RYA Yachtmaster compared to SSS/SHS

The British Yachtmaster of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the sailing licence with the highest global recognition and acceptance. But how does the Yachtmaster actually compare to the sailing licences issued by the DSV (Deutscher Segler-Verband), and what are the differences and similarities regarding prerequisites, examination content, examination procedures and the practical value of the certificates? We venture a comparison based on the two highest certificates issued by the RYA (RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and RYA Yachtmaster Ocean) with those of the DSV (Sportseeschifferschein and Sporthochseeschifferschein). The author has completed both training systems in full and holds both the British RYA Yachtmaster Ocean and the Sporthochseeschifferschein.

Prerequisites

To obtain the Sportseeschifferschein (SSS) To be able to sit the examination, one must be at least 16 years old, hold the SBF See and provide evidence of 1,000 nautical miles after obtaining the SBF See or 700 nautical miles after obtaining the SKS. Of these, at least 500 nautical miles must be verified before sitting the theoretical examination. The nautical mile evidence must be accrued on yachts in sea areas (within the jurisdiction of the Seeschifffahrtsstraßen) as watch leader or deputy.

For the Sporthochseeschifferschein (SHS) a minimum age of 18 years and possession of the Sportseeschifferschein are prerequisites. Furthermore, 1,000 nautical miles must be verified after obtaining the Sportseeschifferschein (of which at least 500 nautical miles before the theoretical examination).

To be able to sit the examination for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore the following prerequisites must be fulfilled within the last 10 years before the examination:

• 50 days at sea on a seaworthy sailing yacht
• 5 days as skipper on yachts less than 24 metres length overall
• 2,500 nautical miles on a seaworthy sailing yacht
• 5 sea passages exceeding 60 nautical miles in length, of which 2 sea passages with overnight stay and 2 sea passages as skipper in charge

It should be noted that at least half of the required days/nautical miles must be accrued in tidal waters and on yachts less than 24 metres length overall. A minimum age of 18 years applies.

For certification, one must also provide evidence of a radio operator's certificate (short-range certificate) and completion of a first aid course.

To sit the examination for the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean a so-called qualifying passage must be completed (within 10 years after sitting the examination for RYA Yachtmaster Offshore) which fulfils the following criteria:

• 600 nautical miles, of which at least 200 nautical miles at a distance of 50 nautical miles from land or charted objects that could be used for navigation
• Duration of at least 96 hours
• The examination candidate must have participated fully in the planning and preparation of the sea passage, including: passage planning, checking the condition of the yacht and its equipment, stocking spare equipment, fuel, water and provisions
• Throughout the passage, the examination candidate must have acted in a position of responsibility, either as sole watch leader or as skipper
• The examination candidate must have successfully navigated a yacht at sea using astro-navigation. This should include at least the planning, reduction and recording of a sun-run-meridian altitude or a sun-run-sun sight and a compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, a star or planet
• The documentation of the qualifying passage and the records of the astro-navigation applied must be submitted to the examiner at least 48 hours before the examination

Conclusion: The admission requirements for the Yachtmaster are considerably more extensive, encompassing not only higher requirements for nautical mile evidence but also proof of a minimum number of days at sea and practical experience as skipper in charge.

Examination content

The examination for the Sportseeschifferschein is divided into a written and a practical part.

In the written examination, comprehensive knowledge of navigation, seamanship, maritime law and meteorology must be demonstrated.

In the practical examination, knowledge of handling a yacht in coastal sea waters must be demonstrated to the examiner. This encompasses seamanship (rescue manoeuvres, emergency management, yacht handling, on-board engineering), navigation (including radar) and meteorology.

The examination for the Sporthochseeschifferschein is essentially a theory examination, conducted in written and oral form. It covers the subject areas of navigation (including astronomical navigation), maritime law (including international maritime law), meteorology (including tropical cyclones) and yacht handling (oral examination). Within the navigation component, the handling of a sextant must also be demonstrated practically.

For detailed information on the contents of the SSS/SHS examination we refer to the guidelines for carrying out the tasks under § 2 of the Sportseeschifferscheinverordnung of the Deutscher Segler-Verband e.V.

The examination for the Yachtmaster Offshore is a purely practical examination. Essentially, the examiner assesses the candidate's skippering skills. This includes boat handling, seamanship, navigation, meteorology, general safety awareness and knowledge of the collision regulations.

During the oral examination for Yachtmaster Ocean the candidate must answer questions on all aspects of an ocean passage on a yacht, including passage planning, navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance and repair. The written examination section for Yachtmaster Ocean covers astro-navigation and worldwide meteorology. However, this does not need to be completed if a theory course on these topics has previously been completed at an RYA recognised training centre.

For further information on the organisation and contents of the RYA examinations we refer to the RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus.

Conclusion: The examination contents are essentially the same, but the extensive DSV theory examinations test more detailed knowledge, whereas the RYA takes a much more practical approach.

Conduct of examinations

One of the key differences between the two systems lies in the way in which the knowledge and skills of examination candidates are tested. Whilst the SSS/SHS includes extensive written examinations, the Yachtmaster almost completely dispenses with written knowledge testing. However, this does not mean that the knowledge does not need to be present. Rather, it is tested during the extended examination using practical examples. We would therefore like to take a closer look at the practical examinations:

In addition to a written examination lasting several hours, the Sportseeschifferschein requires a practical examination (in at least force 2 and with a maximum duration of 90 minutes). Performance is assessed by two examiners, with one examiner dealing with topics below deck and the other observing manoeuvres on deck. Critical situations (for example, second attempt at the recovery manoeuvre) are observed by both examiners together.

