yacht rating record book

The MCA Yacht Rating Certificate and Training Record Book

Professional Yacht Training, USA provides several introductory courses, other than the STCW-10 Basic Safety Training. It is recommended that any newcomer to the yachting industry invest in their yachting career by taking advantage of all the introductory courses offered at PYTUSA.

Benefits of the mca yacht rating certificate course.

Of the introductory courses offered by PYTUSA, the MCA Yacht Rating Certificate course will reduce the required sea time to apply for an MCA Yacht Rating from 6 months to 2 months. Once the MCA Yacht Rating COC is issued and held for 6 months, candidates will be able to sit the MCA Efficient Deckhand course . The MCA Efficient Deckhand course completion certificate must be held by a candidate for 18 months prior to the issue of an Officer of the Watch (Yachts less than 3,000gt) Certificate of Competency .

The MCA Yacht Rating course is a 5-day training course that covers navigational watch duties, life-saving and firefighting equipment, seamanship, Code of Safe Working Practices (COSWOP), engine watch-keeping duties, pollution prevention, knots, bends and hitches, whipping and splicing, International Safe Management Code, chart-work, Rules of the Road, day shapes, lights and IALA A & B buoyage systems.

The advantages of gaining your MCA Yacht Rating Certificate are that it informs captains that you have advanced deck skills, you are eligible to be included in a vessels safe manning requirement, it shows more responsibility which could lead to faster promotions and is a fantastic introduction to the MCA Efficient Deckhand course, which is a requirement for advancing licensure to the OOW COC.

What is a Training Record Book?

The MCA Training Record Book is a key document for individuals working on yachts and serves a comprehensive log of a trainee’s practical experience and training, providing evidence of the skills and competencies that have been acquired.

The Training Record Book is used to record various tasks and duties completed by the trainee, demonstrating their hands-on experience, including tasks related to navigation, deck work, engineering, safety procedures and other skills. This book will be regularly reviewed by a supervising officer who verifies the trainee’s successful completion of a task.

The Training Record Book serves a detailed record of a trainee’s professional development and can be useful when applying for jobs. For certain MCA and maritime qualifications, having a completed and signed-off Training Record Book is a prerequisite and is absolutely necessary in advancing to higher levels of certification, especially MCA Officer of the Watch.

PYTUSA has MCA Training Record Books available for purchase and they are quite durable, with the intent they will last throughout your yachting career.

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The Yacht Rating Certificate

Crew Life-1

As part of their safe manning requirements, some yachts (usually over 200 GT) require certain crew to have a minimum certification level of Yacht Rating Certificate (YRC).

Even if you don’t need a Yacht Rating Certificate for your current yacht, it is worth your while getting one. Often yachts ask for it when recruiting, so if you don’t have one, you could miss out on a future job opportunity.

For crew who are relatively new to the industry, the process of applying for the YRC can be complicated. This article provides all the information you need to apply for the certificate.

Requirements

In order to qualify for the YRC, you must:

• Be at least 16 years of age
• Have completed the Yacht Rating Training Record Book (see our tips for completing this). You can download this from the PYA or MCA website.
• STCW Personal Survival Techniques ( OR RYA Basic Sea Survival)
• STCW Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting
• STCW Elementary First Aid
• STCW Personal Safety & Social Responsibility
• Be able to demonstrate at least 6 months yacht service including 2 months sea service, all of which must be on vessels of 15 metres or above in load line length.

If you have one of the following qualifications, you do NOT need to complete a Yacht Rating Training Record Book, and the required 6 months of yacht service may be reduced to 2 months of days at sea on vessels of 15 metres or above in load line length.

• Watch Leader Certificate with an RYA Competent Crew Certificate
• Day Skipper certificate with an RYA Competent Crew Certificate and/or higher RYA certificate
• Yacht Rating Course Completion Certificate
• Yacht Master Offshore / Ocean

Sea service declaration

You will need to show evidence of 6 months yacht service (time signed on the vessel), including 60 days at sea (any day that the boat leaves the port, is underway or at anchor). Note that all sea time must be from yachts and not from commercial vessels.

If you have a completed PYA Service Record Book, this will suffice as your sole proof of sea time.

