The RYA Yachtmaster certificate is a common goal for many aspiring skippers. It is a globally renowned and highly respected qualification that serves as proof of a significant level of experience and skill.
This course is designed for skippers who already have experience operating a sea-going sailing yacht and would like to validate their skills by earning the prestigious RYA certificate. Candidates for the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal exam are expected to be able to handle a yacht under both sail and power in a wide range of conditions. The theoretical knowledge required is the same as for the Yachtmaster Offshore, but the practical experience needed is less extensive. During the course, the instructor will focus on refining specific skills such as harbor maneuvers, crew management, practical navigation and pilotage, and knowledge of the IRPCS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea).
This course prepares you for an exam that will assess your skippering ability, boat-handling skills, navigation, safety awareness, and knowledge of IRPCS, meteorology, and emergency procedures. You’ll be tasked with demonstrating your capabilities and answering questions relevant to the level of certification. The likelihood of passing increases significantly with thorough preparation—for example, through our structured training programs.
Courses are taught in English by Slovak or Czech instructors. The exam is also conducted in English.
Courses in Tenerife are led by our instructors but are otherwise provided by our partner RYA Training Centre, Canary Sail.
The theory course is not a requirement. The knowledge is – and it does not matter whether you got it from a course or from your own sailing. At Yachtmaster Coastal level, though, navigation, tides and passage planning take more time than you want to spend below deck. That is why the practical course comes with RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Theory at 10 % off. You study online, at your own pace, any time before the course.
The practical course fee includes: accommodation on a fully RYA-certified sailing yacht, including all fees, mooring in the home marina, instruction from an RYA-certified instructor, course materials, and certification fees.
The course fee does not include: the exam fee (£201 per person), harbor fees outside the home marina, fuel consumed during the week, and food costs (shared equally among participants), as well as personal and travel insurance and transportation to the course location.
Candidates for the exam also equally share the examiner’s travel expenses, which typically do not exceed approximately €70 per person.
Before the course, we can connect all registered participants to coordinate shared transportation and other arrangements.
The exam fee is paid separately: RYA Yachtmaster Offshore 266 GBP, RYA Yachtmaster Coastal 230 GBP. You also share the examiner's travel costs, usually up to 70 € per person. The preparation course price is shown with each date.
You can retake the exam later. We will recommend a cruise or course to polish what was missing, and in that case we try to meet you on price too.
A radio operator licence – with us the RYA Short Range Certificate, online – and a valid first aid certificate. Without them you cannot sit the exam.
We recommend 30 days at sea, including 2 as skipper, 800 nautical miles and 12 night hours. Practical skills at least at RYA Coastal Skipper level and theory at RYA Yachtmaster Theory level.
Yes, for two reasons. Booked with the practical course it is 10 % cheaper, and more importantly you then spend your week on the helm rather than below deck with a chart. The theory course is not compulsory – the certificate needs the knowledge, not the course.
You do not have to take the theory course with us, but you do need the knowledge. Check that yours covers: A. Position – 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, areas of uncertainty. B. The magnetic compass – allowance for variation, change of variation with time and position, causes of deviation, swing for deviation (not corrected), allowance for deviation, different types of compass. C. Tides – causes of tides (springs and neaps), tide tables and their sources, tidal levels and datum, standard and secondary ports, tidal anomalies. D. Tidal streams – sources of tidal information, tidal stream information in sailing directions and almanacs, allowance for tidal streams when computing a course to steer, tide rips, overfalls and races, tidal observation buoys and beacons. E. Buoyage – IALA buoyage in Region A, importance of lights as navigational aids. F. Lights – characteristics, ranges (visual, luminous and nominal), rising and dipping distances, light lists. G. Pilotage – harbour regulations and control signals, methods of pre-planning, clearing lines, use of soundings, transits and leading lines. H. GPS and chart plotters – principles of operation and limitations of use, raster and vector charts, datum, confirming position from an independent source and keeping a separate record of position, importance of paper charts. I. Echo sounders – principles of operation and limitations of use. J. Logs (speed and distance measuring) – principles of operation and limitations of use. K. Deck log – the log as the yacht’s official document, layout of the log, hourly and occasional entries. L. Meteorology – basic terms and the Beaufort scale, air masses, cloud types, weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems, sources of weather information, interpreting a shipping forecast, weatherfax and weather satellite information, land and sea breezes, sea fog, use of a barometer as a forecasting aid. M. Rule of the road – a sound knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, except annexes 1 and 3. N. Safety at sea – 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 the capabilities of the vessel and boat stability. O. Navigation in restricted visibility – precautions to be taken in fog, limitations to safe navigation imposed by fog, navigation strategy in poor visibility. P. Passage planning – preparation of charts and notebook for route planning and use at sea, customs regulations as they apply to yachts, routine for navigation in coastal waters, strategy for course laying, use of waypoints and routes, use of weather forecast information, sources of local and national regulations. Q. Marine equipment – responsibility to minimise pollution and protect the marine environment.