All sections of the examination (recovery manoeuvre, emergency management, yacht handling, onboard technology, navigation with paper chart/ECS/radar, meteorology) must be passed with a sufficient grade.

The examination is designed so that all examination contents are processed in assembly-line fashion in a relatively short time, creating enormous examination pressure. Most candidates complete special SSS preparation training in the days before the examination, which deals precisely with the topics/manoeuvres tested in the examination. Since the examination follows a similar pattern in most cases and the sailing area is also known (the training usually takes place in the same area), the examination can be prepared for quite well.

The theoretical and practical examination must be completed in total within a period of 36 months.

For the Sporthochseeschifferschein too, the focus is on testing knowledge in a written examination lasting several hours (240 minutes processing time). In addition to the written section, handling of a sextant must be demonstrated in the navigation examination subject, which includes measuring a vertical angle, determining the index error and explaining other possible errors on the sextant (examination duration: 10 minutes). Additionally, the yacht handling section is examined orally. The oral examination (examination duration: 15 minutes) may cover the following topics:

• Organisational, technical and seamanship aspects of yacht command (e.g. passage planning, emergency planning and measures, manoeuvring, onboard technology)
• Heavy weather sailing
• Behaviour in tropical revolving storm areas

In the examination for RYA Yachtmaster Offshore the focus is on the practical application of knowledge and demonstration of skippering skills in an extended practical examination.

The practical examination is conducted by only one examiner and is carried out exclusively in English. The contents of the examination are broadly specified and include

• Preparation of boat and crew
• Passage planning
• Boat handling
• Navigation and chartwork
• Seamanship
• Kollisionsverhütungsregeln
• Meteorology

For one examination candidate the examination lasts between 8 and 12 hours, for two candidates between 10 and 18 hours. No more than 2 candidates can be examined in 24 hours and no more than 4 candidates in 48 hours.

In principle, one can imagine the examination as though one were doing a day or weekend trip (depending on the number of examination candidates), in which the examiner takes part and sometimes also stays overnight on board. The examiner has the opportunity to assess the candidate's skippering ability over an extended period. For the person being examined, examination stress subsides more quickly, as not all manoeuvres have to be sailed in concentrated fashion within a short time. It is about giving the examiner the overall impression that one is capable of commanding a sailing yacht responsibly.

In the examination interview for (minimum duration 1.5 hours) Yachtmaster Ocean the documentation of the qualifying passage and the records of astro-navigation applied are discussed with the examiner. The examination candidate must answer questions on this and defend the decisions made (for example route, crew allocation, provisioning). It also happens that the examiner asks fewer questions about the qualifying passage, but instead sets the examination candidate a fictitious ocean passage. The examination candidate then gets a short preparation time and must then present his passage plan to the examiner and answer questions from the areas of navigation, meteorology, crew management, yacht preparation, maintenance and repair that relate specifically to this passage.

Conclusion: The emphasis of the DSV examinations lies on testing detailed theoretical knowledge, paired with a short practical exam. The RYA examination is substantially more practice-relevant due to its design, and the examiner has considerably more time to assess actual skipper skills. Due to the length of the RYA examination, more distant harbours/bays can be approached and unforeseen situations arise which the examination candidate could not directly prepare for and must find a solution to during the exam. The DSV examination, due to its brevity, is almost purely a manoeuvres test. In principle, only what was intensively practised during the preparation week is reeled off. Moreover, the examination usually takes place in the same bay where the practice was done, so that here too there are no surprises.

Benefits of the certificates

The Sportseeschifferschein is one of the German official powerboat licences and is required for operating commercially used pleasure craft under the German flag in coastal sea waters (all seas up to 30 nautical miles from land as well as the entire Baltic and North Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Irish and Scottish Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea).

The Sporthochseeschifferschein is likewise an official powerboat licence which is prescribed for the commercial use of pleasure craft under the German flag in the area of operation of worldwide navigation.

Both the SSS and the SHS are valid indefinitely. It should be noted that for commercial navigation, additional crew requirements are prescribed. These result from Annex 4 to the SeeSpbootV.

The Yachtmaster Offshore qualifies for operating a yacht up to a distance of 150 nautical miles from land, the Yachtmaster Ocean for worldwide navigation. Both certificates are fundamentally valid indefinitely. It should be noted that for commercial use a Commercial Endorsement is required, which is limited to 5 years. To obtain and renew the commercial endorsement, sea safety training and a medical examination must be completed.

Conclusion: The requirements for the commercial use of the certificates are substantially higher with the RYA and the issue is limited in time.

The question of the personal benefit of the certificates, however, can only be answered individually, as the answer depends on the flag of the yacht, its use (private/commercial) and additional regulations of the sailing area. In principle, however, it can be said that the RYA certificates have higher worldwide acceptance and recognition.

 

What is your opinion on the differences and similarities? What are your experiences with the Yachtmaster and SSS/SHS examinations? Suggestions, criticism or ideas for improving the article? We look forward to your comments and feedback!

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