The Advanced Powerboat Course and the Skipper's Role

Prerequisites

The RYA Advanced Powerboat course assumes you can already drive a powerboat competently by day on coastal passages. In practice that means:

You hold the RYA Intermediate Powerboat certificate, or can handle and navigate a boat to that standard: planning and running a day passage, basic chartwork and tidal heights and streams, plotter use, and pilotage by day.
You have the Powerboat Level 2 skills firmly in hand: launch and recovery, low-speed handling, coming alongside, mooring, man overboard recovery, and the core collision regulations.
Theory to at least Day Skipper level is expected, and Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory is a real advantage. If you intend to sit the Advanced Powerboat exam later, the exam assumes theory knowledge to Yachtmaster Offshore level.
An SRC (Short Range Certificate) for VHF/DSC and a current first aid certificate are recommended for the course and required for the exam.

Training centres set their own minimum age for the course (commonly 16). The exam minimum age is 17.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

Describe what the two-day Advanced Powerboat course covers, how it is assessed, and how it differs from the Advanced Powerboat exam (Certificate of Competence).
List the pre-exam sea-time requirements and the extra steps needed for a commercial endorsement.
Prepare a fast boat and its crew for sea, with a checklist you could use on the day.
Give a complete safety briefing to crew and passengers, including the kill cord and what to do if the skipper goes overboard.
Explain the skipper's legal and practical responsibility for the passage, including passage planning under SOLAS Chapter V.
Manage crew on a fast boat: roles, communication over engine and wind noise, fatigue and cold.

The Course in Outline

Who the course is for

The Advanced Powerboat course is the top of the RYA's powerboat training ladder. It trains you to skipper a powerboat by day and by night, on passages in tidal coastal waters, in more demanding conditions than the Intermediate course. Typical students drive safety and chase boats for sailing events and film crews, run sport-fishing boats, skipper high-performance tenders for superyachts, or work towards a commercial role. It is equally useful for leisure owners of fast RIBs and sportsboats who go further afield.

The diagram below shows where the course sits. The top row is training, which ends with a course completion certificate. The bottom row is certification: a separate practical exam that gives a Certificate of Competence (CoC), which can then be commercially endorsed.

The RYA route from Powerboat Level 2 through the Advanced course to the Advanced Powerboat exam and commercial endorsement

Format

Length: two days (about 16 hours), including a night exercise. Some schools run it as two long days with the night element at the end of day one or two; others add an evening session.
Ratio: usually no more than three students to one instructor, so each student gets long periods at the helm and as skipper.
Boat: a sea-going powerboat or RIB capable of planing speeds, with a chart plotter, VHF/DSC, navigation lights and full safety kit. Many schools use 6 to 8 m RIBs; some use sportsboats or catamarans.

Syllabus

The RYA syllabus (in the Powerboat Scheme logbook, G20) groups the course into these areas. You will see each of them as separate lessons in this course.

Syllabus area	What you are expected to do
Preparation for sea	Check the boat, engines, fuel, safety equipment and crew; brief everyone
Boat handling	High-speed handling, rough water, close quarters with single and twin engines, trim
Passage making and responsibility as skipper	Plan and carry out a passage; manage crew; make decisions on weather and fuel
Pilotage	Prepare and carry out pilotage plans by day and by night
Navigation	Chartwork, tidal calculations, fast-boat navigation techniques, plotters, radar where fitted
Meteorology	Use forecasts; understand how wind and tide create sea states
Rules of the road	Apply the COLREGs at speed and at night, including lights and sound signals
Use of engines	Daily checks, fault finding, fuel management, twin-engine handling
Emergency situations	Man overboard by day and night, towing, fire, flooding, grounding, calling for help
Night cruising	Night pilotage, lights, night vision, keeping a lookout in the dark

How the course is assessed

The course has no formal exam. Your instructor assesses you continuously and signs your course completion certificate when you have shown the required standard as skipper. You should expect to plan and lead at least one passage yourself, including a night pilotage, and to make decisions with the instructor watching rather than helping.

A course completion certificate is not a Certificate of Competence. It shows you have been trained; it does not prove you were examined to a set standard. That matters for commercial work.