If not, you need to submit 2 forms of evidence:

• PYA Crew Work Book OR MCA approved log book OR Discharge Book OR Certificates of Discharge
• Original sea service testimonials which are signed either by the Captain or the management company, showing clearly the sign on and sign off dates, and the actual days at sea. Your testimonials should include the contact details of the person signing them. Testimonial templates can be downloaded from the PYA website.

Tips for completing the Yacht Rating Training Record Book

The Yacht Rating Training Record Book includes a list of deck tasks and skills which you must demonstrate that you can successfully complete. You can download it from the PYA or MCA website. Each element needs to be signed off by a senior in command. In order to avoid your TRB being rejected with your application, ensure that the tasks are signed off in real time and NOT all on the same date. Every box should have a signature. The TRB must be submitted in a presentable manner.

Guidelines for completing the Yacht Rating Application form (MSF4340 Rev 0118)

• DO complete the form in FULL, using BLACK ink and BLOCK CAPITALS
• DO send originals of your application form, certificates, sea service and Yacht Rating Training Record Book, however….
• DO NOT send your original passport. Instead, you should provide an attested copy, stamped, signed and cited as an original copy either by the PYA, the master of your vessel (with CoC number), an MCA approved Nautical college or a public notary.
• DO ensure that the name you write on the form is exactly the same as that on your passport
• DO write your date of birth in the format DD/MM/YYYY (not the American format)
• DO ensure that the person countersigning your application is either a British citizen, citizen of a Commonwealth country or an MCA approved signatory AND that the SAME person countersigns your passport photos.
• DO ensure that the sea service declaration is filled out in full and that original copies of the supporting documents are provided.

Checklist for Yacht Rating Certificate Application

• ORIGINAL completed application form. You can download the MSF4340 Rev 0118 from the MCA or PYA website.
• Attested COPY of your passport (Do NOT send the original)
• 2 x passport photographs. Put your name and date of birth on the back of both, and on the back of one, get whomever is countersigning your application to write “I certify that this is a true likeness of Mr/Mrs/Miss/ etc…” and add their signature.
• Proof of the required sea service
• ORIGINAL ENG 1 or MCA-approved equivalent medical certificate
• ORIGINAL STCW Basic Training Certificates
• ORIGINAL Yacht Rating Training Record Book (unless you hold one of the certificates listed in the ‘exemptions’ section above)
• Only if you qualify for an exemption, the ORIGINAL of the relevant certificate to prove you are exempt from the Yacht Rating Training Record Book and the additional sea time.

Did you know?

For new PYA members, the Yacht Rating Certificate can be provided free of charge as part of their first year’s membership fee. The usual fee for this service for non PYA members is € 80.

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Maritime Training & Consultancy

Mca yacht rating certificate.

Large yachts especially those over 200Gt require crew to have certain minimum certification levels. The minimum usually required is the Yacht Rating Certificate.

It usually takes over 6 months to be eligible for a Yacht Rating Certificate however we can fastrack this time to 3 months by offering a few courses to help you on your way.

Training We offer the four STCW Basic training courses RYA Competent Crew RYA Day Skipper shorebased RYA Day Skipper practical We will help organise the medical examinations …help you through the paperwork process.

You will then need to gain 2 months experience onboard a boat over 15m to fully gain the qualification.

To qualify as a Yacht Rating a candidate must: 1. be at least 16 years of age;

2a. demonstrate at least 6 months yacht service including 2 months sea service, all of which must be on vessels 15 metres and over in load line length; Or 2b. hold the RYA Competent Crew and RYA Day Skipper Certificate and attain 2 months sea service on vessels 15 metres and over in load line length.

3. complete the four elements of approved STCW basic training: Personal Survival Techniques Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting Elementary First Aid Personal Safety & Social Responsibility

4. complete the Yacht Rating Training Record Book if following the path shown in 2a above.

5. Hold a medical fitness certificate such as an ENG1

MSN 1862 has full details and the required Yacht Rating Training Record book is in Annex B

Candidates then apply to the MCA using application form MSF 4340 enclosing the above documentation to receive a Yacht Rating Certificate.

Deckhand Guide – How to get a NWR certificate

What is a navigational watch rating (nwr).

The NWR certificate is becoming an increasingly common requirement for the majority of deckhands on large yachts which follow a commercial or passenger yacht code. The NWR is achieved by showing you have advanced deck skills and completed a specific set of watchkeeping tasks to become a valuable crew member. It also helps to signal that you’re someone who takes their role seriously and is looking to further your career and experience.

