Prerequisites
This lesson covers the top of the yacht deck ladder: the MCA Chief Mate (Yachts less than 3000gt), Master (Yachts less than 500gt) and Master (Yachts less than 3000gt) Certificates of Competency. Before starting you should:
- Have read the lessons on Master 200 and on OOW (Yachts), since the Master certificates are built on the OOW.
- Hold, or be working towards, the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased certificate and the Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence, because the MCA requires both (or the IYT equivalent) for Master (Yachts).
- Be confident with the Yachtmaster Ocean celestial navigation, worldwide meteorology and passage planning material, which reappears in the MCA Celestial Navigation examination and the Seamanship and Meteorology module.
- Understand the stability concepts from the Coastal and Offshore courses (GZ curves, free surface, downflooding), which the Master Stability module develops.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Place the Chief Mate and the two Master (Yachts) certificates in the ladder and state what each allows.
- State the sea service for Master (Yachts less than 500gt): 12 months as a deck officer with at least 120 days of watchkeeping on vessels of 15 m or more.
- State the sea service for Master (Yachts less than 3000gt): 24 months with at least 240 days of watchkeeping, including 12 months on vessels of 24 m or more or 6 months on vessels of 500gt or more.
- List the training modules and courses: Seamanship and Meteorology, Stability, Business and Law, Navigation Radar and ARPA simulator, the Celestial Navigation examination, Medical Care, HELM (Management), Advanced Fire Fighting, Medical First Aid and ECDIS, and explain the Yachtmaster Ocean requirement.
- Explain the written examinations: format, pass mark and validity (three years, one year for Celestial Navigation).
- Set out the Master oral syllabus and how it differs from the OOW oral.
- Explain why most candidates take Master 500 on the way to Master 3000.
- Plan the certificates realistically, including the recency and verification rules.
The Top of the Ladder
Above the OOW, the yacht deck ladder has three certificates under STCW Regulation II/2.
| Certificate | Role | Vessels |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Mate (Yachts less than 3000gt) | Second in command, head of the deck department, stability and safety officer | Yachts up to 3000gt |
| Master (Yachts less than 500gt) | Master | Yachts up to 500gt |
| Master (Yachts less than 3000gt) | Master | Yachts up to 3000gt |
Beyond 3000gt the Master (Yachts) Unlimited and Chief Mate (Yachts) Unlimited certificates exist under a separate syllabus, but 3000gt covers almost the entire yacht fleet, which is why the question's "Master 3000" is called the top of the superyacht deck ladder.
The Chief Mate certificate uses the Master (Yachts) modules and sea service rules but without the Master oral; a holder of OOW who completes the Master modules and the Chief Mate requirements can hold Chief Mate while accumulating the watchkeeping service for Master. The shorebased training for Chief Mate includes Medical First Aid, the Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased course and HELM (Management).
Sea Service
Both Master certificates count service from the date the OOW certificate was issued, as a deck officer, on vessels of 15 m or more in load line length.
| Master (Yachts less than 500gt) | Master (Yachts less than 3000gt) | |
|---|---|---|
| Onboard yacht service as deck officer | Minimum 12 months | Minimum 24 months |
| Watchkeeping service | At least 120 days | At least 240 days |
| Vessel size | 15 m or more load line length | 15 m or more load line length, including 12 months on vessels of 24 m or more load line length or 6 months on vessels of 500gt or more |
| Recency | 6 months within the 5 years before application | 6 months within the 5 years before application |
Watchkeeping service means days on which you were in charge of a navigational watch at sea, which must be stated on the testimonial. On a yacht that spends most of the season alongside, 240 watchkeeping days can take several years; this is the real constraint on the Master 3000 timetable. As with the OOW, all large-yacht service is verified by PYA or Nautilus before it goes to the MCA.
A holder of a UK Master II/2 certificate from another route (for example a Master 200 holder converting) or a Chief Mate certificate can also qualify for Master 3000 with 12 months of service while holding that certificate.
Training Modules and Courses
The Master (Yachts) certificates require the following, which the diagram shows with their validity periods.
