From Yachtmaster to OOW Yachts <3000 GT.

How do I go from Yachtmaster Offshore to OOW 3000?

Keep your RYA Yachtmaster Offshore with its shore-based Yachtmaster Offshore course completion certificate, then meet the rest of section 3.3 of MSN 1858: be at least 19; have 36 months' onboard yacht service since the age of 16, including at least 365 days' seagoing service on vessels of 15 metres or more; hold an EDH certificate issued at least 18 months before your CoC; hold the ancillary course certificates; pass the 'Navigation and Radar (OOW yachts)' and 'General Ship Knowledge (OOW yachts)' modules and their MCA exams; complete a Yacht Training Record Book (unless exempt); hold a valid ENG1; and pass the OOW (Yachts <3000 GT) oral.

Then apply to the MCA on form MSF 4343, receive your Notice of Eligibility by email, book and pass the oral, and send in anything still outstanding so the CoC can be issued.

Which Yachtmaster certificates are accepted for OOW <3000 GT?

Any one of four: an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore with a shore-based Yachtmaster Offshore course completion certificate; an IYT Master of Yachts Limited; an RYA Yachtmaster Coastal CoC with an RYA Coastal Skipper practical course completion certificate; or an IYT Master of Yachts Coastal/Mate less than 200 GT. The two Coastal routes were added by Amendment 2 on 18 May 2026 — see what changed in MSN 1858 Amendment 2.

Do I need the shore-based Yachtmaster course?

With a Yachtmaster Offshore, yes — unless it was issued before 31 July 2003. With a Yachtmaster Coastal, the notice asks for the RYA Coastal Skipper practical course completion certificate instead.

Does holding a Yachtmaster reduce the sea time?

As we read section 3.3, no. The yachting certificate and the 36 months' service are separate requirements, and the notice offers no reduction for holding one. What your service can change is the Training Record Book: you may not need one if you can show 36 months' actual seagoing service on vessels of at least 24 metres load line length.

What about the Yachtmaster Ocean?

An RYA Yachtmaster Ocean with its shore-based Ocean course (not needed if issued before 31 July 2003), or an IYT Master of Yachts Unlimited, is what Chief Mate (Yachts <3000 GT) asks for. You can apply for Chief Mate at the same time as OOW if you meet the requirements for both, and you then complete both HELM (Operational) and HELM (Management).

How much sea time do I need to go from Yachtmaster to OOW?

36 months' onboard yacht service since the age of 16. Within that, at least 365 days' seagoing service on vessels of 15 metres or more load line length, made up of at least 250 days' seagoing service plus 115 days of any combination of seagoing, stand-by and yard service.

Stand-by counts at most 14 consecutive days at a time, and never more than the previous voyage. Yard service counts up to 90 days, in one period or several. The sea time calculator checks your totals against the 36-month, 250-day, 365-day and 90-day figures.

What counts as onboard yacht service and seagoing service?

Onboard yacht service is all the time you are signed on a yacht, whatever it is doing. Seagoing service is time at sea, which can include time at anchor and river or canal transits that are part of a passage.

A day needs at least 4 hours of working duty in 24. Service runs from engagement to discharge, should be in the deck department, and can be on a yacht of any flag. A dual deck and engine role counts at 50%.

Does recent sea time matter?

Yes. At least 6 months of your qualifying seagoing service must fall within the 5 years before the MCA receives your application, and within the 5 years before your CoC is issued.

How do I prove my yacht service?

With a Merchant Navy discharge book or MCA Yacht Certificates of Discharge, supported by testimonials in the Annex A format signed by the Master, or a similar MCA-approved service record book. Service as a yacht rating or deckhand goes on the Yacht Rating/Deck Hand version of the testimonial, which records bridge watchkeeping done under the supervision of a certificated navigation officer.

Which courses do I need on top of my Yachtmaster?

The OOW <3000 GT column of the table in section 6: the four STCW basic safety courses (Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting, Elementary First Aid, Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities), Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats, ECDIS, EDH, GMDSS (GOC) and HELM (Operational). ECDIS, EDH and HELM certificates must be MCA-approved.

Yacht officers may hold the restricted Survival Craft and Rescue Boats course (other than fast rescue boats) instead of the full one; the CoC is then endorsed 'Not for use on ships equipped with davit launched lifeboats'. For Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting and Survival Craft, you need evidence of completing or updating the training within the last 5 years.

When should I do my EDH?

Well ahead of your application. The EDH certificate must come from an MCA-approved training provider and be issued at least 18 months before your CoC is issued. Our EDH page covers what the course is and where it sits.

What are the OOW yacht modules?

Two MCA-approved training modules, each followed by its MCA professional exam: 'Navigation and Radar (OOW yachts)' and 'General Ship Knowledge (OOW yachts)'. You need a course completion certificate before you can sit each exam, and the MCA requires 100% classroom attendance unless it agrees otherwise.

What if I fail a module exam, and how long do passes last?

You get one resit without retaking the module, provided you sit it within 12 months of the failed attempt; fail that, and you retake the module. Yacht module and exam certificates other than Celestial Navigation are valid for 3 years, and must be in date when your CoC is issued.

Do I need a Training Record Book?

Yes, an MCA Yacht Training Record Book, unless you can show 36 months' actual seagoing service on vessels of at least 24 metres load line length. For a first UK CoC the completed book goes in with your NOE application, and you must be able to produce it to the MCA on request before the oral.

What do I send to get my NOE?

Form MSF 4343 with the fee, an ENG1 or accepted equivalent, an attested copy of your passport, the photos the form asks for, and proof of your yacht service. For a first UK CoC, add your four STCW basic safety certificates and the completed Training Record Book.

Your ENG1 may have expired by the time you apply for the NOE, but it must be valid when the CoC is issued. The NOE is valid for 5 years from issue.

Does the OOW <3000 GT oral have a Part A?

No. It is a single online oral with an MCA examiner on Microsoft Teams; only OOW Unlimited and Master (Code <200 GT) / OOW (Yachts <500 GT) candidates sit a Part A. Your oral pass is valid for 3 years and must be in date when the CoC is issued.

Can my Yachtmaster get me an STCW certificate sooner?

A different one, yes. With a Yachtmaster Offshore (and shore-based course) or IYT Master of Yachts Limited, and 6 months' seagoing service while holding it, you can apply for Master (Code vessels <200 GT) / OOW (Yachts <500 GT), the II/3 version, whose Master (Code vessels) capacity is limited to 150 miles from a safe haven. You must be at least 18, and it has its own oral with a Part A.

It is voluntary, and section 3.3 does not list it as a step on the way to OOW (Yachts <3000 GT).