Yachtmaster Coastal is the first of the RYA's formal Certificates of Competence: a practical exam with an independent assessor, not a taught week of coaching. You skipper a cruising yacht in tidal waters while the examiner watches how you plan, pilot, handle the boat and look after your crew. Passing means you have demonstrated the standard to skipper coastal cruises, not that you attended another syllabus course.
Most candidates arrive after Coastal Skipper training and a fat logbook. The exam itself runs six to ten hours for a single candidate, longer if you share the day with another skipper. Briefings feel formal. Manoeuvres feel scrutinised. A defer is feedback, not a failure, and many successful Yachtmasters deferred once.
Sea time rules are strict: 30 days aboard, two as skipper, 800 miles and 12 night hours, with reductions if you already hold Coastal Skipper practical. At least half your time should be in tidal waters. Book prep time before the exam if you want a warm-up passage rather than cold nerves on the pontoon.
Yachtmaster Coastal is a practical exam with an RYA/MCA examiner, not a taught course.
Quick answers about this qualification. For anything else, use live chat or browse bookable activities below.
Find activitiesIt is an RYA Certificate of Competence awarded after a practical exam with an independent examiner. You demonstrate coastal skippering skills on a cruising yacht, including pilotage, boat handling and crew management, without an instructor coaching you through the day.
It sits below Yachtmaster Offshore in the scheme but above course certificates such as Coastal Skipper.
You need substantial logged sea time: typically 30 days, two as skipper, 800 miles and 12 night hours, reduced if you hold Coastal Skipper. At least half your time must be in tidal waters on vessels under 24 metres.
Leave a comment when you book with your logbook totals. Centres will tell you honestly if you are short on miles or night hours.
Plan for a full day afloat: six to ten hours solo or eight to fourteen hours with two candidates sharing. Briefing, manoeuvres, passage work and debrief all sit inside that window.
Prep courses of two or three days beforehand are optional but help if your last skippering was months ago.
A defer means you are close but not consistently at the standard yet. The examiner explains what to practise, often specific manoeuvres or navigation habits, and you rebook when ready.
Many good skippers defer once. Treat it as targeted feedback rather than a verdict on your sailing career.
You do not have to hold Coastal Skipper to sit the exam, but you do need the same theory standard and sea time. Most candidates complete Coastal Skipper because it reduces the required miles and nights.
Arriving straight from Day Skipper without miles is unwise. Examiners expect real skippering experience.
Your logbook, certificates, sailing kit for a long day and any prep notes your centre sent. Soft shoes, waterproofs and lunch unless the school provides it.
Bring spectacles if you need them for chartwork. Examiners notice when you squint at the plotter.
You can skipper coastal voyages with a recognised qualification and work toward commercial endorsement if that is your goal. Many sailors next build miles for Yachtmaster Offshore.
Charter companies and insurance brokers often ask for Yachtmaster when you hire larger yachts abroad.
Seventeen on the day of the exam. Commercial endorsement routes may require you to be older depending on the vessel and operation.
Ask your centre about age limits for insurance on the exam yacht if you are booking in your late teens.
Theory is examined practically: you plot, interpret tides, answer IRPCS questions and explain weather decisions while skippering. There is no separate classroom paper on exam day.
Revise Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased topics before you arrive. Rusty chartwork shows quickly.
Yes. Two candidates often examine together, taking turns as skipper. The day runs longer but costs less per person.
Leave a comment when you book if you want a shared exam date or prefer to examine alone.
adventuro lists RYA training centres that schedule Yachtmaster Coastal exams and optional prep weeks on the Solent, in Scotland, Ireland and further afield.
Compare whether boat hire, examiner fee and prep days are bundled. Read reviews for how centres support defer candidates.
From £ 999
Surrey, East and West Sussex, United Kingdom
From £ 399
Hampshire and Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
From € 1795
Cataluña (Catalonia), Spain
From € 425
Cataluña (Catalonia), Spain