ISSA Master of Yachts – Monohull

The ISSA Master of Yachts course is designed for candidates who have completed the ISSA Offshore Skipper course and have gained years of sailing experience (2800NM). The aim of the course is to increase the candidates’ nautical knowledge to competently take on the duties of an Offshore Skipper on board a yacht – in daylight hours, at night, in busy sea lanes, or over 150NM offshore. MOY’s have a good understanding of sailing / boat handling, nautical terminology and safety at sea. This is a course for recreational and aspiring commercial skippers.  Upon completion the students may be eligible to apply for commercial training at Nautical Colleges in Europe. This course is a very good starting point for a Career at Sea on Superyachts.

The Master of Yachts course is an offshore recreational sailing certificate that is highly regarded and difficult to earn.  A  MoY has to have significant marine knowledge and an advanced practical skill, based on many years of marine experience. Few sailors hold this qualification and ISSA ensure the high standards, enshrined in this course.

Sailors with this certificate are qualified to skipper a sailing yacht up to 24 metres in length (78 feet) up to 150 miles offshore and in any weather conditions.  It is widely recognised qualification around the world and a real accomplishment – you can be proud the day that you earn this certificate. This credential marks an important point in your yachting career and your CV/resume looks far more attractive to charter companies and to other yachties. Ideally you are doing this course for your own personal development, but it also tells your friends, peers and charter companies that you know what you are doing.

The MoY Course appeals to those aspiring to command sailing yachts of up to 24 metres.  The syllabus is almost the same for ISSA  courses, as it is for IYT and RYA courses. SIA is run by Mike Downard who has held RYA Instructor qualifications as well as IYT Instructor Trainer qualifications over his career. Mike is currently the Instructor Trainer and Examiner/Consultant for ISSA in Asia and has developed ISSA IP with Rafal Kandar over the last three years.

Master of Yachts is an advanced level certification and is available in a 10-14 days program, combining shore based theory and practical hands-on techniques for a sailing Yacht and the YMO Examination.   You need at minimum, to have at least the ISSA Offshore Skipper or equivalent (RYA Coastal Master or IYT Yachtmaster Coastal) and probably 3-5 years of seatime, plus the properly logged and signed sea miles. Students enrolling in this course will be required to learn the IRPCS to a high standard prior to starting the course. Apps and YMO handbooks will be sent to candidates after enrollment. Pre -Course study is necessary and we recommend that you do this six months prior to doing the course.

This is a high level course and we can accept only accomplished and knowledgeable yachtsmen and yachtswomen. Essentially the course refines their skills ready for the examiner.

Students registering for this program ar strongly advised to do some pre-study. Once you are booked onto the course, we will send you the course materials and you will significantly increase the likelihood of passing the theory examinations if you start studying 4-6 months before the MoY Offshore course starts.

You will be examined on the final day of the course and if successful application will be made to ISSA for the award of a Master of Yachts certificate. A VHF radio operators certificate is also required, as is a medical. STCW Basic Safety Training is highly recommended .

ARE YOU READY??? As we have outlined above this is an advanced course. If you are not at that level you will possibly fail the course. To help you assess if you are ready for this course, please download the Yachtmaster self-assessment. If you are still unsure call us or email us and we will make every effort to assist you.

What does the exam consist of?

Written theory examinations will occur during the course. The final examination is an oral and practical test on board a yacht. Candidates must demonstrate that they have sufficient ability to handle, dock, and anchor the boat with a required level of confidence. Candidates can expect to be examined on any subject contained within the syllabus and to be questioned on any of their yachting experience to date.

Previous experience:  ISSA Offshore Skipperr.  Minimum 3000 Sea Miles Experience including Watch keeping and Skippering, VHF Radio Certificate & Medical Certificate
Duration: 10-14 days
Qualifications: ISSA MoY (recreational)
What’s included: Safety equipment, Instruction, Yacht, Bottled Water, Fuel and Insurance
What’s Optional: iPad, Sailing Gloves, SiA T shirts, SiA Caps and Log Books Avionics on a tablet or iPad
What’s required: Sun protection. Sun hat. Shorts that cover the knees when sitting are best. Footwear for on-board tennis shoes / trainers / Crocs. Some people like to use gloves. Lightweight wet weather clothing. Navigation Tools (Bretton Plotter and Dividers),

In the event that the examiner considers an examinee not to have achieved the required standards, a certificate will not be issued. In this case, a confidential report will be sent to the candidate outlining the reason or reasons for failure and suggesting remedial action that could lead to the successful completion of the course. Completion of the ISSA MoY Offshore course is not a guarantee of passing the examination and receiving your certificate.

1. 50 days on board a yacht at sea as an active crew member. A day is defined as a period of 24 consecutive hours. Parts of a day may be included in this total, but a day is not invalidated by a candidate leaving the yacht for a few hours during a cruise. The term “at sea” is defined as being on a vessel outside of any harbour – natural or artificial – in which a cruising yacht could secure or anchor for a prolonged period of time.

2. Have logged 2,800 miles in a yacht while cruising at sea (power or sail). This mileage must be logged on genuine cruises or passages but not short day trips. At least 2,000 miles must have been completed on coastal voyages and not ocean crossings. It is important that the candidate has considerable time of actual vessel handling.

3. Thirty hours on watch at night underway as an active member of a yacht’s crew. For at least six hours of this night time experience, the candidate must have been acting as the vessel’s captain/watchleader. “Night,” in this context, is defined as the time between sunset and sunrise.

4. A current medical examination and a colour blindness eyesight examination, which allows the participant to safely perform the relevant duties on a yacht, including being able to see and distinguish lights and signals of other vessels and navigational marks in typical weather conditions without risk to him/herself, other crew members or the safe operation of the vessel.

5. A six-hour VHF Radio Operators course covering the general rules and procedures for the safe operation of a VHF marine radio.

Minimum sea time must have been met prior to the final examination.