The Sail Training Program on board Pelagic Australis Including the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Shore Based Course Syllabus

There  are two components to the Sail training programme offered by Pelagic Australis:

  • Yachtmaster Shorebased Course Syllabus.  This is the syllabus that will be conducted by the dedicated RYA Instructor that will be engaged for the voyage. This will include an initial three days of classroom instruction in Punta Arenas before the voyage commences to get the students grounded. Further classroom periods will be held in port in Puerto Williams and Stanley, in a controlled environment in order to fulfill the roughly 40 hours of instruction required.
     

  • Pelagic Australis Practical Syllabus.  Note: Pelagic Australis is a 74 foot vessel, and therefore it is not possible to practice ‘small boat handling skills’ which are required to pass the actual license examination. This training is the responsibility of the student on an appropriate vessel if they wish to take the exam at a later date.
     

Although the main focus is for the students to ultimately gain the necessary skills to pass the RYA license exams after the delivery, the intent is to also train them in many more skills that are not required by the RYA syllabus. This is a very comprehensive and exhaustive program and will require high levels of energy and self motivation on behalf of the students. Six weeks and close to 5000 miles is adequate for the instructor and crew to touch on all of these skills listed below, but to really grasp them it is up to the student to cast them in stone.
 

YACHTMASTER SHOREBASED THEORY SYLLABUS

Click here to see  RYA's  Range of Shorebased Courses in particular Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore syllabus.  which go to make up the syllabus taught. 

The coastal skipper and yachtmaster shorebased course is an advanced course in navigation and meteorology for candidates for the Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate. the syllabus makes some provision for the revision of subjects in the day Skipper Course but those who have not acquired the knowledge set out in the day skipper Course are unlikely to assimilate all the subjects covered in this advanced course in the time available.

The syllabus content is shown below and an indication of the knowledge required is shown by the following abbreviations:

A Full knowledge. B Working knowledge. C Outline knowledge

 

Subject min time hours Depth of knowledge
1.  Position 6  
  • Dead Reckoning and Estimated position
  • Satellite derived position
  • Use of Waypoints to fix position
  • Radar fixes
  • Techniques of visual fixing
  • Fixes using a mixture of position lines
  • Relative accuracy of different methods of position fixing
  • Areas of uncertainty
   B
A
A
B
B
B
A
C
 
2.  The Magnetic Compass 2  
  • Allowance for variation
  • Change of variation with time and position
  • Causes of deviation
  • Swing for deviation (but not correction)
  • Allowance for Deviation
  • Different types of compass
   B
B
B
C
C
C
3.  Tides 4  
  • Causes of tides - Springs and Neaps
  • Tide tables -  Sources
  • Tide levels and datum
  • Standard and secondary ports
  • Tidal anomalies (Solent etc)
   C
C
B
B
C
4. Tidal Streams 3  
  • Sources of tidal information
  • Tidal stream information in sailing directions and Yachtsman's almanacs
  • Allowance for tidal streams in computing course to steer
  • Tide rips overfalls and races
  • Tidal observation buoys beacons etc
   B
B
A
B
B
B
5.  Buoayage 1  
  • IALA system of buoyage
  • Limitations of buoys as navigation aids
   B
C
6.  Lights 1  
  • Characteristics
  • Ranges - visual, luminous and nominal
  • Rising and dipping distances
  • Light lists
   B
C
C
C
7.  Pilotage 3  
  • Harbour regulations and control signals
  • Methods of pre planning
  • Clearing lines
  • Use of soundings
  • Transits and leading lines
   A
B
A
B
B
8.  GPS and chart plotters 3  
  • Principals of operation and limitations of use
  • Raster and vector charts
  • Datum
  • Importance of confirmation of position by an independent source
  • Importance of paper charts
   A
C
C
A