The written modules
| Module | Content | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Seamanship and Meteorology (Master Yachts) | Heavy weather, emergency action, ship handling, dry docking; watchkeeping, collision regulations and passage planning at Master level; atmospheric stability, air masses, local effects, pressure systems and forecasting; MARPOL; the Code of Safe Working Practices | Written examination |
| Stability (Master Yachts) | Transverse and longitudinal stability, GZ curves and criteria, free surface, damage stability concepts, the stability information book, loading and tank conditions in practice | Written examination |
| Business and Law (Master Yachts) | Civil and criminal law, negligence and duty of care, the UK maritime framework and legislation, accident investigation, onboard record keeping, international law, safety management, certification, documentation, safety requirements and seaworthiness | Written examination |
| Navigation, Radar and ARPA Simulator (Master Yachts) | Radar and ARPA in practice: modes, limitations, sources of error, parallel indexing, collision avoidance on the simulator with the candidate conning | Simulator assessment |
| Celestial Navigation | The MCA-approved celestial navigation examination: sight reduction, position lines, compass checks, time and the almanac | Written examination |
The written module examinations are typically two and a half hours each with a pass mark of 60 per cent, sat at the end of the course or at a later sitting. Module passes are valid for three years when used towards a certificate; the Celestial Navigation pass is valid for one year only. All the written passes except Celestial Navigation must be held before the MCA issues the Notice of Eligibility, which is why candidates schedule the modules in the last three years before the application and Celestial Navigation in the last year.
The other requirements
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased and practical certificates, commercially endorsed, or the IYT Master of Yachts 200 tonnes (Unlimited). The Ocean qualifying passage and oral are therefore on the critical path for Master (Yachts).
- Advanced Fire Fighting and Medical First Aid (waived if already held for Chief Mate).
- Proficiency in Medical Care Aboard Ship, the STCW A-VI/4-2 course that trains the officer responsible for medical care on a vessel beyond the reach of a doctor; it is valid for five years and updating is required for unlimited-area operation.
- HELM (Management): the management-level Human Element Leadership and Management course, if not already submitted for Chief Mate.
- ECDIS, if not already submitted.
- The STCW basic safety and PSCRB certificates, with five-yearly updating where required.
- ENG1.
The Master Oral
With the Notice of Eligibility issued, the candidate sits the Master (Yachts less than 500gt) or Master (Yachts less than 3000gt) oral with an MCA examiner. The published syllabus for Master 500 has four sections, shown below; the 3000gt syllabus covers the same ground in three sections at greater depth and with specific reference to the documentation required for a vessel under 3000gt.
Navigation
- Plan and conduct safe navigation: voyage planning in restricted waters, in all weathers and in restricted visibility; ship reporting systems; electronic chart limitations; port radio services; buoyage.
- Establish and maintain safe watchkeeping arrangements: the principles of watchkeeping at sea, under pilotage, at anchor and in port, as master rather than as watchkeeper; the collision regulations; the principles of a safe engineering watch.
- Compasses: types, variation and deviation, siting, the purpose of correctors.
- Ship manoeuvring and the operation of small ship power plant: anchoring, berthing and unberthing, the factors affecting safe handling, and the power plant from the master's point of view.
Response to emergencies
- Navigational emergencies: disabled vessels, abandoning ship, collision and grounding, towing, emergency steering, search and rescue, the IAMSAR manual, GMDSS.
- Other emergencies: fire prevention and fighting, survival craft management and drills, loss of buoyancy, passenger safety, emergencies in port, medical information sources. The 3000gt syllabus adds damage control and its effect on stability, the operation, maintenance and testing of lifesaving appliances, and helicopter operations.
Onboard ship operation
- Pollution prevention: MARPOL including special areas, the SOPEP manual and the master's recording obligations.
- Seaworthiness: heavy weather management, watertight integrity, dry docking, stability and trim.
- The 3000gt syllabus adds crew management including discipline, and stowaways.
Legislative requirements
Merchant Shipping Notices; health and safety legislation; IMO conventions; crew documentation; MAIB reports and their lessons; load line requirements; lifesaving appliances; hours of work; pilotage obligations; the ISM Code; flag and port state control; the ISPS Code; the documentation required for the vessel.