What does the NWR training involve?

One of our candidates, a recently certified deckhand, told us: “I completed my NWR training to strengthen my knowledge of the bridge and to prove that I am fully competent at launching life rafts and life boats, anchoring whilst maintaining good communication to the bridge, identifying other vessels and channel markers while at sea. I completed my NWR rating over 16 hours with the help of my First Officer who came from a cruise ship background and this gave me a professional approach to my work. It’s been invaluable to me.”

What is the required experience for deckhands to apply?

A Chief Officer on a 100m+ yacht told us: “On the yacht I am currently on, we need a minimum of three deckhands who hold the NWR certificate for our MSM/Safe manning requirement. Those who hold the ticket have a better understanding of what happens on the bridge. As a Chief Officer I can rely on deckhands who are already qualified as they can teach the other less experienced deckhands whilst refreshing their own knowledge and training.”

So, if you’re thinking seriously about your maritime career, we recommend you look into obtaining the NWR certificate as soon as possible. It acts as an official record of your experience which can be taken from yacht to yacht throughout your career. Before you begin, you’ll need to be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of six months serving at sea on a vessel of at least 15m. You’ll also need to have completed the four elements of STCW basic training and hold an ENG 1 or MCA accepted equivalent.

How to apply to get an NWR Certificate:

To gain your certificate, you’ll need to complete a log and prove that you have completed a specific set of watch keeping tasks including (but not limited to): safe navigational lookout, points of the compass, communicating effectively, steering the ship, and learning light and flag signals. To find out more information and apply to the MCA for a NWR training record book, go to www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-navigationalengine-room-ratings-certificate#watch-rating-overview

Alongside completing the application form you will need to submit the following items.

• Certified copy of passport (and visa if applicable)
• Discharge book or certificates of discharge (original copies) or yacht service record book
• Sea service testimonials (original copies)
• 1 passport size photo (countersigned)
• Completed Watch Rating training record book (link above)
• Valid medical fitness certification ENG1 or a recognised non-UK equivalent
• The Fee as noted on the payment page of the application form (£67 – £87 depending on delivery location)

For further help on getting your NWR and details on our current opportunities, get in touch with Sean who looks after our Deck department.

We’re here to help

Elan House, 5a Little Park Farm Road, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 5SJ

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How to apply for Able Seafarer, Rating certificates and EDH requirements

Instructions on applying for STCW watch ratings, yacht ratings, or able seafarer certificates and information on gaining an efficient deck hand certificate

Watch rating overview

STCW watch rating certificates are the only qualification you need to work as a watch rating on board a vessel.

There are 2 types of watch rating certificates:

• navigational watch rating certificate STCW II/4
• engine room watch rating certificate STCW III/4

To qualify for your certificate you must:

• be at least 17 years old
• have completed at least 6 months approved sea service in the deck department or engineer room - or 2 months sea service if you’ve completed a MCA -approved special college-based training programme
• have completed the basic safety training
• have been assessed as meeting the specified STCW requirements and performance standards
• hold a valid medical fitness certificate ENG1 or recognised non UK equivalent

How to apply

Many UK-flagged shipping companies issue watch rating certificates on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency ( MCA ).

If you’re a rating serving with a company which isn’t approved by us to issue this certificate, you can apply directly to the MCA .

Complete application form MSF 4371 below.

• MSF 4371 Application for a MCA issued watch rating certificate, navigational or engine room

You’ll need to submit the following items with your application form:

• certified copy of passport (and visa if applicable)
• discharge book or certificates of discharge (original copies) or yacht service record book
• sea service testimonials (original copies)
• 1 passport size photo (countersigned)
• relevant ancillary course certificates
• watch rating training record book (deck: Annex A of MSN 1862 Amendment 1 or engine: Annex A of MSN 1863 Amendment 1 )
• valid medical fitness certificate ENG1 or recognised non UK equivalent
• pay the fee as per the payment section of the application form

Yacht rating overview

Yacht rating certificates will allow you to work on yachts and sail training vessels of less than 3000GT.

• have completed at least 6 months onboard Yacht Service, including 2 months’ actual seagoing service or 2 months actual seagoing service if you’ve completed a MCA -accepted yacht training programme
• yacht rating training record book Annex B of MSN 1862 Amendment 1 . Please note that you may gain exemptions from this, please see the relevant section of the guidance notice.

