Often just called Yachtmaster Theory, this course takes the navigation and meteorology from Day Skipper level to the standard expected of a Yachtmaster Offshore. You work with secondary ports and tidal stream atlases, plan a passage over several tides, solve multi-leg course-to-steer problems, interpret synoptic charts and forecasts properly, and learn the collision regulations well enough to recite lights, shapes and sound signals from memory. It finishes with two written papers. Nearly every Yachtmaster examiner will tell you that weak theory is the most common reason candidates fail, so treat this course as the foundation for the exam rather than a box to tick.
At a glance
| Type | Theory course |
|---|---|
| Duration | About 40 hours: a five-day intensive, evening classes, or online |
| Minimum age | None |
| Stage in the pathway | Stage 5 of 10 |
Before you start
| Experience needed | None formally, but you should be sailing regularly |
|---|---|
| Theory needed | Day Skipper Theory or equivalent knowledge |
Assumed knowledge: Day Skipper theory. The course starts at that level and moves quickly.
What it covers
- Position fixing with multiple methods and understanding accuracy
- Course to steer over multiple tidal hours, with leeway
- Tidal heights at secondary ports, tidal streams and stream atlases
- Passage planning: offshore, overnight and across tidal gates
- Pilotage plans for unfamiliar harbours by day and night
- Meteorology: weather systems, fronts, synoptic charts, local effects, sources of forecasts
- Collision regulations in full
- Safety: stability, liferafts, distress, search and rescue, GMDSS
- Electronic navigation aids and their limitations
- Ocean-going preparation at an introductory level
What you get
Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased course completion certificate. This is the theory level assumed for the Coastal Skipper practical course and for both the Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore exams.
Where it sits in the pathway
Before this: Day Skipper Practical. After this: Coastal Skipper Practical.