Course Details
Basic Navigation
Day Skipper
Coastal Skipper
Yachtmaster Offshore
Yachtmaster Ocean

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Course Outlines
Basic Navigation
Day Skipper
Coastal Skipper
Yachtmaster Offshore
Yachtmaster Ocean

Student Comments
Basic Navigation
Day Skipper
Coastal Skipper
Yachtmaster Offshore
Yachtmaster Ocean

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Yachtmaster Offshore errata
Yachtmaster Ocean errata
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RYA Training Centre

 Centaur Sailing Limited: High quality tuition at reasonable cost.
RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased (theory) distance learning course
  • About the course
    • This is the Royal Yachting Association’s advanced level course for anyone wishing to extend their knowledge of navigation to include offshore and night passages. Conscientious completion of all the exercises is an essential contributor to successful completion of this course.
    • To get the most from this course, which is conducted by e-mail, students are advised to allow approximately 72 hours for the study and completion of all the exercises and assessments leading to the award of a genuine RYA course certificate. Follow this link to see the module-by-module course outline.
    • Please note that this is a substantial course. In the same way that John Goode's Southern Sailing doesn't subscribe to "fast-track" methods, students seeking just to acquire a certificate, with less regard to the acquisition of firmly founded skills and knowledge, are likely to find that a Centaur Sailing Limited course is unsuitable for their needs.
    • At Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore level, although the topics shown in the course outlines may look similar, students are expected to demonstrate a much clearer and fuller understanding, as well as operate at a higher level of accuracy and skill than at Day Skipper level. This course is therefore not suitable for those new to seamanship and navigation and the pre-requisite for enrolment on this course is the presentation to Centaur Sailing Limited of a copy of the RYA Day Skipper shorebased (theory) satisfactory course completion certificate. Please note that in cases where a RYA Day Skipper shorebased (theory) satisfactory course completion certificate isn't produced and enrolment on a Day Skipper course isn't acceptable, the enrolment will be cancelled and an administrative charge of £30 deducted from the refund.
    • Working towards MCA Large Yacht Qualifications such as Officer of the Watch or Master 3000?
      • If so, then the assessments at the end of this course must be taken under invigilated exam conditions at your own additional cost at either Centaur Sailing Limited or by agreement at another RYA Training Centre.
      • If not, then the assessments may be taken at home and you can self-certify that you sat them under examination conditions.
      • If you aren't sure which of the two above are applicable to you, please don't hesitate to telephone us for further advice based on your own situation.
    • The RYA continually revises this course to ensure it meets the current needs of leisure sailors and Centaur Sailing Limited ensures that it's materials are up-to-date with the latest RYA syllabus. As a result we ask that students complete their distance learning course & assessments within 12 months from the date of enrolment. Currently the course completion statistics show the quickest distance learning student having taken just 1 week with the average time being 27 weeks for a student to achieve their Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased (theory) certificate.
    • Follow this link to see the latest list of typographic errors identified in the course materials.
    • Follow this link to see student comments about this course.
    • Follow this link to see a free sample of Centaur Sailing Limited's Day Skipper course materials.
    • Follow this link to place your order for course materials, upgrade to full-support, purchase a resit assessment or extend your course.
    • Our slogan "High quality tuition at reasonable cost" really says it all, we strive to offer the best quality tuition that it's possible to get. At the same time we are well aware that our course fees are the most reasonable to be found, so we don't offer or negotiate discounts. However, if a couple were embarking on a course together, one way to save money would be for one to enrol on a "Full-support" course and the other on a "No support" course. If the person with the "Full-support" course then acts as a mouthpiece for both, then not only does the second person get indirect support but if the two people compare and agree their module answers (not allowed for assessments) then they can both benefit from the marking given to the "Full-support" student.
    • Please also note that we will only accept orders to be sent to an address with a UK postcode.
  • Included in the course fee
    • Centaur Sailing Limited CD-ROM containing over 464 pages of course notes, worked examples and exercises suitable for Windows or Mac. There are two types of questions in the course notes, "student marked" with model answers intended for marking by the student and "instructor marked" without model answers which are intended for marking by your instructor.
    • Paper versions of RYA Training Charts 3 and 4 (Northern Hemisphere).
    • Electronic versions of RYA Training Charts 3 and 4 (Northern Hemisphere) contained in the Admiralty / RYA Electronic Chart Plotter (Training Version) for Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP or Vista. Please note this application doesn't work on a Mac computer.
    • Mock assessments are taken at home. All students, on both "full-support" and "no-support" courses, receive assessment of their answers with any guidance required to help students prepare for their final real assessments.
    • Real final assessments may also taken at home but if working towards the MCA certification noted above, arrangements for invigilation at an approved centre will have to be made by the student concerned. All students, on both "full-support" and "no-support" courses, receive pass/fail marking by an instructor. Please note that to preserve the integrity of current assessment papers no feedback or comment which might, even indirectly, reveal answers can be given.
    • A genuine RYA shorebased satisfactory course completion certificate on successful completion of the assessments.
  • Not included in the course fee and available as an optional extra
    • RYA Training Almanac (Northern Hemisphere). A fictitious almanac designed specifically for RYA shorebased courses. Just like a real almanac, it includes tide tables, pilotage notes and other important sources of information used throughout this course which cannot be completed without a copy of the RYA Training Almanac (Northern Hemisphere version for Centaur Sailing Limited courses). Please note that this item supercedes the publication known as 'Practice Navigation Tables'.
    • Admiralty Chart 5011. A reference book for the symbols and abbreviations used on Admiralty Charts. Centaur Sailing Limited recommends that every skipper and/or navigator keeps a personal copy of Chart 5011 with their own favourite plotter and compass. This course cannot be completed without a copy of the Admiralty Chart 5011. Please note that this item is now in a fourth edition and supercedes previous editions or publications that don't show an edition number at all.
    • Professional Navigation Course Plotter. We at Centaur Sailing Limited have tried quite a number of the different designs of marine course plotter. Each has disadvantages of some sort. Even the ubiquitous Breton type of plotter, with a protractor dial on a perspex base, causes frequent complaint from students that the rotating protractor “sticks” and then “jumps” too far when trying to select a bearing; making it hard, if not impossible, to achieve the precision desired when developing plotting skills. We have designed our own plotter, with no moving parts to cause problems, and now have it specially manufactured. The goal was to bring together the advantages seen in other designs, at the same time minimising their disadvantages, i.e. to provide a really “user-friendly” plotter which offers the best possible accuracy for marine navigation. Please note that this course cannot be completed without a course plotter.
    • If you are unsuccessful in one or more of the final assessment papers, you can purchase a 'resit' of the paper(s) in question and have another opportunity to gain your certificate.
  • Also necessary but not available from Centaur Sailing Limited
    • A personal (Windows or Mac) computer with word processing software compatible with .docx documents created using Microsoft Word.
    • A printer.
    • A scanner (or a digital camera).
    • A broadband connection to the internet.
    • E-mail facilities.
    • A compass with a wide enough span to draw both large and small arcs on an Admiralty chart. Please note that this course cannot be completed without the ability to draw erasable arcs, i.e. in pencil, on a chart.
    • 2B pencil, pencil sharpener and soft eraser for work on paper charts.
  • If you need guidance/help to place your order, please telephone Rod Emmer on O191-417-16OO or O797O-646885.

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Centaur Sailing Limited is registered in England and Wales with Registered Number 6442192.
Registered Office: 1 Spartylea, Fatfield, Washington, Tyne & Wear, NE38 8PB.