Yacht Training
Yacht Training Specialist, Firth of Clyde, Scotland's West Coast
Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Theory Course
Aim: A course in astro navigation, worldwide meteorology and passage planning, which also unravels the mysteries of the sextant.
Content: The earth and the celestial sphere Practical guide to use and care of sextant at sea Meridian altitudes Sun, star and other sights Ocean passage planning.
Pre-Course Experience
Navigation to Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased standard. Coastal and Offshore Sailing.
Ability after Course
Background knowledge to skipper a yacht on ocean passages.
Duration
40 hours plus exam time.
COURSE NAME AND DATES
YMOT
Low, Mid and High Season
Other Recommended Courses Following Course Completion:
Ocean passage as skipper or mate of watch. The candidate was fully involved in the planning of the passage, including selection of the route, the navigational plan, checking the material condition of the yacht and her equipment, storing spare gear, water and victuals and organising the watch-keeping routine; During the passage a minimum non-stop distance of 600 miles must have been run by the log, the yacht must have been at sea continuously for at least 96 hours and the yacht must have been more than 50 miles from land or charted objects while sailing a distance of at least 200 miles. Please see the 'definition of passage'. All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to the exam.
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examination after qualifying pasage.
Yachtmaster Ocean Theory
This is a course in astro-navigation and worldwide meteorology which also reveals the mysteries of the sextant. It assumes a knowledge of all subjects covered in the other shorebased courses.
The Earth and the Celestial Sphere
Definition of observer’s zenith and position of a heavenly body in terms of latitude, longitude, GHA and declination
Right angle relationships, latitude and co-lat, declination and polar distance
Relationship between GHA, longitude and LHA Tabulation of declination in nautical almanac
Rate of increase of hour angle with time
The PZX triangle
The tabulated components of the triangle, LHA, co-lat and polar distance
The calculable components, zenith distance and altitude Relationship between zenith distance and altitude
Introduction to the tabular method of solution in the Air Navigation Tables and basic sight form
The use of calculators for the solution of the PZX triangle The sextant
Practical guide to the use and care of a sextant at sea
Conversion of sextant altitude to true altitude
Application of dip, index error and refraction Correction of side error, perpendicularity, index error and collimation error Measurement of time
Definition of, and relationship between, UT, LMT, standard time and zone time
Rating of chronometers and watches Meridean altitudes
Forecasting time of meridian altitude
Reduction of meridian altitude sights Sun, star and other sights
Reduction and plotting of sun sights using Air Navigation Tables
Awareness of use of calculator for sight reduction
The plotting of a sun-run-sun meridian altitude
Awareness of the reduction and plotting of sights obtained from stars, moon and planets Compass checking
Use of amplitude and azimuth tables systems and/or calculator Satellite Navigation Systems
Principles and limitations of use of all systems Great circle sailing
Comparison of rhumb lines and great circles
Vertices and composite tracks
The computation of a series of rhumb lines approximating to a great circle by use of gnomonic and Mercator projections Meteorology
General pressure distribution and prevailing winds over the oceans of the world
Tropical revolving storms, seasonal occurrence and forecasting by observation
Passage planning
Publications available to assist with planning of long passages (routeing charts, ocean passages of the world and other publications)
Preparation for ocean passages including survival equipment, victualling, water and fuel management, chafe prevention, spares and maintenance Passage making
Navigational routine
Watchkeeping
Crew management Communications
Satellite and terrestrial systems
Weather information
Recommended & Required Reading Material: