The form
What is a yacht sea service testimonial?
It is the document the Master of a yacht signs to confirm the service you did on board: dates, days at sea, stand-by and yard days, watchkeeping, and a short report on your conduct and ability. MSN 1858 asks for proof of onboard yacht service in one of three ways: a Merchant Navy discharge book supported by testimonials, certificates of discharge supported by testimonials, or a similar MCA-approved service record book.
Testimonials must be verifiable and should follow the format in Annex A of the notice.
Where do I get the MCA testimonial form?
Annex A of MSN 1858 Amendment 2, linked below, contains the format. Annex B is the MCA Yacht Certificate of Discharge, which records the voyage and total days at sea and is backed up by testimonials.
Which version of the testimonial do I use?
There are two. The yacht rating / deckhand testimonial is for crew who are not yet watchkeeping officers; it records bridge watchkeeping done under the supervision of a certificated navigation officer. The officer's testimonial is for service as Master, Chief Mate or OOW; it records watchkeeping in full charge of a navigational watch.
Filling it in
What goes in the company and personal details?
The company's name, address, telephone and email. Then your full name, date of birth, and discharge book or passport number. The officer's version also asks for your capacity.
What vessel details does the testimonial need?
Name of vessel, IMO number, type of vessel, gross tonnage, load line length, date of joining, date of discharge, and the areas cruised.
Tonnage and load line length matter more than they look. They decide which certificate the service counts towards: OOW (Yachts <3000 GT) sea service must be on vessels of 15 metres or more, and Master (Yachts <3000 GT) needs part of its service on vessels of 24 metres or more, or 500 GT or more.
How do I fill in seagoing, stand-by and yard days?
The form has a line for each: actual seagoing service, stand-by service and yard service, in days. Write NIL where there was none, rather than leaving it blank.
Seagoing service is time at sea, including time at anchor or river and canal transits that are part of a passage; at least 4 hours of working duty in 24 hours counts as one day. Stand-by is the time straight after a voyage while the yacht is prepared for the next. Yard service is time standing by a build, refit or repair.
What is Table A on the testimonial?
If you claim stand-by service, Table A on the reverse lists each voyage: the date it began, the date it ended, the stand-by days claimed, and a signature against each line. At most 14 consecutive days of stand-by count at a time, and never more than the voyage before it.
Table A isn't needed if you have an MCA-approved Service Record Book signed by an authorised official.
How are watchkeeping days recorded?
Both forms ask for the days of bridge watchkeeping of at least 4 hours in every 24 while the vessel was on seagoing voyages. On the officer's form, watchkeeping can be counted cumulatively: every 4 hours is a day, even across different 24-hour periods. But no more than one day counts in any 24 hours, so a 12-hour watch is still one day.
What else is on the testimonial?
A report on your conduct and ability with general comments; confirmation of whether you regularly carried out other duties connected with the routine and maintenance of the ship; and any leave of absence granted, with dates.
Who signs a yacht sea service testimonial?
The Master of the vessel, giving their name, position in the company, CoC number, issuing administration and email, with a signature, date and the ship or company stamp. On the rating form, a responsible official of the company may sign in exceptional circumstances. For service as Master, the testimonial must be signed by the yacht's owner, operator or manager.
Getting it accepted
What period should my testimonials cover?
Each testimonial covers your service on that vessel. Together, your testimonials should cover your conduct and ability for the last 12 months of onboard yacht service immediately before you apply, with your sea service and watchkeeping service. Anything they don't show has to be verified by separate certificates of service.
What if my sea service can't be verified?
Where the MCA has doubts about service, or can't verify it, it will only accept it on written confirmation from a responsible person with personal knowledge of the facts. The MCA checks testimonials and discharge book entries; fraudulent service records can end an application and be referred to its enforcement branch.
How do I make testimonials easier to get?
Our advice: keep your own day-by-day record while you're on board — seagoing, stand-by, yard and watchkeeping — and bring the totals to your Master before you leave the vessel, not months later. Bridgedeck Logbook keeps that record offline per vessel and exports an MCA-style PDF to bring to your captain. It supports your testimonial; it doesn't replace the signed one.
