RYA Ocean Theory pack
Yachtmaster ocean online
RYA Ocean yachtmaster online course

Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Online

The Allabroad RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Online course enables you to study at your own pace and gives you the required knowledge to enable you to undertake the required celestial navigation sights during your qualifying Yachtmaster Ocean passage. Absolutely everything you will need is included in your physical study pack and all the lesson and practice sessions are fully online and accessible 24 hours per day. With interactive animations throughout and selectable voice over functionality you can revisit lessons and chose whether to read or listen as per your personal study preferences. You can study at home, at work, on business trips and with the course accessible on ipads you can even study some sections on your commute to work.

The Allabroad Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Online has been running for at least ten years if not more so it is fully tested on hundreds of satisfied and successful Yachtmaster Ocean Students. A portion of Allabroad branched off in 2011 to Navathome when the original founders retired; we run in conjunction together but very much independently. When you book with Allabroad you are receiving full support from Allabroad’s wealth of Ocean Instructors, all who've crossed real oceans. 

To enrol on this course you must already be a competent navigator and have undertaken your Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Theory. Whilst you do not need to be a Yachtmaster Offshore before studying this theory course, you need to be at this level before you undertake the final Yachtmaster Ocean Oral examination, more details further down on the next steps for this.

Delivered and Supported by Allabroad

The online course allows you to set your own pace. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, you can connect and study at a time to suit you. Your study can be done in the comfort of your own home, at work, or even when away on business.

  • The course is run fully online with immediate feedback to questions: there’s no waiting for an instructor to reply to an email or telephone call and certainly no delays in posting your answers for marking. Everything is instant.
  • You will have your own personal Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor who will monitor your progress through the course and provide additional feedback and encouragement. They will reply personally to your emails and will call you to offer support if you request it.
  • The online study course is sent by courier to ensure you receive your study materials promptly.
  • The course take approximately 40 hours to complete and you have six months to complete the course, with an option to extend once for a further six months for a small admin fee of £30.
  • Once you have completed your final exam and received your certificate you will receive two years complimentary access for revision purposes
  • The course is £295 stand alone plus £15 to £45 postage if outside of the UK.

What you will need

  • A calculator 
  • A clear mind for calculations & concepts
  • Rough note paper for your workings out
  • A neat note pad for your final neat notes
  • Lots of cups of tea
  • Some biscuits would be nice too
  • You will certainly need cake for this one

What you will benefit from?

  • Personal study pack will be dispatched from the UK within 24 hours
  • 6 months access to the online course
  • 6 months support from 0900 to 2100 7 days a week
  • 6 months additional access for £30
  • 2 years access to the online training course for revision purposes upon completion of the final exam.

Yachtmaster Ocean

There are three stages to becoming Yachtmaster Ocean qualified

  1. You can take the exam for the shorebased element online or in the classroom. This then gives you your RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Certificate. If you do not hold this certificate at the oral examination stage you will be given an ocean exam paper to do by the examiner. In theory you can self study this level, however if you choose this method do it well since you need the knowledge to undertake the sights using the sextant and preform the calculations on your qualifying passage. If you are aiming to use this certificate in the future for your Master 200GT Unlimited or higher MCA awards, you need to take the final assessment physically so that it can be invigilated.
  2. You must have qualifying passage, have a copy of the ships log for such and have taken the relevant sights. You do not need to pay a RYA Training Centre to undertake this, there are many opportunities as a Yachtmaster Offshore to be a First Mate on such a qualifying trip. Buy a cheap sextant and the current years almanacs and then sell them after the trip to to the next eager student.
  3. You take an Ocean Oral Examination which is half a day with an Ocean Examiner. The Exam fee is currenlty £173 payable to the RYA direct. RYA Training Centres may charge a fee for coordinating the exam for you and the use of their training rooms for the Yachtmaster Ocean Oral Exam. Remember that you must already hold your Yachtmaster Offshore Sail or Yachtmaster Offshore Motor before applying for the Yachtmaster Ocean. You can study the Yachtmaster Ocean Theory and undertake the qualifying passage before being a Yachtmaster Offshore.

Yachtmaster Ocean Qualifying Passage Definition

You were the skipper or mate in sole charge of a watch on a suitable yacht, which meets the following criteria:

  1. You were fully involved with the planning of the passage, including selection of the route, the navigational plan, checking the material condition of the vessel and her equipment, storing with spare gear, water and victuals, and organising the watch-keeping routine.
  2. During the passage, a minimum non-stop distance of 600 miles must have been run by the log, the yacht must have been at sea continuously for a least 96 hours, and the yacht must have been more than 50 miles from land or charted objects capable of being used for navigation/ position fixing, while sailing a distance of at least 200 miles.
  3. To be eligible as an ocean qualifying passage the distance between departure and arrival points by the shortest navigable route must be more than 600nm. More information is available on the RYA Website under  Yachtmaster Ocean and we recommend you read all the criteria fully before you choose a course of action to achieve this level.