Many colleges offering yacht training issue yacht rating certificates on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency ( MCA ).

Alternatively you can apply directly to MCA .

Complete application form MSF 4340 below.

• MSF 4340 Application for a MCA issued yacht rating certificate

Find further information and downloadable watch training record books in the marine information note MGN 270

• certificate of completion from a MCA accepted course or a completed yacht rating Training record book (TRB)

Post your application and supporting documents to MCA :

Seafarer Training and Certification Branch Maritime and Coastguard Agency Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG

The MCA aim to process your application within 28 days of receipt. You’ll receive an email:

• when your application has been received
• if any further information/evidence is needed
• when your certificate(s) and documents are being couriered back to you

Contact the Seafarer Training and Certification Branch at MCA if you’ve got any queries about your application:

Tel +44 (0)20 3817 2200 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Please note that we do not offer a counter service

Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)

EDH is the qualifying examination for an Able Seafarer Deck Certificate. The course and examination must be completed at an MCA approved training provider . You must be at least 17 years old to qualify, a full list of the requirements can be found in MSN 1862 Amendment 1 .

Able seafarer overview

The Deck Able Seafarer Certificate of Proficiency will allow you to work on board vessels as an able seafarer under regulation II/5.

To qualify for this certificate you’ll need to:

• be at least 18 years old
• have completed at least 18 months sea service in the deck department whilst holding an Navigational Watch Rating (NWR) certificate or 12 months sea service while holding an NWR Certificate if following an MNTB approved programme of education and training
• have completed the basic safety training and PSC&RB
• hold a valid medical fitness certificate ENG1 or a recognised non UK equivalent

You should apply directly to your local MCA marine office .

Complete application form MSF 4310 below.

• MSF 4310 Application for a certificate of proficiency as Deck able seafarer regulation II/5
• STCW basic training certificates
• efficient deck hand certificate (EDH)
• certificate of proficiency in survival craft and rescue boat other than fast rescue boats certificate ( PSC&RB )

For guidance on Able Seafarer Engine ( STCW III/5) Certificate of Proficiency, please see:

• MSF 4284 Application for a certificate of proficiency as able seafarer engine regulation III/5

Updates to this page

Added Able Seafarer Engine III/5 form. Also updated links.

Updated with requirement revisions as listed in MSN 1862

First published.

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Frequently asked questions Crew Training

Do i need stcw basic safety training to get a job, which parts of my stcw need refreshing, i have got my yachtmaster and want to do oow. which course should i do first, i have lost my certificates, what can i do, how do i register on the sv route, what is the difference between psa & pdsd, how do i apply for a yacht rating, how long are my certificates valid for, when do my medical certificates run out, how do i revalidate an mca certificate of competency (coc), how do i revalidate my gmdss after 5 years, how do i revalidate the commercial endorsement on my rya certificate, how do i download mca application forms, how long is my notice of eligibility (noe) valid for, can i work on british flag vessels with a coc issued by another country, how do i apply for a flag state endorsement, how can i contact the mca, who can issue me a eng1 medical certificate, how do i apply for a british seaman’s discharge book, how long before i can do a resit after a "fail" result, how do i fill in my oow training record book, how do i verify my sea time, am i exempt from the sv workshop skills training, i have an iyt master of yachts 200gt - can i do the rya ocean theory course, will my online food hygiene certificate be accepted.

Yes! You will not get a job on a charter yacht without a STCW basic safety training, and it is required by the vast majority of private yachts. Any MCA coded yacht over 500gt will require all crew to hold a STCW basic safety training certificate.

Unfortunately, there are some training providers that issue STCW basic training certificates with expiry dates even though the qualification doesn’t technically expire. The new regulations are that the Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting module and the Personal Survival Techniques modules need revalidation. Elementary First Aid and PSSR do not actually expire or require revalidation though, and this is where the difficulty lies. If there is an expiry date on your Elementary First Aid and PSSR certificates (or on your STCW Basic Training certificate if all on one certificate), then were your vessel to have a control by the Port State authorities, this may well be an issue as officially speaking, the certificates look as if they are no longer valid. Therefore, many crew members in this position are choosing to take the complete STCW Basic Training again. In the end it is your choice whether to take the refreshers only or the full course again, but you may find some yacht management companies will enforce this. For the ’Updating Training’ for the STCW Basic Safety Training, we offer the Updated Proficiency in Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting and Personal Survival Techniques. As these two modules, A-VI/1-1.1 and A-VI/1-1.2, are the only two modules required to be updated by the STCW Manila Amendments. However, please note that if your First Aid and PSSR Certificates have expiry dates, they will be accepted by the MCA but, past that date, they may not be accepted by Flag State, Port State, Management companies or Insurance companies, so please check with your vessel if they have any issues.

