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Old 17-10-2019, 03:52   #1
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recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Hello

Are there any books that explain all the theory required to pass Yachtmasater exams?

Can anyone recommend the best and straightforward books that teach the theory that must be learnt in order to pass the Yachtmaster Coastal exam?

Can anyone recommend the best and straightforward books that teach the theory that must be learnt in order to pass the Yachtmaster Offshore exam?

I look forward to receiving your suggestions.

Thanks a lot in advance
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Old 17-10-2019, 04:54   #2
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

I found Cunliffe's book useful several years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yach.../dp/1472907957
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Old 17-10-2019, 05:23   #3
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Thanks a lot for the suggestion Moondancer. That seems exactly what I was looking for .

Do you think I can study this book on my own to learn the theory required to pass Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore exams and save so the money charged by sailing schools for the theory course designed to teach the theory required to pass these 2 certifications?


Thanks in advance
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Old 17-10-2019, 05:48   #4
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Sorry if this comes across as rude but how much documented sea time/miles do you have?

Oh yea - welcome to the forum
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Old 17-10-2019, 05:55   #5
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Thanks for the welcome!

No, it does NOT sound rude at all. I have only logged a few miles so far. I already know I still need to build lots of miles, at least 800 for Yachtmaster Coastal and 2500 for Yachtmaster Offshore. I know I also need to take some practical courses.

But my question has to do with trying to learn the theory in advance on my own, before both building miles and taking the preparatory courses provided by sailing schools for the exams.
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Old 17-10-2019, 06:04   #6
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Quote:
Originally Posted by thosecars82 View Post
Thanks for the welcome!

No, it does NOT sound rude at all. I have only logged a few miles so far. I already know I still need to build lots of miles, at least 800 for Yachtmaster Coastal and 2500 for Yachtmaster Offshore. I know I also need to take some practical courses.

But my question has to do with trying to learn the theory in advance on my own, before both building miles and taking the preparatory courses provided by sailing schools for the exams.
My advise (for what ever it worth) is to go to this link, see what books are applicable to the courses you are interested in and then search for them second hand. I got a full set a current titles a few years ago for the price of one book. The books are basically the one designed to meet the curriculum of all of the courses that are offered through RYA. Some of the texts are the course outlines. Hope that helps.

https://www.rya.org.uk/shop/Pages/Default.aspx
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Old 17-10-2019, 08:11   #7
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

I did my theory on line with Navathome . A bit expensive but accredited by rya and alowed me to move into practical . We did a 4 days of revision including boat handling and 1 day exam in Grenada worth every penny
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Old 17-10-2019, 14:58   #8
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

What advantages are there in passing these courses? Access to insurance? Being allowed to bareboat charter?

Thanks
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Old 17-10-2019, 15:20   #9
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Quote:
Originally Posted by thosecars82 View Post
Hello

Are there any books that explain all the theory required to pass Yachtmasater exams?

Can anyone recommend the best and straightforward books that teach the theory that must be learnt in order to pass the Yachtmaster Coastal exam?

Can anyone recommend the best and straightforward books that teach the theory that must be learnt in order to pass the Yachtmaster Offshore exam?

I look forward to receiving your suggestions.

Thanks a lot in advance

You will find that the RYA publications available to buy on line through their website will most certainly do the job.


RYA Navigation Handbook
RYA Introduction to Navigation
RYA Navigation Exercises


You will also need the Admiralty Booklet on Chart symbols.



When I was teaching RYA Coatal Yachtmaster and Ocean Yachtmaster Courses back last Century, I used two excellent publications which are still available, and they were the recommended texts at that time.
Both by Kenneth Wilkes
The Practical Yacht Navigator
The Ocean Yacht Navigator


In those days Ocean Yacht Navigation was primarily done using Astro Navigation, which is a worthwhile skill still in my opinion, and worth learning so that you are not entirely reliant on systems run with electrical string.
In addition to an Almanac one needs Sight Reduction Tables, and AP3270 are the easiest to use, very quick once one is in practice, they come in 3 volumes, although Vols 2 & 3 are all most yachtsmen need, as the 7 Selected Stars from Vol1 are not often used by yachtsmen, due to the difficulty of getting good night astro sights on a yacht.
The other recommended Sight Reduction Tables, are NP401, that comes in 6 Volumes, each for a 15 deg band of Latitude .


A book you could consider, if you are serious about Blue Water Navigation and sailing is the Meteorology Office Publication

"Meteorology for Mariners" - another text I used for teaching on Ocean Yachtmaster Courses.


Two really Great publications if one wants to take navigation seriously, especially at a professional level, are

"Bowditch" American Practical Navigator
Admiralty Navigation Manual


Another excellent Book is "Heavy Weather Sailing" by Adlard Coles



Other than the Current RYA Publications, all the other books I have listed are available to buy on line, and If one is happy to buy pre-loved used books, then some can be picked up for a song.


Good luck with your studies and sailing ambitions, book knowledge is useful, but it is confidentially applying that knowledge as a practical skill, that is the essence of being a competent ocean yacht navigator.


"A smart man learns by his own mistakes, an even smarter man learns by others mistakes"
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Old 17-10-2019, 15:54   #10
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

great thread - I appreciate the book recommendations.

Adlard-Coles is a British publisher of nautical books, and they offer guides and test questions for RYA theory courses.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parttime Sailor View Post
What advantages are there in passing these courses? Access to insurance? Being allowed to bareboat charter?
Advantages:
  • chartering - some areas are more strict than others, but most charter companies want to see that the skipper has a combination of formal training and hours.
  • insurance - I got an extra 5% off our annual insurance bill for having completed some recognized formal training
  • yes, one can learn to be a competent skipper without formal training, but it's a chance to learn from experts and to gain additional skills and to advance more rapidly
  • earning certifications can be satisfying and a confidence-builder. If you're a land-locked weekend warrior, they are goals that add some focus to your evening/weekend sailing
  • taking courses gives you a bit of a sailing fix over the long cold winter.
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Old 22-10-2019, 01:34   #11
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Hello
Thanks a lot for all your generous nice support so far .

