RYA YACHTMASTER THEORY

• Day Skipper theory required
• Classroom based
• More advanced navigational skills
• Required skills to pass Yachtmaster

• All course materials including course notes.
• Morning and afternoon tea.

What’s not Included

• Overnight accommodation

All teaching is in a classroom, led by an expert JVN  instructor. Class sizes are limited to 8 students, to ensure that you have proper levels of interaction with the instructor. Students come with all different levels of prior knowledge, but do not worry. The entire syllabus is taught from the beginning, and no knowledge of the syllabus is expected prior to starting

Quality of the instructors

The simple truth is that shore based courses in the sailing industry are often taught by people who have done very little sailing outside of their local area. This hugely limits their skills and experience, beyond repeating the same anecdotes and lines lesson after lesson.

We are constantly learning, evolving and improving our approach to sailing and navigation. When you learn with us, you will be getting expert instructors teaching the latest approaches to the theory.

• Dead reckoning and estimated position
• Satellite-derived position
• Use of waypoints to fix position
• Radar fixes
• Techniques of visual fixing
• Fixes using a mixture of position lines
• Relative accuracy of different methods of position fixing
• Area of uncertainty

• Allowance for variation
• Change of variation with time and position
• Causes of deviation
• Swing for deviation (but not correction)
• Allowance for deviation
• Different types of compass

• Causes of tide – Springs and Neaps
• Tide tables – sources
• Tidal levels and datum
• Standard and secondary ports
• Tide anomalies (Solent, etc.)

• Sources of tidal information
• Tidal stream information in sailing directions and Yachtsmen’s Almanacs
• Allowance for tidal streams in computing a course to steer
• Tide rips, overfalls and races
• Tidal observation buoys, beacons etc.

• IALA system buoyage in Region A
• Limitations of buoys as navigational aids

• Characteristics
• Ranges – visual, luminous and nominal
• Rising and dipping distances
• Light lists

• Harbour regulations and control signals
• Methods of pre-planning
• Clearing lines
• Use of soundings
• Transits and leading lines

• Principles of operation and limitations of use
• Raster and vector charts
• Datum
• Importance of confirmation of position by an independent source and keeping a separate record of position
• Importance of paper charts

• Principles of operation and limitations of use

• Principles of operation limitations of use

• Importance of log as yacht’s official document
• Layout of log, hourly and occasional entries

• Basic terms, the Beaufort scale b. Air masses c. Cloud types d. Weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems e. Sources of weather forecasts f. Ability to interpret a shipping forecast, weather fax and weather satellite information g. Land and sea breezes h. Sea fog i. Use of barometer as a forecasting aid

• A sound knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, except Annexes 1 and 3

• Personal safety, use of lifejackets, safety harnesses and lifelines
• Fire prevention and fire fighting
• Distress signals
• Coastguard and Boat Safety Scheme
• Preparation for heavy weather
• Liferafts and helicopter rescue
• Understanding of capabilities of vessel and basic knowledge of stability

• Precautions to be taken in fog
• Limitations to safe navigation imposed by fog
• Navigation in poor visibility

• Preparation of charts and notebook for route planning and making, and use at sea
• Customs regulations as they apply to yachts
• Routine for navigating in coastal waters
• Strategy for course laying
• Use of waypoints and routes
• Use of weather forecast information for passage planning strategy
• Sources of local and national regulations