The Advanced Powerboat Exam

Pre-exam requirements

The Advanced Powerboat exam is an RYA/MCA practical exam, by day and night, conducted on board by an RYA examiner. Before you can sit it you need documented sea time on a sea-going powerboat within the last 10 years:

Requirement	Without the Advanced course	With the Advanced course certificate
Days at sea	30	20
Days as skipper	2	2
Miles	800	400
Night hours	12	12

You must also hold a GMDSS radio operator's certificate (the SRC or higher), a valid first aid certificate, and be at least 17.

What happens on the exam

For one candidate the exam takes about four to five hours; with two or three candidates it runs longer (up to about seven hours). The boat must be able to make at least 12 knots and carry a compass, COLREGs lights, VHF, GPS or plotter, depth sounder, anchor, tow line, flares and first aid kit. You bring charts, tide tables, pilotage information and plotting instruments if the boat does not have them.

The examiner will ask you to:

Brief and prepare the boat and crew for sea.
Plan and carry out a passage and pilotage, by day and by night.
Handle the boat at speed and at close quarters.
Deal with emergencies such as man overboard, a tow or an engine failure.
Answer questions on the COLREGs, lights, buoyage, weather, tides and the skipper's responsibilities.

The standard is that of a skipper who could be trusted to take a boat and its crew on a coastal passage, by day and night, in conditions within the boat's capability.

Commercial endorsement

To use the Advanced Powerboat CoC for paid work on small commercial vessels coded under the MCA codes of practice, you need a commercial endorsement. The requirements are:

A valid medical fitness certificate: the ML5 (completed by your GP) or an ENG1 (from an MCA-approved doctor).
The RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) online course.
A valid first aid certificate of an approved type (the RYA First Aid course, the STCW Elementary First Aid course, or another type the MCA accepts).
The SRC or higher.
Some codes or employers also require a Basic Sea Survival course.

A commercially endorsed Advanced CoC typically lets you skipper small commercial powerboats up to 20 miles from a safe haven, by day and night. Always check the limits in the current MCA code and any vessel certificate: they set the area category, passenger numbers and crew requirements, and they override anything a training school tells you.

Commercial endorsements must be revalidated every five years, which means a current medical and first aid certificate.

Preparation for Sea

A fast boat punishes poor preparation. At 25 knots, a loose fuel line, a missing kill cord or a crew member who does not know how to call for help can turn a routine trip into an emergency within minutes. The skipper is responsible for all of it.

Boat and engine checks

Use the same order every time, so nothing gets missed:

Hull and tubes. On a RIB, check the tube pressure (tubes go soft on a cold morning and harden in the sun), look for chafe and lifting seams, and make sure the drain bungs are in.
Engine(s). Use the FLOWERS check from Level 2: Fuel, Leaks, Oil, Water (cooling tell-tale), Electrics, Raw-water strainer (for inboards), Steering. On outboards, check the trim and tilt operates and the leg is clean of weed.
Fuel. Know your consumption at planing speed and plan using the rule of thirds: one third out, one third back, one third reserve. At high speed a powerboat can burn more than 1 litre per mile; check the figure for your boat.
Electrics and navigation. Battery switches on, plotter and VHF working, navigation lights tested even if you plan to be back by dark.
Safety equipment. Flares in date, a PLB or EPIRB if carried, fire extinguisher accessible, first aid kit, anchor and line, tow line, paddle or oars, bailer or pump, knife, torch, spare kill cord.
Kill cord. Present, undamaged, and tested by starting the engine and pulling it.

Weather and passage checks

Before leaving the dock you should know:

The inshore waters forecast and the shipping forecast for the area, plus local sources such as observations from coastal stations.
When and where wind will oppose tide on your route. For a fast boat this often matters more than the wind strength itself.
Times of high and low water, tidal streams at key headlands and races, and any depth limitations at your destination.
Sunset time and whether the passage could run into darkness.
Your plan B: a safe haven you can reach if conditions get worse or something breaks.

Finally, leave a passage plan ashore with a responsible person: route, crew numbers, expected return time and who to call if you are overdue. Many skippers also register with the free RYA SafeTrx app, which alerts nominated contacts if you are overdue.