The shift from the OOW oral is from doing to deciding. The examiner asks what you, as master, would decide, authorise, record and be answerable for: whether to sail in the forecast conditions, how to manage a crew member's injury 400 miles from port, what to do when port state control boards, how to handle a stowaway, what the SOPEP requires you to record after a small spill, and whether the vessel's documents are in order to sail.
Why Master 500 First
Most candidates with the OOW aim at Master 3000 but take Master 500 on the way, for three reasons:
- Service. Master 500 needs 12 months and 120 watchkeeping days; Master 3000 needs 24 months and 240 days with the larger-vessel condition. A candidate reaches the 500gt threshold a year or two earlier.
- Module validity. The written module passes last three years. A candidate who passes the modules, then waits for 240 watchkeeping days, may find them expiring. Taking Master 500 banks the modules in a certificate; the MCA itself advises candidates to obtain Master 500 for this reason.
- Employment. A Master 500 can take command of the large majority of yachts (the 499gt fleet) while building service for 3000.
The route is therefore commonly OOW, then the Master modules, Celestial Navigation, Medical Care and HELM (Management), then Master 500 oral, then service, then Celestial Navigation again if it has expired, then the Master 3000 oral.
Worked Example: Planning Master 500 and 3000
Carla holds an OOW (Yachts less than 3000gt), issued in January of year 0, and the Yachtmaster Ocean with an endorsement. She is second officer, then chief officer, on a 55 m motor yacht of 780gt and 48 m load line length.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Year 0 to 1 | 13 months aboard as deck officer; 150 watchkeeping days logged and signed by the master; PYA Service Record Book kept up to date |
| Year 1, winter | Seamanship and Meteorology, Stability, Business and Law, Navigation Radar and ARPA simulator; all passed |
| Year 2, spring | Celestial Navigation examination passed; Medical Care, HELM (Management) |
| Year 2, May | Service verified by PYA (13 months, 150 watchkeeping days: exceeds 12 months and 120 days); NoE for Master 500 |
| Year 2, July | Passes Master (Yachts less than 500gt) oral; now Master 500 and Chief Mate 3000 in effect |
| Years 2 to 4 | Continues as chief officer; by year 4 has 36 months as deck officer with 290 watchkeeping days, all on a vessel over 24 m and over 500gt |
| Year 4, spring | Celestial Navigation retaken (the year 2 pass expired after one year); the other modules are still within three years of the Master 500 certificate issue and were banked by it |
| Year 4, summer | NoE for Master 3000; passes the Master (Yachts less than 3000gt) oral |
Four and a half years from OOW to Master 3000 is quick, and only possible because the yacht sails a great deal. A yacht that spends nine months alongside each year might double the time.
Common Mistakes
- Letting the modules expire. Three years from pass to certificate; take Master 500 to bank them.
- Forgetting Celestial Navigation's one-year validity when the Master 3000 oral is delayed.
- Thin watchkeeping evidence. Testimonials must state watchkeeping days explicitly; "served as officer" is not enough.
- Service on vessels under 15 m or, for Master 3000, failing the 12 months on 24 m or more (or 6 months on 500gt or more) condition.
- Not holding the Yachtmaster Ocean. The MCA requires both the Ocean shorebased and the Ocean practical certificate; a candidate without a qualifying ocean passage cannot proceed.
- Preparing for the Master oral as if it were the OOW oral. The questions are about command decisions, documentation and law.
- Ignoring Medical Care updating for unlimited-area operation.
- Unverified service, as at every level.
Summary
- Above OOW sit Chief Mate (Yachts less than 3000gt), Master (Yachts less than 500gt) and Master (Yachts less than 3000gt), all under STCW II/2 and MSN 1858 (Amendment 1).
- Master 500: 12 months as a deck officer with at least 120 watchkeeping days on vessels of 15 m or more; Master 3000: 24 months with at least 240 watchkeeping days, including 12 months on vessels of 24 m or more or 6 months on vessels of 500gt or more; six months within the last five years; service counted from the OOW issue date and verified by PYA or Nautilus.