We advise you to start with the Efficient Deckhand module as you need to hold this certificate for 18 months before you can apply for your NoE. You can then take the other courses in whichever order ou prefer. Please don’t forget your Training Record Book as this takes a minimum of 12 months to complete and cannot be backdated.

Please contact the training office you took your courses at and the Training Coordinators will be happy to help.

To register for the SV programme, please bring, or scan and send, the following documents to a Bluewater training centre : • Course completion certificates for MCA Approved Engine Course part 1 & part 2 • Valid Seafarer’s medical certificate (e.g. ENG1) • STCW basic safety training certificate (plus updated training certificates if required) • Proof of sea-time of at least 24 months service, including minimum 6 months actual sea service (this sea time MUST be verified by the PYA or Nautilus), and no more than 90 days in a shipyard. All is required to be accumulated in an engineering capacity. • Purchase an SV Second Engineer Training Record Book (€100 from a Bluewater training centre, this also includes the registration letter). • A passport-sized photo and a form of photo ID A member of the training team will check the above documents, and date and stamp your training record book accordingly. We will need to sight all elements before we can do this. Your date of registration is the date that we received all of your documents and enter this into the training record book. From this point, you can start to accumulate the remaining 11 months service required, 4 of which is actual sea-time, start the SV written modules (Marine Diesels, Operational Procedures, and Auxiliary Equipment part 1), complete the workshop as well as complete the tasks listed in the training record book. You cannot begin to have the tasks in the book signed off until you have registered onto the SV route.

Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA) is required for every crew member on board ISPS-compliant vessels (which for yachts means every commercial yacht over 500 gross tonnes – approximately 50m+) and Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD) is for those who have security duties as outlined in the Ship’s Security Plan. We would strongly advise you go straight to Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD). This 1-day course includes the PSA syllabus and is the course many yacht crew would need if they have designated security duties on board. PSA and PDSD are available as e-learning courses or you can contact our training department for more information on the classroom schedules.

To obtain your Yacht Rating, please refer to MSN1862 Section 3 and Annexe B , then fill out form MSF4340 . You will need to show proof of 6 months’ yacht service, 2 months’ sea service and have a valid STCW and ENG1.

As of 1st January 2017, if your STCW basic safety training certificate is 5 years old or over, you must update your training for your certificate to remain valid. Specifically, this applies to the Proficiency in Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting and Proficiency in Personal Survival Techniques modules of your STCW basic safety training. This directive doesn’t apply to the other modules. You can update your training by completing the full STCW basic safety training course again, or by completing a refresher course. The refresher courses are called ‘Updated Proficiency in Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting and Personal Survival Techniques’ and we offer them at all our training centres. This directive also applies if you hold Proficiency in Advanced Fire Fighting and/or Proficiency in Advanced Sea Survival (OR Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (Other than Fast Rescue Boats)). We run refresher courses for both of these (note: we run the refresher for the Advanced Sea Survival, now known as the Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (Other than Fast Rescue Boats) RESTRICTED. For medical certificate validity, see the next question. All IAMI (deck) exam pass certificates last for 3 years from the date the examination took place. You must have sat your oral exam and have applied for your CoC before they expire. If you fail to apply for the CoC before your exam pass certificates expire, you would need to obtain a new exam pass certificate by resitting the exam only. If, however you fail the exam, you would be required to complete the full course again for another opportunity to take the exam. SQA (engineering) pass certificates last for 3 years, and you can retake the exam as many times as necessary to obtain an exam pass. On successful pass of an SQA exam, the exam pass certificate is valid for 3 years from the date the examination took place, during which you would need to apply for the appropriate CoC.

The Medical Care at Sea certificate is valid for 5 years, after which you would need to update your medical training. This can be done with a Medical Care at Sea course or an Updated Proficiency in Medical Care course. As Captain, or the designated medical person in charge, your medical certificates should always be in date. However, you do not need to send this certificate when you revalidate your MCA CoC. Elementary First Aid and Medical First Aid do not expire. The RYA requires a certificate of updated medical training within the last 5 years to revalidate a commercial endorsement. Please refer to the question ‘How do I revalidate the commercial endorsement on my RYA certificate?’ to find out how to revalidate a commercial endorsement.