With reference to the course
https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...l-skipper.aspx

there are many sailing schools that offer this course. Among them I have seen a sailing school offering this course and they mention pupils get a "certificate", of the "Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore's theory", "issued by Royal Yachting Association" after completion of the course.

As far as I know, both the Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore are practical exams. Therefore, I wanted to ask you:


First question: Did this sailing school mention this "theory certificate" because it is mandatory to show this certificate to the examiner before starting the practical exam?


Moreover, I have seen some sailing schools offering this theory course with a duration that seems relatively short: between 3 and 6 days. I guess they try to help with some important aspects. Nonetheless it seems they cannot cover the whole theory syllabus of Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore in this time. Therefore, if I am going to need to study on my own anyway because the courses cannot cover the whole syllabus:

Second question: Beyond providing this theory certificate issued by RYA, if this certificate was NOT necessary to pass the practical exams, do you really think these courses might be worth it to speed up the process of learning the theory required to pass the practical exams (Coastal and Offshore) compared to the time required to study it at home with the books you suggested?
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Old 22-10-2019, 03:45   #12
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Quote:
Originally Posted by thosecars82 View Post
Hello
Thanks a lot for all your generous nice support so far .

With reference to the course
https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...l-skipper.aspx

there are many sailing schools that offer this course. Among them I have seen a sailing school offering this course and they mention pupils get a "certificate", of the "Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore's theory", "issued by Royal Yachting Association" after completion of the course.

As far as I know, both the Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore are practical exams. Therefore, I wanted to ask you:


First question: Did this sailing school mention this "theory certificate" because it is mandatory to show this certificate to the examiner before starting the practical exam?


Moreover, I have seen some sailing schools offering this theory course with a duration that seems relatively short: between 3 and 6 days. I guess they try to help with some important aspects. Nonetheless it seems they cannot cover the whole theory syllabus of Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore in this time. Therefore, if I am going to need to study on my own anyway because the courses cannot cover the whole syllabus:

Second question: Beyond providing this theory certificate issued by RYA, if this certificate was NOT necessary to pass the practical exams, do you really think these courses might be worth it to speed up the process of learning the theory required to pass the practical exams (Coastal and Offshore) compared to the time required to study it at home with the books you suggested?

Pretty Certain that without passing the Theory exam you can Not do the Practical
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Old 22-10-2019, 05:36   #13
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Quote:
Originally Posted by thosecars82 View Post
Hello
Thanks a lot for all your generous nice support so far .

With reference to the course
https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...l-skipper.aspx

there are many sailing schools that offer this course. Among them I have seen a sailing school offering this course and they mention pupils get a "certificate", of the "Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore's theory", "issued by Royal Yachting Association" after completion of the course.

As far as I know, both the Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore are practical exams. Therefore, I wanted to ask you:


First question: Did this sailing school mention this "theory certificate" because it is mandatory to show this certificate to the examiner before starting the practical exam?


Moreover, I have seen some sailing schools offering this theory course with a duration that seems relatively short: between 3 and 6 days. I guess they try to help with some important aspects. Nonetheless it seems they cannot cover the whole theory syllabus of Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore in this time. Therefore, if I am going to need to study on my own anyway because the courses cannot cover the whole syllabus:

Second question: Beyond providing this theory certificate issued by RYA, if this certificate was NOT necessary to pass the practical exams, do you really think these courses might be worth it to speed up the process of learning the theory required to pass the practical exams (Coastal and Offshore) compared to the time required to study it at home with the books you suggested?


I just checked the following links
https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...r-coastal.aspx
https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...-offshore.aspx

In both of them it is possible to read:
"Form of exam Practical
Certification required:
- A GMDSS Short Range Certificate (SRC) or higher grade of marine radio certificate.
- A valid first aid certificate
"

As far as I read there, it seems there is NOT a requirement about a theory exam as you, UFO, suggested with your last post.

Considering these details of the aforementioned links, can you UFO explain to me what you meant with your post?

I would appreciate if anyone else besides UFO could answer the two questions of my last message in this thread by sharing his opinion / experience / knowledge.
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Old 31-10-2019, 23:28   #14
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recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

This is not an answer but more my own experience. I did the Yachtmaster exam with a course a few years back. The marina offered the course at discount. I haven’t the miles yet for the practical.

I did the Day Skipper with Navathome which was really good as the guy earlier mentioned. However the course instructor on the YM was great.

I’d always read Tom Cunliffe’s books.
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Old 10-11-2019, 15:18   #15
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Re: recommendations about books to prepare Yachtmaster exams

Just finished my Yachtmaster theory exam and I would have to say that without completing this course step by step - I believe in my opinion, it would be somewhat difficult to pass the exam otherwise. Things such as understanding all of the Regs. tidal calculations in Secondary ports using interpolation, identification of various weather systems and forecasts...and the list goes on...remember you need 75-80% to pass and get your certificate so there's not a lot of room for error.....so now I have both Dayskipper and Yachtmaster certificates and have to say that the background, information and context of these courses provides me with an outstanding overview of what I can now apply for my practical application...an RYA course I'm planning to take starting in Feb. based out of Hamble Le Rice in England.

I guess it depends on how serious you are about sailing and making sure that you have the right training and knowledge when you need it most....because saving money (and again this is just my opinion) and / or cutting corners on training may come back to haunt you when your at sea and it really counts.
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