Coastal Skippers Course

[Island Time 1,246]

From Font Page - get in while there are spaces!!

 

A Coastal Skipper Course is starting next month here at the Auckland Marine Rescue Centre in Mechanics Bay. This is a comprehensive course and is the next step up from Boatmaster and is ideal for those looking to undertake coastal passages.

More information about what is covered is available here: http://www.coastguard.org.nz/coastal_sk ... _info.html

As far as we know, not many providers offer this course so the opportunities to get on one are no where near as frequent as say a Day Skipper.

Our tutor will be is Stephan Hauke who is very experienced and always gets outstanding feedback from his students regarding his engaging delivery style. An example of this:

“This man has been unbelievably enthusiastic in his teaching and presentation of material – a first rate ambassador for Coastguard. Not only has he the knowledge, he is also endowed with the skill to put over his subject. In my case he has demonstrated both the patience to ensure learning is effective as well as giving extra time, freely of his own accord to ensure needs are met when I have been under heavy weather. His perseverance knows no end! And, in all this and more besides he has kept up my morale and no doubt others too, with his great sense of humour.”

Darren Arthur

Education Manager

Coastguard Northern Region

[Wannabe 0]

OK, i've got a pretty big B in my bonnet about this...

 

Despite having exactly the same name, this is must not be confused with the internationally recognized RYA Coastal Skipper course (roughly a $5,000 advanced certification).

 

http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/courses/sailcruising/Pages/Coastalskipper.aspx

 

 

Provided in New Zealand by MTI (among others) - http://goo.gl/1at5tA

 

The same is true of the NZCG Day Skipper course, which also has the same name as RYA Day Skipper but is again, a completely different qualification.

 

I believe this is intentionally deceptive in order to lure people into paying for courses and it makes me really angry.

 

 

Grrrrr!

 

 

I think its good that NZCG offer boating education. Im a financial sponsor, and have attended various courses (including early on, when I was fooled into thinking the day skipper course was the one I'd heard about and been recommended (RYA) )

I am, however, irate about this practice of naming and advertising under false pretenses!

 

 

Incidentally, if you are interested in completing the actual RYA Coastal Skipper (aka Yachtmaster Coastal / Yachtmaster Offshore) you should register your interest with MTI (first link). I am hoping to do this in July, but they dont typically have enough registrations to run the course in the middle of winter).

[Coastguard School 0]

Coastguard Northern Region Maritime School is a provider of both RYA (Power and Motor Cruising) and the Coastguard Boating Education courses.

 

Both the RYA programme and the Coastguard Boating Education Courses are administered in NZ by Coastguard Boating Education so this isn't a case of an organisation trying to create confusion in order to win business from another.

 

Here at the Coastguard Northern Region Maritime School we strive to steer customers towards the correct course to meet their needs. If we don’t or can’t deliver what a customer requires, we won't hesitate to steer them towards a provider who can.

 

There is certainly no "intentional deception" on our part whatsoever.

 

Agreed the names may occasionally cause confusion but that is perhaps more a case of the growth of the global recognition of the RYA programme clashing with well established courses that have been run in NZ for many years as opposed to a deliberate ploy to deceive anyone.

[Guest]

the actual RYA Coastal Skipper (aka Yachtmaster Coastal / Yachtmaster Offshore)

I had 12 hrs of exams to get my CYM, 18 hrs of exams alone to get my OYM. Sneeze and they give the RYA versions.

 

It works both ways Wannbe.

[Island Time 1,246]

The primary difference seems to me to be that the RYA courses require practical testing/training as well, and are more internationally accepted....AND can be commercially endorsed.

[Wannabe 0]

the actual RYA Coastal Skipper (aka Yachtmaster Coastal / Yachtmaster Offshore)

I had 12 hrs of exams to get my CYM, 18 hrs of exams alone to get my OYM. Sneeze and they give the RYA versions.

I don't really wannabe dragging this out, but

it's taken me a while to figure out what you're trying to say here...is 12hrs a lot or a little?

presumably you acquired your CYM & OYM accredited through someone other than RYA?

apparently I can just sneeze and get the certification? That certainly does sound economical! I hope that method also gives me celestial navigation knowledge.

I have an NZCG Boat Masters cert (30 hrs basic training on colregs, light signals, navigation, day shapes, etc...), are you suggesting I'd be wasting 3 weeks of full time study and exams and $5k to get an STCW + RYA CS / CYM or OYM?

 

Perhaps the quagmire is more murky than I thought... perhaps this is your point.

[Old Girl 0]

It is a problem that requires a fix. My day skippers qualification cost sea time, dollars for this, and I would hope some degree of skill to achieve. To say one has a day skippers cert with no on water time seems to me not to be worth much, and it isn't, is it? I agree it is confusing and misleading.

[Guest]

I'm confused about this. I am thinking of chartering a boat in the med at some stage. Can someone explain what sort of ticket I need to hire it. I have 40 years experience but only a boatmaster course back in the early 80's

[Coastguard School 0]

I'm confused about this. I am thinking of chartering a boat in the med at some stage. Can someone explain what sort of ticket I need to hire it. I have 40 years experience but only a boatmaster course back in the early 80's

 

Good question. There are quite a range of requirements which may depend on both the country you're hiring it from, area you're operating and the company you're chartering the vessel from. We would strongly recommend you get full details from the company in writing before departure.

