What is the Yachtmaster Exam all about?
Simply put – the exam is your opportunity to demonstrate that you as skipper actually know what to do when things come up while running a cruising sailboat. Because – as they say s- – t happens! Perhaps you may have been sailing for your whole life or maybe you are relatively new to sailing. As master of the vessel, it’s your responsibility to keep the crew safe and to protect the boat. If you keep calm and focused, you will have a much better go of it. Lose your cool and get overwhelmed – you still have the job to do but it will be far more difficult!
My instructor saw that I knew how to sail, knew how to run the boat and to get things done. But she observed that the pressure of the upcoming exam was intimidating and getting the better of me. It really reduced my ability to keep my focus and to work through whatever situation came up and that adversely impacted my performance. She said that if I worked on “managing my state” (of mind) that the rest would fall into place.
Yes, the exam IS a big deal and of course you don’t want to blow it. Imagine that you will be examined by an actual RYA Examiner (yes they exist 🙂 and most likely you will not have met before the big day. Talk about intimidating! In fact, they too are human and at one point long ago they also had to take the same exam, so they know what it’s like to be in the hot seat. On exam day, they want to see your stuff! But since you don’t get to sail with them for days/weeks or months, they run you through various scenarios to duplicate the types of things you would expect to encounter. Some of the components of the exam are standard and required and others are selected at their discretion from a broad range of possibilities.
An example of a required component is COB (crew overboard recovery). It’s really important and for obvious reasons. Note to self – practice the heck out of these and focus on wind awareness! An optional one that can be thrown in is engine failure. This one hit close to home. During my 2nd exam (yes, occasionally you don’t quite make the grade the first time), barely 10 minutes into the exam while heading out of the channel, the instructor reached over, pulled the T-handle, looked up and said “you just lost your engine”! 10 hours later on a Saturday night (Yup it’s a long one so expect a 10 – 12 hour marathon with a lunch and dinner break) a party cat full of drunken partiers was headed straight toward the boat, not slowing down – us being the stand-on boat be damned. Wow S – -t does happen. 🙂
Lou Andors, a happy owner of RYA Yachtmaster Offshore ticket
