RYA Professional Practices & Responsibilities

Each year approximately 4,500 people apply to the RYA for a commercial endorsement in order to use their RYA qualifications professionally as skipper or crew. You could be doing anything from delivering a new 35’ yacht or driving a workboat with lifting and towing gear, to running a superyacht in the Med.

Whatever your job is on board, in the commercial world you are a professional seafarer. As such, you are no different from the captain of a cruise liner – you have a duty of care to crew, passengers, and other water users, and you will be held to account if things go wrong.

Course Structure

•Commercial environment - how you fit into the professional maritime world.

•People – the importance of correct manning, keeping your skills up to date and the safe management of commercial vessels.

•Vessel – the compulsory carriage and maintenance of safety equipment and how to create and implement risk control and operating procedures.

•Purpose – making sure your vessel is suitable and legal for the work you are carrying out, your obligations in protecting the environment, appropriate planning and situational awareness.