 

One of the qualifications that is getting more universally accepted or required is what is called an ICC (International Certificate of Competence). For people in your situation we have put together what we hope is a plain English guide to the ICC and how to get one. You can download it from here: http://www.coastguard.org.nz/uploads/file/Education/Sundry/ICC%20and%20CEVNI%20explanation.pdf. We hope it is of assistance.

 

Coastguard Northern Region Maritime School can assist you with getting an ICC for a power vessel and can refer you to a number of appropriate providers if you need one for a yacht.

[Clive 13]

... ICC and how to get one.

Having sailed around the western/central Med and been boarded by French and Italian customs a few times ICC is the way to go. I have seen French Customs stop a Kiwi from using his boat because he didn't have an ICC - or any other qualification. ICC for sail and power, and inland waterways if you go anywhere near a river or canal, VHF cert.

[Island Time 1,246]

I must admit, I did my "Master Of Pleasure Yacht Coastal" and "Master of Pleasure Yacht Ocean" back in the late 80's, when it was run by the Ministry of Transport. Those titles are what the certificates say. Apparently Coastguard have no record of my certificates (but I still have copies) - lost when the systems changed....

 

I have only once been asked for Certification - in Singapore. And the ONLY one they will accept is their own one - for a powerboat!! Otherwise, although on an international yacht I'd sailed from NZ, and INTO their marina, I was not allowed OUT of the marina except to leave the country, unless I paid for and passed their 1 hour exam.

 

If I was doing this all over, I'd do the RYA one. Simply accepted in more places.

 

By the way, the Coastguard ones here DO require sea time, they just don't test on the water - ie there is no practical assessment, only exams....

[John B 106]

I'm confused about this. I am thinking of chartering a boat in the med at some stage. Can someone explain what sort of ticket I need to hire it. I have 40 years experience but only a boatmaster course back in the early 80's

 

You're just an old dinosaur, thats your problem.

yours sincerely

S .Tegosaurus.

[Guest]

the actual RYA Coastal Skipper (aka Yachtmaster Coastal / Yachtmaster Offshore)

I had 12 hrs of exams to get my CYM, 18 hrs of exams alone to get my OYM. Sneeze and they give the RYA versions.

I don't really wannabe dragging this out, but

it's taken me a while to figure out what you're trying to say here...is 12hrs a lot or a little?

No no Twist. I was just trying to say where you were having some angst about CG being different, possibly less, of a packed course that RYC I was just pointing out the courses I did had a motherload more content than the RYC one does, so each course has it's own merits and must be taken in that context.

 

But don't let that stop you learning more so if you want to do a Coastal I'd say go for it, CG, RYC or whatever. Anything is better than nothing.

 

PS. Like IT I've also hardly ever been asked for my Certs, the CYM, OYM or any of the others.

[Wannabe 0]

I'm confused about this. I am thinking of chartering a boat in the med at some stage. Can someone explain what sort of ticket I need to hire it. I have 40 years experience but only a boatmaster course back in the early 80's

ICC is prolific and required in much of Europe.

 

I think the best approach is to undertake RYA Day Skipper, which has historically been heralded as the "ticket to charter", and then cross-credit this to an ICC.

If you have an RYA Day Skipper (or higher), you simply pay the fee, provide a copy of your RYA certification, and get your ICC.

 

If you're only sailing in NZ, and dont care about international quals etc, RYA stuff is probably overkill, and even maybe if you do go beyond - ie. i've chartered in NZ, Aus, and Thailand with no RYA/ICC - just NZCG DS and BM.

 

The day skipper one is misleading but to be fair to the title of this thread, the RYA coastal ticket is officially known as the Yachtmaster (Coastal).

On the RYA website, it's called "Coastal Skipper"

The Internet says its called "Coastal Skipper" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_Skipper

On the MTI website, the link is called "Coastal Skipper" (but content labeled yachmaster Coastal).

 

The issue I have around misleading naming is valid.

 

I support NZCG in providing boating education, but the two courses should be simply renamed to stop people thinking they are getting qualifications that they are not.

[idlerboat 116]

Hi , my earlier post seems to have got lost but no matter.

It is worth thinking about commercial qualifications.

They are accepted world wide.

They require a serious amount of sea time, but that is often

already there for long term sailors.

The acceptance of sea time has a range of rules. You need to check

your local rules. Generally the higher the ticket, the more rules and verification that is needed. Higher tickets usually require that the hours are done on a commercially surveyed vessel and signed off by the master.

Lesser tickets can allow hours on a verifiable log on a non commercial vessel.

.

.

 

This may not be an option for people newer to sailing.

A lot of these courses also give regard to prior learning.

They have their share of exams but also have more on water training

and testing......and no you will not be doing it on a sailing boat.

They have a serious overtone to them including a final oral exam in

standard marine tradition.

They tend to be much cheaper than yachting based tickets.

They have far more job prospects than yachting based tickets.

They usually are done in a series of modules that you can complete

at your own rate, and at a variety of learning institutes.

(ie, the first aid 1 and 2).

..

..

They wont teach you the finer points of sailing, but rather the solid

management of a vessel.

Coxswain (offshore) would be the minimum. Master 5 desirable.

To give an example, an offshore coxswains ticket will get you a job driving

shore boats in Antarctica, a yacht masters wont.

 

This is in no way having a go at yacht based qualifications. Just an alternative that is available to some people. ....and the reality of the broader acceptance of commercial qualifications.