RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory

Duration: The course typically should take you around 40 hours, should be completed within 6 month of the course purchase date, although this can be extended a further 6 months if necessary (a small additional administration cost will apply)

Previous experience required: You must have a good knowledge (RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore level) of chart work and meteorology. You do not need any prior knowledge of astro navigation.

Content: This is a very interesting and advanced course covering astro navigation, meteorology and passage planning:

•Astro navigation starts with the basics - global time and usage of a sextant. We follow this by working on sun and star sights. Moon and planet sights and compass checking complete this part of the course.

•Meteorology extends your weather knowledge by looking at global wind, weather and ocean currents and how they vary over a year. We start with a review of the world's weather systems to help you understand why the winds and currents work in the way that they do. A key part of this topic covers Tropical Revolving Storms - how they form and how we can best take avoiding action.

•Passage planning is an interesting part of the course which covers factors such as ocean routing, passage planning on the ocean scale and how to make an ocean passage.

During the course you will work on 14 coursework exercises and sit one exam covering the whole syllabus. On successful completion of the course you will be awarded the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Certificate.