B
9.  Echo Sounders 1/2  
  • Principles of operation and limitations of use
   C
10.  Logs (speed and distance measuring) 1/2  
  • Principles of operation and measurement
   C
11.  Deck Log 1/2  
  • Importance of Log as official ships document
  • Layout of log, hourly and occasional entries
   B
B
12.  Meteorology 6  
  • Basic terms, the Beaufort scale
  • Air masses
  • Cloud types
  • Weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems
  • Sources of weather forecasts
  • Ability to interpret a shipping forecast, weatherfax weather satellite information
  • Land and sea breezes
  • Sea Fog
  • Use of barometer as a forecasting aid
   B
B
B
B
B

B
B
C
B
13.  Rule of the Road 1  
  • A sound knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
   A
14.  Safety at Sea 2  
  • Personal safety, use of lifejackets, safety harnesses &  lifelines
  • Fire prevention and fire fighting
  • Distress signals
  • Coastguard and Boat Safety Scheme
  • Preparation for heavy weather
  • Liferafts and helicopter rescue
  • Understanding the capabilities of vessel and basic knowledge of stability
  B
B
B
B
C
B
B
C
 
15.  Navigation in restricted visibility    
  • Precautions taken in fog
  • Limitations to safe navigation imposed by fog
  • Navigation strategy in poor visibility
   B
B
B
16.  Passage Planning 5  
  • Preparation of charts and notebook for route planning and and making and use at sea
  • Customs regulations as they apply to yachts
  • Routine for navigating in coastal waters
  • Strategy for course laying
  • Use of waypoints and route
  • Use of weather forecast information for passage planning strategy
  • Sources of local and national regulations
  
B
C
B
B
A
B

B
17.  Marine environment 1/2  
  • Responsibility to minimise pollution and protect the marine environment
   B

International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

Students are required to have a full knowledge of the regulations before completion of the shorebased course for Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore. There is however insufficient time available in the course to teach the subject fully. The for teRYA book International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (G2) or A Seaman's Guide to the Rule of the Road are useful books for the study of the regulations.


THE PELAGIC SYLLABUS

This will be conducted by Pelagic Australis’ skipper and crew, when appropriate, throughout the voyage.

PRE PASSAGE PLANNING
· Provisioning, i.e. list templates, quantity calculations
· Household briefing, i.e. plumbing, electrics, bilge pumps, stowage
· Stowage plan template
· Safety briefing procedures
· Port clearance procedures

PRE DEPARTURE CHECKS
· Rig check
· Steering gear check
· Engine check
· Seacock check
· Navigation equipment check

UNDERWAY
· Keeping the ship’s logbook
· Maintenance log
· Ongoing worklist
· Incident report log
· Daily checks of gear and equipment
· Bilge monitoring and pumping
· Monitoring engine controls from the pilothouse

ANCHORING AND MOORING TECHNIQUES
· Selecting an anchorage
· Single anchor with chain stopper and snubber deployment
· Chain handling safety and windless operation
· Emergency chain and anchor recovery
· Mooring to shore
· Verifying unsounded anchorages
· Dinghy driving safety and handling

USE OF ELECTRONIC AIDS TO NAVIGATION
· Chart plotter
· Raymarine sailing instruments
· GPS waypoints and route planning
· Radar
· Wind Plot Grib Files
· Skyeye Satellite Receiver

HEAVY WEATHER SAILING TECHNIQUES
· Reefing
· Furling of headsails
· Sail combinations
· Heaving to
· Line safety
· Sail and running rigging chafe issues

MARLINE SPIKE SEAMANSHIP
· On going running rigging care
· Splicing
· Chafe solutions

ENGINE AND MACHINERY MONITORING
· Day tank filling
· Oil and water checks
· Leak checks
· Shaft log cooling

PORT ENTRY PROCEDURES
· Advise port control
· Passport clearance
· Customs clearance

END OF VOYAGE CLEAN UP
· Rig inspection
· Steering gear inspection
· Complete and submit worklists
· Rinse deck gear and clear salt
· Lube any moving parts for down time
· Interior clean including bilges
· Machinery services complete

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