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RYA/MCA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence

Prep Course & Exam

 3 day course £460*

*plus £221 exam fee payable to the RYA

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The RYA/MCA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence exam is conducted during an extra day built onto the Advanced Powerboat Course and examined by an external examiner.

It is a practical test of skippering ability by day and night in the type of craft applicable to the National Powerboat Scheme

RYA Advanced powerboat students training in wet weather

Course syllabus includes:

  • Preparation for sea

  • Boat Handling, including different hull forms, towing, trim tabs

  • Awareness of the effects of wind & tide when manoeuvring, including man overboard

  • Responsibilities of the skipper, including emergency & distress situations

  • Passage making & pilotage, including GPS & radar

  • Meteorology

  • Rules of the road, including IRPCS & identifying vessels by day or night

  • Safety, including fire fighting, hull damage, towing, flares, man overboard

  • Preparation for sea

    • Preparation of vessel

    • Safety brief

    • Stowing and securing gear for coastal passages

    • Engine operations and routine checks, fuel systems, kill cord

    • Fuel system, bleeding, changing filters and impellers

    Boat Handling

    • Hull forms and their handling characteristics, propeller configurations

    • Knowledge of action to be taken in rough weather

    • Significance of tidal stream on sea conditions

    • Steering and power control through waves

    • Understanding and correct use of power trim and tabs

    • Towing under open-sea conditions and in confined areas

    • Strategy up and downwind and in heavy weather

    Awareness of the effects of wind and tide when manoeuvring, including:

    • Steering to transits and in bouyed channels

    • Turning in a confined space

    • All berthing and un-berthing

    • Picking up and leaving a mooring buoy 

    • Anchoring

    • Recovery of man overboard

    • Awareness of ground speed and ability to hold the boat on station

    Responsibilities of Skipper

    • Skippering the vessel with effective crew communication

    • Preparing the vessel for sea and for adverse weather

    • Tactics for heavy weather and restricted visibility

    • Emergency and distress situations

    • Customs procedures

    • Courtesy to other water users

    Passage making and Pilotage

    Your chart work and theory knowledge should include:

    • Charts, navigational publications and sources of navigational information

    • Chart work, including position fixing and shaping course to allow for tide 

    • Tidal heights and depths

    • Buoyage and visual aids to navigation

    • Instruments, including compasses, logs, echo sounders, radio navigation aids and chartwork instruments

    • Passage planning and navigational tactics

    • Understanding the importance of pre-planning

    • Planing-speed navigation, pre-panning and execution

    • Use of eectronic navigation (GPS & Radar)

    • Pilotage techniques and plan for entry into or departure from harbour

    • Use of leading and clearing lines, transits and soundings as aids to pilotage 

    • Navigational records

    • Limits of navigational accuracy and margins of safety

    • Lee shore dangers

    You should be able to enter and depart from a charted port by day or night. Your examiner will give you a pilotage exercise and ask you to explain your planning. You will need to be aware of the problems of collision avoidance and how to determine your position by night. 

    Meteorology

    You should be able to use weather and tidal information to predict likely sea conditions and make passage planning decisions.

    • Definition of terms including the Beaufort scale, and their significance to small craft 

    • Sources of weather forecasts

    • Weather systems and local weather effects

    • Interpretation of weather forecasts, barometric trends and visible phenomena 

    • Ability to make passage planning decisions based on forecast information

    Rules of the Road

    You should be able to apply the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. You should be able to identify vessels by day or night.

    Safety

    Candidates will be expected to know what safety equipment should be carried on board the vessel, based either on the recommendations on the RYA website or the Codes of Practice for the Safety of Small Commercial Vessels. In particular, candidates must know the responsibilities of a skipper in relation to: 

    • Fire Prevention and fighting

    • Hull damage/watertight integrity

    • Medical emergency

    • Towing and being towed

    • VHF emergency procedure

    • Explanation of helicopter rescue procedures

    • Use of flares

    • Man overboard - recover methods and associated hazards

    • Sector search 

    • Lifejackets

    • Liferafts

    • Documented minimum sea time completed on a seagoing powerboat in the last 10 years:

      • 30 days at sea, which may be reduced to 20 days at sea if an RYA Advanced Powerboat course completion certificate is held. 