Send the following to: MCA (Seafarer Training & Certification), Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG, U.K. • application form MSF 4201 (to download the form, refer to the question ‘How do I download MCA application forms?’) • original certificate of competency • 2 x passport photos (One certified, the other with your name and date of birth) • sea service testimonials and discharge book, or PYA/Nautilus Service Record Book (indicating 12 months on board yacht service in the last five years or 3 months on board yacht service in the last 6 months). • Masters: If you do not submit a PYA/Nautilus Service Record Book then you must provide a company letter verifying at least 12 months of your sea service. • courier fee of £56.00 (EU) or £66.00 (Rest of the World) • Evidence of having completed the basic (and advanced if applicable) updated proficiency safety courses in the last 5 years • valid ENG1 medical certificate (or accepted equivalent) • deck officers only: GMDSS GOC/ROC (as applicable) • deck officers only: ECDIS certificate (if not supplied, you will receive a negative endorsement) • engineer officers only: High voltage course completion certificate (if not supplied you will receive a negative endorsement) Additional information can be found in MSN 1861(M)

Send the following scanned documents to [email protected] : • completed application form MSF 4354 • original GMDSS licence • proof of 12 months’ sea service (testimonials/log book) within the last 5 years • courier fee of £10.00 (UK), £20.00 (EU) or £30.00 (Rest of the World) • valid ENG1 medical certificate (or accepted equivalent)

Send the following to: Royal Yachting Association, RYA House, Ensign Way, Hamble, Southampton, SO31 4YA, U.K. Tel: +44 2380 604 100 • commercial endorsement revalidation form (can be obtained from the RYA website ) • original RYA certificate (Yachtmaster Offshore/Ocean, Powerboat Level 2, etc.) • 1 passport photo • valid ENG1 medical certificate (or accepted equivalent) • proof of sea-time (at least 150 days of actual sea service during the last 5 years) • Professional Practice and Responsibilities (PPR) online test or MCA issued deck CoC • fee of £35.00 (plus £25.00 for fast track service) • Elementary First Aid certificate from the last 5 years (or accepted medical equivalent)

On the UK government services website: www.gov.uk , use the large search box to find the relevant application code.

It is valid for 5 years or 3 years following successful completion of an oral exam. The examination pass certificates must be less than 3 years old for issue of the CoC.

Yes, the MCA recognises STCW endorsed certificates from other countries, provided that they have inspected and approved the training system in that country. You should check the MCA website for an updated list of countries currently recognised. If your country is recognised, you can apply for a Flag State Endorsement (formerly Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC)). The MCA should issue a Flag State Endorsement with the same limitations as the original certificate. Information on how to apply for a Flag State Endorsement can be found here .

Email scans of the following documents to [email protected] : • completed application form MSF 4203 • non-UK Certificate of Competency • deck officers only: GMDSS certificate • passport or discharge book • evidence of competency in English language (see the guidance notes in the application form for details on this) • 2 x passport photos (One certified, the other with your name and date of birth) • fee of £109 (UK), £129 (EU/EEA) or £139 (rest of the World)

Helpline: +44 2380 329 231. You don’t need to wait for the operator to ask your questions, you can just select 1 for Deck/GMDSS, select 2 for Engineering or Safe Manning, or select 3 for Certificates of Equivalent Competency. Alternatively, you can email the MCA on [email protected] , [email protected] , or [email protected] .

You can call any of the doctors below and try to get an appointment to see them whilst you are here in Antibes. For a full list of MCA approved ENG1 doctors for the UK please click HERE and for overseas doctors click HERE . Dr Christopher Besse 74 avenue de la Liberté, 2nd floor, 06220 Golfe Juan. Tel: +33 (0)6 47 45 22 88 Dr Jolanda Weerts (Norwegian approved but MCA accepted) 55 place de la Vignasse, 06560 Valbonne. Tel: +33 497 25 71 16, direct line: +33 492 92 13 84 Dr Bruno Lavagne “Le Vendome” C, 4 Chemin du Tanit, Juan Les Pins 06160. Tel: +33 493 67 03 07 Dr Simon Gordon 1913 Route de Cannes, 06560 Valbonne [email protected] In Spain you can go to; Dr Amit Bajpai British Medical Centre, Carrer ses Planas, 7, 07181 Palma Nova, Calvia, Mallorca, Tel: +34 971 683 511 - Email Dr Johanna Clark Club de Mar Medical, Carrer Les Rafaletes, 1A, Edificio Torremar B, Planta Primera, Local 2 IZQUIERDA, 07015 Palma de Mallorca, Tel: +34 971 703 391 - Email