Briefing Crew and Passengers

The safety briefing is the skipper's chance to give everyone on board the information they need if things go wrong. On a fast boat it also sets the rules for moving about, seating, and signals.

What a good briefing covers

The diagram below shows a RIB with the key safety items numbered. In a real briefing, point at each item while you explain it: people remember what they saw far better than what they heard over the engine.

A RIB plan view with numbered safety items to point out during a briefing

A complete briefing covers:

Lifejackets. Everyone wears one, fitted and done up, crotch straps on. Show how the inflation works and where the whistle and light are.
Kill cord and engine controls. Show how to stop the engine by pulling the cord, how to start it again, and how to put it in neutral.
Radio. Show the VHF/DSC, the red distress button, and the plotter position. Make sure at least one other person could send a Mayday.
Flares, PLB and grab bag. Where they are and how to use them.
Fire extinguisher, first aid kit and fuel shut-off.
Hand-holds. Where to hold on. The rule is one hand for you, always.
Seating. Where to sit or stand and how to brace (covered in detail in the rough-water lesson). At speed, keep passengers aft of the console, not in the bow.
The engine and propeller. Nobody goes near the stern or the propeller while the engine is running.

Then add:

Signals. Agree hand signals, for example a raised hand meaning "slow down" and a thumbs-up for "I'm OK". On an open boat at speed, people cannot hear you.
Warnings. You will call "turning" or "wave" before you manoeuvre or meet a big sea.
If someone falls in. Shout "man overboard", point and keep pointing, press the MOB button on the plotter.
If the skipper falls in. This is the critical one. Someone must know how to stop the boat, re-attach a spare kill cord, drive back, and call for help on the radio.

Keep the briefing short and practical, but never skip it. A good test: could the least experienced person on board stop the boat and send a Mayday if you were in the water?

Briefing passengers on commercial trips

On a commercial trip (a sea safari, a passenger RIB or a water taxi) the briefing is a legal and insurance requirement, and the MAIB has repeatedly found that passengers did not understand the motion they would experience. Explain clearly that the bow is the roughest place to sit, ask about back problems, pregnancy and other medical conditions, and offer the chance to sit further aft or not to travel at speed.

The Kill Cord

A kill cord (engine stop lanyard) connects the helmsman to a switch on the console. If the helmsman leaves the helm position, the cord pulls the clip off the switch and the engine stops.

Why it matters

If a helmsman is thrown out of a fast boat with no kill cord attached, the boat does not stop. On many boats, the engine torque or a wave turns the helm hard over, and the boat starts to circle at speed, often returning to the people in the water. The diagram below shows the difference.

With the kill cord attached the engine stops; without it the boat circles back over the people in the water

In 2013, a family was thrown from a RIB in the Camel Estuary, Cornwall, when it made a tight turn. The kill cord was not attached, and the circling boat struck them, killing two people and seriously injuring two more. The MAIB investigation into that accident, and others like it, is why the RYA and the MCA put such emphasis on kill cord use.

Rules for using a kill cord

Attach it before you start the engine, round your leg above the knee or to a strong point on your lifejacket that is not part of the inflation system.
Keep the cord short enough to stop the engine if you move away from the helm, but long enough not to trip it accidentally when you reach for something.
Test it at the start of each day.
Change it over whenever the helmsman changes. The new helmsman puts on the cord before taking over.
Carry a spare on board, stored where crew can find it, so the boat can be restarted if you go overboard.
Wireless (electronic) kill cords stop the engine when the fob leaves a set range or goes into the water. Check that each fob is paired, tested and worn by the right person, and know how the system restarts.
Kill cords are especially important when you are working in a confined area, at low speed among swimmers, or at high speed in waves. In other words, always.

Responsibility for the Passage

Legal responsibility

The skipper is responsible for the safety of the boat and everyone on board. In law:

SOLAS Chapter V (Safety of Navigation) applies to all vessels, including pleasure craft. Regulation 34 requires the skipper to plan the passage. For a small boat this means checking the weather, tides, the boat's limitations, the crew's experience and the safety equipment, and having a plan for if things go wrong.
The COLREGs apply to all vessels on the sea. The skipper is responsible for the boat's conduct, even when someone else is at the helm.
On a commercial boat, the skipper must also comply with the vessel's code of practice and certificate, including area limits, passenger numbers and crewing.

