seatime requirement is reduced to 20 days on board, two days as skipper, 400 miles, 12 night hours
  • For Yachtmaster Offshore - 50 days on board, five days as skipper, 2500 miles
  • 5 x Yachtmaster qualifying passages over 60 nautical miles, including two overnight and two as skipper

• Yachtmaster pre-exam requirements  
  • Approved First Aid qualification
  • RYA Yachtmaster qualifying passages/watchkeeper experience 
  • VHF/HF GMDSS Radio Licence
  • Theory knowledge to RYA Yachtmaster Shorebased Theory standard
  • Boat handling and navigation ability to Yachtmaster Practical Skills standard

• Yachtmaster commercial use
• If you plan to use your Yachtmaster certificate commercially anywhere in the world, you will need a commercial endorsement issued by the RYA on behalf of the UK's Maritime Coastguard Authority (MCA).
• To get your RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence commercially endorsed, you will need to complete the following steps:
1. Obtain a World Sailing/ISAF approved Offshore Safety and Sea Survival qualification.
2. Complete the RYA online Professional Practices and Responsibilities course (PPR).
3. Obtain a certificate of medical fitness. The MCA recognises two types of UK issued medical certificates for commercial endorsement: ML5 (for operations within 60 nm), valid for 5 years, and ENG1 (for unlimited range operations), valid for 2 years. Click here for more info. The MCA also accept the Australia issued AMSA 303 medical certificate for unlimited range operations.  If you only plan to work in Australian waters, you can apply to the RYA for an Australia-only commercial endorsement. In this case you can get an AMSA 1850 medical which covers  near-shore operations in Australia and is cheaper and more widely available than the AMSA 303. 
• Once you have completed the above, apply to the RYA here for your commercial endorsement.

• AMSA Sailing Master / Yachtmaster commercial use Australia
• If you intend to use your Yachtmaster certificate commercially in Australia you must apply for the AMSA Sailing Master Certification. To get your AMSA Sailing Master you will need.
1. A commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence. Note: If you only plan on working in Australian waters, you can apply to the RYA for an Australia-only commercial endorsement - see section above.
2. The RYA Diesel Engine certificate
3. The RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate
• Once you have ALL of the above, you can apply to AMSA for the Sailing Master COC

• What happens if I fail the Yachtmaster exams?
• We do our best to make sure that you don't. But if you do, you'll go away with an action plan to complete.  Usually, this involves revising some missing skills or knowledge and then resitting the exam.
• Over 90% of our Yachtmaster candidates pass the first time.