Visit www.gov.uk and apply by post. It costs £55 to apply for a British seaman’s card and £55 to apply for a discharge book. You can also apply through the 24-hour premium service, that costs £105 for a British seaman’s card and £105 for a discharge book, or £160 for both. The form downloaded on the website explains how to pay and where to send your application. A seaman’s discharge book is a full record of a seaman’s career experience and certification. You need a discharge book if you are either: • a British citizen who works on ships or large yachts • not a British citizen but employed on a UK-registered ship or large yacht

For externally moderated OOW 3000gt and Master courses, you may resit the failed exam as soon as you can organise a date with your training provider. You must resit any failed exam within 12 months of sitting the original. If you fail a second time, you must retake the whole course before re-attempting the exam. For externally moderated Engineering courses, you are able to resit the exam as many times as necessary without having to retake the course, up to 3 years following the date of the course completion certificate.

Carefully! All tasks are to be completed and signed off by your Captain. None of the tasks should be signed off at the same time. If you are the Captain, you can sign the tasks off yourself, but the MCA will require, with your application for OOW 3000gt, a letter from someone higher up than yourself, i.e. owner, management company or PYA, explaining why you have self-assessed. TRBs should be filled in over a one to three year period. Dates must correspond to time on vessels, with corresponding testimonials. Don’t sign off tasks all on the same date. See page 89 of the Crew Training Manual for further details.

The PYA is authorised by the MCA, through the PYA ISO quality management standards, to verify sea service using the PYA Service Record Book (SRB). Your certificates and sea time (both present and retrospective experience) will be carefully checked and approved before being stamped into the SRB by the PYA.

You may be able to get an exemption if you have had workshop skills training in the past, such as for qualifying in a mechanical trade (diesel mechanic, fitter, etc.) They are not easy to get though and do require the previous training to have some marine content. If you think you might qualify, you should contact IAMI to apply for the exemption. If you are following the Alternative Route, you will still need to contact the MCA for a Letter of Initial Assessment, outlining your qualifications and sea time/yacht time.

Unfortunately, no, even though the MCA recognises both RYA and IYT qualifications, the RYA will not accept the IYT Yachtmaster Offshore as a pre-requisite for obtaining the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course. You would have to complete the IYT equivalent.

The MCA does not accept Food Safety certificates where the course has been delivered solely by computer-based training. If in any doubt, please consult MIN689 which has a list of accepted courses.

• Superyacht Deck Crew Course

The MCA Recognised “IYT Superyacht Deck Crew Course”, according to the MCA, is treated as equivalent to the MCA’s “Yacht Rating Course” .

The five-day IYT Superyacht Crew course is an MCA recognised course and is highly recommended for entry-level students who wish to enter the superyacht industry. It comprises both theory and practical elements that give the student a comprehensive and all-round general knowledge of the requirements of the superyacht industry.  Holders of the IYT Superyacht Crew Certificate, which is recognised by the MCA, will not need to complete the Yacht Rating Training Record Book and the 6 months yacht service requirement may be reduced to 2 months sea service on vessels 15 metres and over in load line length. Holders will, however, need to meet the other requirements which are, be at least 16 years of age, hold all Basic STCW certificates and hold a valid ENG1 (medical fitness certificate) or accepted equivalent.  They can then apply to the MCA for an MCA Yacht Rating Certificate.  See this link to review MSN 1862 (M) which outlines all necessary information.  You can find the MCA’s Application for a Yacht Rating Certificate here.   On page 2 of the application you will see this note regarding sea time requirements  (see screenshot below).  Since the MCA have deemed the “IYT Superayacht Crew Certificate/Course” is equivalent to the “Yacht Rating Course”, you will provide your “IYT Superyacht Crew Certificate” and proof of 2 months actual sea service on vessels over 15m in load line length. 

