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Offshore training courses for Cat 1


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Hi Guys

 

I am planning to take my boat offshore in the next year or so, I have sailed all my life but it was all costal sailing. This will be my first time offshore.

 

Can anyone recommend a pathway between where I am at now and being competent sailing offshore (and achieving Cat 1)

 

The obvious things that I will need are:

 

Offshore experience (I am hoping to crew on an offshore passage in the next 12 months) 

Navigation training 

First Aid

Radio Operator

Survival at sea training?

 

Can anyone recommend any good training courses that will teach me what I need to know and will be valid for Cat 1? I have seen the Ocean Yacht Master Course but is that overkill for what I am wanting to do? Is getting experience better then a formal qualification? Any help is greatly appreciated :)

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The general cruising fleet will be leaving from may on and comes back  before December, there's often people looking for crew either way. More often they're organised to go up and need people for the return.

 So you need that offshore sailing under your belt. I've met several people who advertised their availability here and  got on boats. You could also contact or join the Island Cruising assn and tell them you want a job sailing as crew. After all the cyclones last year I think they're leaving later , more like late may this year.

 You need  a sea survival course, and a medic course. 

 

 But the best advice i was given and am happy to pass on , is to find a category inspector and have a chat for an overview. Part of the process is evaluating you as skipper. In other words start on a relationship earlier rather than later so they know what you're about and you know whats expected. Cat 1 is not just about the boat.

The inspectors I've met are all very experienced sailors, they want you to go offshore and safely. They want you to succeed, its not a WOF for your car, pass or fail.

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Yeah , I'm sure that was a requirement. Sea survival to a certain percentage of crew. 

Sea survival  was a course worth doing  but it annoys me that it runs out after 5 years and there is no refresher course.

 You learn nothing the second time around and you are forced to hand over yet another $500 to someone else to satisfy some paper

If there was a refresher at reduced cost it would be much fairer and more reasonable..

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Yip the Sea Survival and Offshore Medic are a requirement for Cat 1 now.  

 

Personally I'd think that a good Coastal sail around NZ is enough experience, sailing around NZ is harder than most offshore passages.  

 

Take your yacht to Napier and back and that should be enough to sort out any issues with experience.  

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I learnt something in the first sea survival course I did, and same with the med course, so I don't begrudge doing them.

Med refresher I can understand but  the only thing new or different in the sea survival over the 4 years was the advent of AIS transponders, which I knew about.

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Not if fat has already been paid. My boat was built in whangarei and can stay in nz as long as I choose. But i am registering offshore specifically to avoid cat 1. Plus it's cheaper.

 

Love to hear some updates on this when you have more info.

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