Practical responsibility

In practice, responsibility means making decisions early and conservatively:

Go or no-go. You decide whether to go at all. It is far easier to cancel at the dock than to turn back in a building sea with cold, frightened passengers.
Fuel and time. Watch fuel against the rule of thirds and time against daylight. Decide your turn-back point before you leave, and stick to it.
Speed. Set a speed that the crew and the sea state can take. Fast boats are often driven too fast for the conditions because the boat can do it, not because the crew can.
Watch the crew. Seasickness, cold and fear all reduce a crew's ability to help in an emergency.

Crew Management on a Fast Boat

Roles

On a fast open boat with two or three crew, give each person a clear role:

Role	Duties
Helmsman	Drives the boat, wears the kill cord, keeps a lookout ahead and on the bow
Navigator	Follows the passage plan and pilotage notes, calls out headings, times and marks; checks the plotter
Lookout	Watches for other vessels, swimmers, pot buoys and debris; looks astern for following boats and big waves

The skipper may do any of these, but should not try to do all three at once. When the skipper is driving, it is good practice to give navigation to someone else and to keep the skipper's eyes outside the boat.

Communication over noise

At 25 knots on an open boat, wind and engine noise make normal speech difficult. Agree before you leave:

A standard callout pattern: the navigator says "next mark, south cardinal, fine on the port bow, two minutes". The helmsman repeats it back.
Hand signals for slow down, stop, turn and "all OK".
When to stop to talk. If a decision is not urgent, come off the plane, discuss it, then carry on.

Intercom headsets are useful on long passages and in commercial work, but plan for them to fail.

Fatigue, cold and seasickness

Fast boats are exhausting. Even in moderate conditions, crew are bracing against motion continuously, and wind chill on an open boat is severe: at 25 knots in 10°C air, the wind chill feels like about 5°C, and far colder once clothing is wet with spray. Plan for:

Proper clothing: drysuits or full foul-weather gear, gloves, hats and eye protection.
Breaks: stop every hour or so, drink, eat and rotate the helm.
Hydration and food in a dry bag.
Watching for hypothermia, especially among passengers who are sitting still.

Seasickness is often worse on a fast boat at slow speed (when it rolls) than at planing speed. Keep sick crew at the back of the boat, looking at the horizon, and clipped on or close to a hand-hold.

Worked Example: A Night Exercise Briefing

You are the student skipper on a two-day Advanced course. Your instructor asks you to plan a short night passage: 12 nm along the coast to a neighbouring harbour in a 7 m RIB with three crew, leaving at 2030, with sunset at 2015.

Preparation. You check the forecast: southwest 3 to 4, sea state slight, visibility good. High water at the destination is 2140, so you have plenty of depth on arrival. The tidal stream runs east at 1.5 knots until 2200, so the wind is with the tide: no wind-against-tide sea on route. You pre-plan the passage and pilotage on paper (covered in the navigation lesson), and decide to run at 18 knots, a moderate speed for night, giving a passage time of 40 minutes plus 10 minutes for the harbour approach.

Fuel. Consumption is about 20 litres an hour at 18 knots. For one hour, you need 20 litres; with the rule of thirds you need at least 60 litres on board. You have 120 litres.

Briefing. You brief the crew in the dock with the lights on:

Lifejackets on, with lights tested.
Kill cord on you; spare in the console locker. Everyone sees how to restart.
Roles: crew A is navigator with the pilotage card and a red torch; crew B is lookout and watches astern; you drive.
At night, the plotter is dimmed to night mode, and all deck lights are off except the navigation lights.
Signals: a tap on the shoulder means slow down. You will call "slowing" before you throttle back.
Man overboard: shout, point, press MOB, throw the danbuoy and light; nobody goes in after a casualty.

Departure. You leave a passage plan with the instructor ashore (in a real passage, with a responsible person) and set off. On the way, you stop once to swap the navigator and lookout, so everyone keeps their night vision fresh and their concentration up.

