What the exam actually is
There's no written paper. The Yachtmaster Offshore exam is a practical assessment on a boat, run by an independent RYA examiner. You act as skipper while the examiner watches how you handle the boat, plan and navigate, manage the crew, and deal with whatever they set you, from a man overboard drill to a night pilotage approach. The RYA allows 8 to 12 hours for one candidate and 10 to 18 hours for two.
The theory is tested throughout, by questioning. Expect questions at the chart table, on deck and in the evening, and light and shape cards held up for you to identify. Check the RYA for the current exam syllabus and how to book.
Before you book
Make sure you meet the pre-exam requirements: logged sea time and passages, a valid first aid certificate and a GMDSS radio certificate such as the SRC. Our requirements guide has a sea time checker so you can see where you stand in a minute. Get your logbook signed off and your evidence together early; it's the one part of the exam you can have completely finished before the day.
An eight-week theory plan
Short, regular sessions beat cramming, especially for things you need to recall instantly, like lights and fog signals. Aim for 15 to 20 minutes most days, and keep going back over earlier weeks as you add new topics.
| Week | Topic | By the end of it you can | Practise with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paperwork and the steering rules | Sea time checked and logged, certificates in date. Explain Rules 4 to 19 in your own words. | Requirements, Steering rules, COLREGS quiz |
| 2 | Lights and day shapes | Name any vessel from its lights or shapes in a few seconds, from any angle. | Lights and shapes, Lights flashcards, Lights quiz |
| 3 | Sound signals and restricted visibility | Give the fog signal for any vessel, and say what you'd do for a radar contact ahead. | Sound signals, Rule 19, Sound signals quiz |
| 4 | Buoyage and chart symbols | Identify lateral, cardinal and special marks by day and by their lights at night. | Lateral marks, Cardinal marks, Buoyage quiz |
| 5 | Tides | Work out a secondary port height and time quickly, without the UT and BST slip. | Secondary port worked example |
| 6 | Passage planning and pilotage | Plan a passage of 60 miles or more, and a night pilotage plan into an unfamiliar harbour. | Glossary |
| 7 | Safety, radio and weather | Send a Mayday word for word, brief a crew, and explain the forecast you'd sail on. | Mayday and Pan-Pan, Flags and distress flashcards |
| 8 | Mixed questions, out loud | Answer questions across the whole syllabus, explaining your reasoning as you would to the examiner. | Oral exam questions, Mixed practice questions |
Boat handling: the part revision can't do for you
Revision covers the theory, but much of the exam happens on the water. Before the exam, get as much time as you can actually skippering: berthing and leaving in different wind and tide, picking up a mooring, recovering a man overboard under sail and under power, and briefing and managing a crew. Many candidates book a prep week with a sea school immediately before the exam, so the boat and the area are familiar.
Practise passage planning as a skipper would: tidal gates, a plan B, and a pilotage plan you can follow at night with a head torch and no chartplotter.
On the day
- Bring your logbook and evidence of sea time, and your first aid and radio certificates.
- Brief your crew properly before you leave the berth. Safety briefings are part of being skipper.
- Think aloud. The examiner can only assess the decisions they can see you make.
- If something goes wrong, say so and fix it. Recovering well is seamanship too.
- When you don't know an answer, say how you'd find out, from the almanac, the chart or the pilot book.
After you pass
To use the certificate professionally, you'll need a commercial endorsement. If you're building a career on superyachts, our guide for superyacht crew covers what that involves and how big-yacht sea time counts.