If you are aiming to work on a superyacht, you at least need the RYA Powerboat Level 2 license. However, if you want to better yourself in the powerboat field regardless of your career background, the RYA Powerboat Advanced Course may be for you. In South Africa, Sail and Power SA is an RYA-accredited training school that provides training up to RYA Powerboat Advanced. In this article, let’s familiarise ourselves with the RYA Powerboat Advanced course.
RYA Powerboat Advanced Course in South Africa
The RYA Powerboat Advanced is the ultimate test of your powerboating abilities. This course focuses on effective powerboat handling, seamanship, and navigation per the standards. The Advanced course allows you to drive a powerboat in tidal coastal waters at any time, including nighttime. As an Advanced powerboater, you are expected to chart a course, navigate the vessel effectively in day and night conditions and return to a familiar port at any time required.
If you are a RYA Powerboat Level 2 user aiming for the advanced course, you will have to take a few steps before you can take the course. The Powerboat Level 2 qualification alone is not enough.
The Progression Route to RYA Powerboat Advanced License
If you are a certified RYA Powerboat Level 2 skipper in South Africa, you are not directly qualified to take the RYA Powerboat Advanced. So, how do you get there exactly?
Once you have the RYA Powerboat Level 2 license, you will require navigation and theory knowledge on the Day Skipper level at the minimum. This is a shore-based (classroom) course. Furthermore, this also enables you to acquire the RYA Day Skipper qualification. The course consists of navigation, theory, and practical training.
Once qualified, you can go for the RYA Powerboat Intermediate license. The intermediate course expects you to drive a powerboat like a Level 2 should. Furthermore, it requires you to have navigation knowledge equivalent to RYA Day Skipper theory. If you are confident with your navigation knowledge, you can directly go for the Intermediate course and omit the Day Skipper theory. You are also expected to have a First Aid and VHF/SRC Radio Operator Certificate.
After you acquire your RYA Powerboat Intermediate license, you are ready to take on the RYA Powerboat Advanced course. However, we also recommend you get the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore level of navigation course before you begin. To enrol on an Advanced course, you at least need RYA Powerboat Intermediate with navigation knowledge of Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore level.
What will I learn in the RYA Powerboat Advanced Course?
By the time you make it to the RYA Powerboat Advanced level, you are skilled enough to handle a powerboat in familiar waters. You are even capable of planning a charter and driving a powerboat at night. The advanced course will take these skillsets into account and further teach you about chartering a course into tidal waters at any given time.
In the RYA Powerboat Advanced Course, you will learn
- Preparation for sea;
- Boat handling;
- Planning a passage;
- Understanding your responsibilities as a skipper;
- Pilotage;
- Meteorology;
- Rules of the Road;
- Efficient and effective use of engines;
- Handling emergencies; and last but not least
- Night cruising.
The course lasts for a minimum duration of 2 days, which includes 1 night navigation exercise. You have to be at least 17 years old and meet the prerequisites to enrol on the course.
We recommend you check the RYA website for more information.
Final Thoughts
For any skipper wanting to hone their skipper skills, the RYA Powerboat Advanced course and certification is the ultimate test of your skipping abilities. If you are to compare the certificate with a South African equivalent, it would be the SAMSA Category B Skipper’s License.
But of course, this is not the final skipper qualification. If you want to reach beyond the RYA Powerboat Advanced, there are Yachtmaster courses to accomplish. We will talk about them soon. However, in the next article, we will cover the RYA Powerboat Intermediate first.
Skipper Training SA is an RYA-accredited training institute in South Africa. We provide RYA Powerboat courses up to the Advanced level. Feel free to give us a call if you wish to undertake a course/examination for the RYA Powerboat Advanced certification.