- Modules: Seamanship and Meteorology, Stability, Business and Law, Navigation Radar and ARPA simulator (written passes valid three years), the Celestial Navigation examination (valid one year), Medical Care (five years), HELM (Management), ECDIS, Advanced Fire Fighting, Medical First Aid; plus the commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased and practical.
- Written examinations are typically two and a half hours with a 60 per cent pass mark.
- The Master oral covers navigation, response to emergencies, onboard ship operation and legislative requirements from the master's point of view: deciding, authorising, recording and answering for the vessel.
- Take Master 500 first: earlier service threshold, banks the modules, and commands most of the fleet.
Check Your Understanding
- State the sea service for Master (Yachts less than 500gt).
Answer: A minimum of 12 months of onboard yacht service as a deck officer, including at least 120 days of watchkeeping service, on vessels of 15 m or more in load line length, counted from the issue of the OOW certificate, with at least six months within the five years before the application.
- What additional vessel-size condition applies to Master (Yachts less than 3000gt)?
Answer: Of the 24 months, at least 12 months must be on vessels of 24 m or more in load line length, or 6 months on vessels of 500gt or more.
- Name the four Master (Yachts) training modules and the separate examination that accompanies them.
Answer: Seamanship and Meteorology, Stability, Business and Law, and Navigation Radar and ARPA Simulator, plus the MCA Celestial Navigation examination.
- How long are module passes valid, and what is the exception?
Answer: Three years; the Celestial Navigation pass is valid for one year only.
- Why does the MCA advise candidates aiming at Master 3000 to obtain Master 500 first?
Answer: Because module passes are valid for only three years and the 240 watchkeeping days for Master 3000 can take longer than that to accumulate; Master 500, with its 12-month and 120-day requirement, banks the modules in a certificate.
- What RYA certificates does the MCA require for Master (Yachts), and what is the alternative?
Answer: The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased and practical certificates, commercially endorsed, or the IYT Master of Yachts 200 tonnes (Unlimited) certificate.
- Which medical course distinguishes the Master certificates from the OOW, and how long is it valid?
Answer: Proficiency in Medical Care Aboard Ship, valid five years, with updating required for unlimited-area operation.
- Give three topics in the "legislative requirements" section of the Master oral.
Answer: Any three of: Merchant Shipping Notices; health and safety legislation; IMO conventions; crew documentation; MAIB reports; load line requirements; lifesaving appliances; hours of work; pilotage obligations; the ISM Code; flag and port state control; the ISPS Code; the vessel's documentation.
- A chief officer has 20 months as a deck officer on a 30 m yacht of 190gt with 200 watchkeeping days, and 10 months on a 22 m yacht with 60 watchkeeping days. Does he qualify for Master 3000?
Answer: Not yet. He has 30 months and 260 watchkeeping days (both sufficient), and 20 months on a vessel over 24 m load line length (sufficient), but the 22 m yacht's service counts only if it is 15 m or more load line length, which it is; the totals are met. He qualifies provided at least six months is within the last five years and the service is verified. (If the question intended the 22 m yacht to be under 15 m load line length, its service would not count, leaving 20 months and 200 days, short of 24 and 240.)
- What is the fundamental difference in what the Master oral tests compared with the OOW oral?
Answer: The OOW oral tests the ability to keep a safe watch and respond correctly; the Master oral tests command: the decisions, authorisations, records and legal responsibilities of the person in charge of the vessel.
Sources and Further Reading
- HSS: requirements for Master (Yachts) less than 500gt or 3000gt: sea service, modules, validity.
- Edumaritime: MCA Master Yachts requirements: the 12/120 and 24/240 figures and the advice to take Master 500 first.
- gov.uk: certification for deck officers on commercial and private yachts: conversion routes, IAMI written examinations, module validity, Medical Care.
- MCA oral syllabus: Master (yachts less than 500gt) and Master (yachts less than 3000gt).
- Bluewater: MCA Masters courses and UKSA: Business and Law (Master Yachts): module content and examination format.
- MSN 1858 Amendment 1.
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean exam: the RYA certificate the MCA requires.