A Yachtmaster Exam of any level is a serious undertaking. Here we tell you all you need to know to be suitably prepared in order to pass your RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam.

If you have not already done your RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory, then you should do that first. You can find more information about our online course here.

What Is the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam?

The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam is an oral exam that allows us to upgrade our Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence to an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence.

This means you, as skipper, are now qualified to skipper a vessel of less than 24m and less than 200gt worldwide, with no restrictions on distance from a safe haven, like other certificates of competence have.

What Is an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Qualifying Passage?

A qualifying passage is a passage that takes your vessel on a rhumb line course greater than 600nm where the vessel is greater than 50nm offshore for a continuous period of more than 200nm.

On this, you as the candidate must have been the skipper, mate or watch leader and been fully involved in the planning and navigation of the vessel. Simply being there as crew is not enough.

The passage must also have lasted for longer than 96 hours (4 days). On the passage, you must have used astro navigation as part of your navigation of the vessel via a minimum or sun-run-sun or sun-run-merpass. This can, of course, be simply to confirm your position, but must also include a compass check too.

What Is the Aim of the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam 

The aim is to ensure your sailing and skippering skills are at the required standard for RYA Yachtmaster Ocean. The examiner will determine this by questioning you on your ocean skippering knowledge, vessel preparation, global meteorology and astro navigation skills.

During the exam, the examiner will question you on your qualifying passage to ascertain that you did indeed have a deep involvement in all aspects of your qualifying passage and that you understand what is involved in taking care of a vessel and crew on an ocean passage.

Where Should I Book My RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam?

There are 3 ways you can book your RYA Yachtmaster Ocean exam.

The first is via the RYA. You can contact them, requesting the examination, and they will put you in touch with a local examiner. You can apply for the exam here.

Another method is to contact your local sailing school to see if they have any other candidates ready for exams or, indeed, if they have a local ocean examiner. You can find your local school here.

The other option is perhaps you, or someone you know, knows an ocean examiner. You are free to contact them directly and arrange an exam time with them.

What Questions Should I Be Asking Before Booking?

There are no real additional questions needed to ask before booking, other than looking for an examiner local to where you would like to sit the exam.

When you have an examiner booked, if they have not already confirmed what they are looking for, then it is a good idea to ask them personally what it is they expect from you and what exactly you need to have before confirming a booking.

What Will My RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner Expect From Me Before the Oral Exam?

An ocean examiner will expect a few things from you prior to the exam before they commit to booking it in. These are:

• RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence
• Qualifying Passage details, signed by the skipper if not yourself. (600nm minimum)
• Folio or passage narrative document covering qualifying passage information and including navigational astro sights, ship’s log, passage planning notes, role and anything else you consider relevant
• RYA Yachtmaster Ocean theory completion certificate

What Must I Take With Me For My Exam?

For your exam, you must take the above with you, that is your 2 certificates, signed logbook, navigational astro sight plots and folio / passage narrative.

You must also take with you a personal ID so the examiner can confirm your identity and that you are who you say you are.

You should also take with you your exam application form and proof of payment, both of which can be done together here.

Any Other Items I Should Take For My RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam?

It is also worthwhile to take any notes you have with you on your Yachtmaster Ocean Theory or Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage. That way, if the examiner asks a question you are not sure about, you can refer to your notes to confirm your understanding.

If you have already completed multiple ocean ‘qualifying’ passages, it is certainly worthwhile taking information on these to the exam also. It can be used to help show the examiner your credentials, skills and capabilities.

If you have a sextant, it could be worthwhile taking it; that way, you can demonstrate your understanding of using it, the various parts, and be comfortable with using your own, rather than one that the examiner might bring.

Finally, anything else you feel might be relevant to your ocean knowledge and passage explanation, such as charts on your qualifying passage.

What RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam Admin Is There?

The admin has mainly been mentioned before, but to be clear, an application and payment form need to be completed from here.

We should also ensure we have all the necessary information as detailed above, and anything else requested from our examiner.

What Can I Practise or Revise Before My RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam?

Before your ocean oral exam you want to make sure your passage narrative or folio on your qualifying passage is complete and you are happy with everything that is included.

You also want to be revising global weather, TRS’s and oceanic routing.

You also want to be familiar with ocean safety, specifically heavy weather, communications and additional safety kit required, and most importantly, how we use all this kit.

5 Top Tips for Preparing for the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam 

• Do the theory course. Click here to find out more.
• Know your global meteorology. For more info, check out this video.
• Be happy with astro Navigation skills and how to use a sextant and plot our position.
• Write a comprehensive qualifying passage report.
• Have all your paperwork in order as required and requested.

What Will Be Next After the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam Course?

At the end of the exam, the examiner will give you a short debrief. In this, they will note your strengths and weaknesses while also noting the suggested next step, which in this case, is likely to get out there and skipper an ocean voyage!