The course incorporates three separate MCA recognised courses:

• Superyacht Crew
• VHF Radio Operators
• Small Power Boat and RIB Master

Course Outline

• Industry guidelines and regulations
• Chain of command
• Crew rank and positions
• Preparing a CV / Resume
• General rules responsibilities and etiquette
• Safety and equipment
• Nautical terminology and relative direction
• Nautical knowledge
• Basic collision regulations
• Planning the first passage
• Introduction to weather
• Boat handling under sail
• Boat handling under power
• Small powerboat man overboard drills
• Engine checks and maintenance
• Charts and the magnetic compass
• Anchors and anchoring
• Dingy theory and practical
• Launching and recovering dingys
• Introduction to VHF radio operation
• Code of Safe Working Practices

As a professional in the yachting industry you are required to update and learn new skills on a regular basis. As you move up the chain of command or look for new opportunities your qualifications are essential. Please make sure they do not expire.

IYT plays a leading role in your professional training with 250 + schools in 56 countries around the world. We facilitate theoretical and practical training through our network of partner schools globally.

We are dedicating our efforts to better serve students and schools as we continue to improve our database and system and are working diligently to create new e-learning courses.

IYT is proud to be an ISO 9001:2015 Standard approved company.

View our course progression for an understanding of what is possible when you train professionally with IYT.

Superyacht Student Information

Become an instructor.

Professional Instructors, superyacht crew, diveboat crew, commercial maritime services all start with the fundamentals and progress from there.

Professional Courses

Professional IYT courses allow you to pursue your dreams and work in amazing places. There is a real demand for career minded professionals.

Superyacht Schools

IYT Worldwide offers more professional courses at more schools in more countries than any other organization.

Certificate Replacement

IYT World follows strict ISO standards that ensures our Government approvals. Renewal programs for member certificates follow a 3 to 5 year schedule.

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• IYT Commercial Tender License Course
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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Want to make your own logbook?

• Andy Du Port
• August 19, 2023

Andy du Port provides his own log book template so you can make your own logbook to keep track of your cruising

What you record in your logbook depends on what you are doing. Just a quick note of the tides and weather forecast may suffice for a short day-sail, but an offshore passage will require very much more.

Download the PDF versions here and here .

Commercially produced logbooks never seem to be quite right for you and your boat; they are expensive and tend to run out of pages before the end of the sailing season.

For many years I have produced my own using simply a couple of Word documents and a ring binder. You can tweak the details to suit your needs, and print off more pages whenever you start running short. At the end of the season, the year’s pages can be removed and filed away.

In the same ring binder I have a page for the boat’s details, a copy of the local tide tables and a couple of aides-memoires for distress calls and passage reports to the coastguard.

Simple, effective, cheap and cheerful!

MCA & Transport for Malta approved Digital Service Record Book

Yacht Sea Service Testimonial Verification service

OOW 3000 Deck Training Record Book (if applicable and only if requested)

Yacht Rating Certificate (if applicable and only if requested upon joining)

Online storage of documents on PYA Members’ area

Advice and Support on Sea Service and Certification

NOE, LIA, Revalidation, Conversion applications support (appointment based)

Documents certification

(Recognized by the MCA)

Welfare support

Membership Assistance Service (MAS) (work-related issues)

Receive PYA Publications/Newsletter

Participation in PYA Activities/ Workshops/ Webinars

Reduced/Free entry to PYA or partner Events

PYA-negotiated Discounts and Special Offers

Vote at General Meetings

REG Representation

Complimentary ISS Membership ($200 Value)

Mailbox service (have your mail sent to our Antibes' office)

Suitable for those working at levels that do not require a Digital Service Record Book (D-SRB) or verified Sea Service Testimonials (SSTs) but still require the rest of our services.

Associate Member

Advance your career in the yachting industry with our Full Membership. Get MCA-approved D-SRB and verified SSTs to prove your professional qualifications and experience, and avoid delays with the MCA in the process.

Full Member

Get career support and advice, one-to-one help, stay informed on industry updates, attend networking events and more with our Basic Membership. Suitable for people new to yachting or at the beginning of their career.

New to Yachting member

Discover a plan that suits you the most, need to get your sea service verified.

The cost of this service is EUR 50 per SST with a minimum charge of EUR 100, and you will receive a credit of 2 tokens. These tokens don't expire. 

You can get your Sea Service verified as a member or by ordering our certification service individually.