Common Mistakes

Treating the course certificate as a commercial qualification. Only an endorsed CoC from the exam allows paid skippering under the MCA codes.
Skipping or shortening the briefing because everyone "has done it before". Brief every time, especially who will stop the boat if you fall in.
Kill cord on the console, not on the helmsman. It only works if it is attached to the person driving.
Not changing the kill cord over when the helm changes.
No plan for darkness. Many trips that were planned as day passages end in the dark because of a late start, a tow or bad weather.
Fuel by guesswork. Know your litres per hour at cruise speed and allow for slower, thirstier running in rough water.
The skipper trying to drive, navigate and look out at the same time. Delegate.
Pushing speed for the boat, not the crew. Slow down for the least robust person on board.

Summary

The Advanced Powerboat course is two days, including a night exercise, and is continuously assessed; it gives a course completion certificate, not a Certificate of Competence.
The Advanced Powerboat exam requires 20 days, 2 as skipper, 400 nm and 12 night hours after the course (30 days and 800 nm without it), an SRC and first aid, and a minimum age of 17.
For commercial use, the CoC needs endorsement: medical (ML5 or ENG1), PPR course, approved first aid, and sometimes sea survival. Check the current MCA code for area limits.
Prepare the boat in a fixed order: hull, engines, fuel (rule of thirds), electrics, safety kit, kill cord.
Brief everyone, point at every item, agree signals, and make sure someone else can stop the boat and call for help if the skipper goes in.
Wear the kill cord, test it daily and change it over with the helm.
The skipper is legally responsible for passage planning (SOLAS V) and for the boat's conduct under the COLREGs.
Give crew clear roles, plan for noise, cold and fatigue, and set a speed the crew can take.

Check Your Understanding

What is the difference between the Advanced Powerboat course completion certificate and the Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence?

Answer: The course completion certificate shows you completed the two-day training course to the instructor's satisfaction; there is no formal exam. The Certificate of Competence is awarded after passing the separate practical exam with an RYA examiner, and it is the only one that can be commercially endorsed.

You have completed the Advanced Powerboat course. What sea time do you need before sitting the exam?

Answer: Within the last 10 years, on a sea-going powerboat: 20 days at sea, 2 days as skipper, 400 miles and 12 night hours. Without the course, the figures are 30 days and 800 miles, with the same 2 days as skipper and 12 night hours.

List the items needed to commercially endorse an Advanced Powerboat CoC.

Answer: A medical fitness certificate (ML5 or ENG1), the RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities online course, a valid approved first aid certificate, and the SRC or higher. Some codes and employers also require Basic Sea Survival.

Why does a boat with no kill cord attached often circle back after the helmsman falls out?

Answer: With nobody holding the wheel, engine torque or a wave pushes the steering hard over. The boat keeps running at speed in a tight circle, which often brings it back over the people in the water, with a high risk of propeller injury.

Give four things to do with a kill cord as a matter of routine.

Answer: Attach it to the helmsman before starting the engine; test it at the start of each day; change it over whenever the helmsman changes; carry a spare that crew can find; and check wireless fobs are paired and worn by the right person.

In your safety briefing, what is the single most important question to ask yourself before leaving?

Answer: Could the least experienced person on board stop the boat, restart it with the spare kill cord, and send a Mayday if I (the skipper) were in the water? If not, brief them until they could.

Which international regulation requires pleasure craft skippers to plan their passage?

Answer: SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 34. It applies to all vessels going to sea, including pleasure craft. For a small boat, it means checking the weather, tides, boat and crew limitations, safety equipment and having a contingency plan.

Your 7 m RIB burns 25 litres an hour at cruising speed. The planned passage is 1 hour 20 minutes each way. How much fuel should you carry using the rule of thirds?

Answer: Out and back is 2 hours 40 minutes, about 67 litres. That is two thirds of the total, so the full amount is about 100 litres. Carry at least 100 litres, and more if rough water will slow you down.

Why should the skipper not drive, navigate and keep a lookout all at once on a fast boat?

Answer: At 25 knots, each task needs full attention. A helmsman looking down at a chart or plotter for 30 seconds covers about 0.2 nm without looking ahead. Delegating navigation and lookout lets the skipper keep their eyes outside and make decisions.