      • 2 days as skipper

      • 800 miles, which may be reduced to 400 miles if an RYA Advanced Powerboat course completion certificate is held

      • 12 night hours

    • Knowledge to the level of Yachtmaster Offshore Theory

    • A GMDSS compliant Marine Radio Operators Certificate such as the RYA Short Range Certificate or higher.

    • An RYA First Aid Certificate or STCW First Aid Certificate

    • Advanced Powerboat course completion card ONLY IF claiming reduced seatime detailed above

    • Photographic ID card or document, such as passport or driving license. 

    • 2 days instruction on Maverick, our Humber Ocean Pro 6.8 

    • Plus 1 Day hire of Maverick for the Advanced Exam

    • Fuel

    • Use of lifejackets and wet weather gear

    What To bring with you:

    • Any medication you need

    • Cash/Card for lunch and evening meals

    • Exam application form (if paid exam fee through RYA website)

  • Any medication you need

    Cash/Card for lunch and evening meals

    Exam application form (if exam fee paid through RYA website)

    Lifejackets and wet weather gear (excluding shoes/boots) are provided  for all of our practical courses. However you are more than welcome to bring your own. Please bring clothing relevant to the time of year – this should include some or all of the following: waterproof clothing, waterproof  boots/shoes, hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun cream. We don’t expect your clothes to get wet but it's always worth bringing a spare change of clothes just in case. All powerboat courses are non-residential.

    Remember to bring all certificates needed if completing a CoC. If you are unsure what to bring, please contact us.

  • Read about ‘Maverick’, our Humber Ocean 6.8 RIB

  • The course starts at 9am unless otherwise specified. Part of the Advanced Powerboat course will require a night navigation exercise which will normally be conducted on night one. The duration of the night passage is normally between 2.5 and 3 hours.

  • The basic Powerboat 2 course will start and finish at Rhu Marina, taking in the sights and sounds of the River Clyde, the Gareloch and Loch Long, visiting places such as the Gantocks, Holy Loch Marina, and James Watt Dock. The Intermediate and Advanced powerboat courses go further afield to more challenging waters such as the Kyles of Bute and the upper River Clyde to practise vital skills such as pilotage, and electronic navigation. We chose Rhu Marina as our base because of its location and easy access to the Clyde and because of the endless possibilities for teaching in all weather conditions.

  • YES. powerboating is inherently safe when practised correctly - which You & Sea RYA Training Courses always are. Be assured you will be supervised and supported by a competent and professional Skipper or instructor who is RYA qualified. We recognise that some customers, particularly those new to boating, may be apprehensive about going to sea in a small vessel like this. So one of our main aims is to allay those fears and instil confidence - all our courses include a thorough introductory explanation and safety briefing - but we find that the best way to alleviate concerns is to actually go out on the water, get on with the course, and start to enjoy yourself. Our instructors pay close attention to the weather forecasts and will never go out in conditions that are unsafe. Our powerboat is subject to very stringent safety & equipment requirements with regular inspections administered by both the RYA and MCA (Maritime & Coastguard Agency). This also applies to our safety management systems and standard operating procedures - the safety and comfort of our customers is paramount.

  • There is plenty of free parking available outside our office. Please note, this area is a working yard and we would kindly ask you to be considerate about where you park your vehicle. If you are unsure where to park, please ask us when you arrive.

  • Light refreshments are included (tea/coffee/biscuits). You are welcome to bring your own packed lunch. There are places nearby where you can buy sandwiches etc

  • If you anticipate that you are going to be late for a course then phone 01436 640303 or 07732 518858 at the earliest opportunity to let the instructor know.

EMPLOYERS - Looking to book a course for an employee? Don’t use the booking links below - please click here, and submit the completed form.

We will book in your employee(s) and send you an invoice direct