MCA
DECK RATING CERTIFICATE FOR YACHTS
(4 Week International Career Crew Training) |
 
COURSE
OVERVIEW
 | With
the implementation of MGN 270 the MCA has addressed a long-standing need for a
mega-yacht specific deck qualification at the basic level. As their careers progress,
professional yachtsmen with experience are well catered for within the structure
from Yachtmaster Limited through Officer of the Watch to Chief Mate and the Master
tickets at the 500 and 3 000 ton levels. Beginners, however, have had no option
but to gain the leisure orientated qualifications from the Yachtmaster structure
which is much more relevant to small boats. | 
Whatever
the fancy label attached to theses qualifications, they remain very, very basic
day skipper tickets issued to candidates whose depth of experience is severely
limited and cannot, in all honesty really call themselves "Yachtmaster Coastal",
"Day Skipper", "Master of Yachts, Coastal" or whatever else
the marketing boffins can dream up. The best training in the world won't change
the fact that a person with no mega-yacht experience will enter the industry as
a deckhand and work their way up from there. This simple fact is of course true
of pretty much any career anywhere.
|  | With
only MCA approved small boat day skipper qualifications available to them, new
entrants to the profession have been required to demonstrate their ability as
skipper of a sailing vessel less than 40 feet, the ability to navigate and a whole
host of other skills irrelevant to the deck hand of a large yacht. Mastering these
skills from scratch in order to get the qualification is a big ask after only
a few weeks of training and the process is made especially frustrating by the
fact that, once employed as a deck hand, the only skill of immediate importance
is the ability to clean and polish.
|
It will be some while before a new "Deckie"
is allowed to skipper anything and then
only the rubber duck under supervision!
This is a good thing because it is the best
way to gain the all-important experience
which is the element conspicuously absent
from most training.
The MCA Deck Rating Certificate
for Yachts says it like it is: you are a beginner in the profession and have been
trained in matters directly relevant to the vessel on which you are employed.
Satisfying the requirements for the award of this certificate can be achieved
in two ways:
| •
| Completion
of the prescribed MCA Task Book and six months sea time on a vessel over 15m in
length. | | •
| Satisfactory
completion of a training course at an MCA approved Training Provider and two months
sea time on a vessel over 15 m. |
Application
is then made to the MCA and the certificate is issued.
|  | We
at Professional Yachtmaster Training are
pleased to advise that, our four-week basic
career training course for the mega yacht
industry includes the MCA Deck Rating Course.
We are confident this will ensure that our
graduates are even better prepared to meet
the needs of the industry.
COURSE
STRUCTURE
The course structure consists of four one-week
modules in no particular order. |  | MODULE
ONE:
One week is spent on compulsory safety training according to the requirements
of the International Maritime Organisation's "Standards of Training for Certification
in Watchkeeping" (STCW '95) syllabus. This training is a non-negotiable requirement
for all crew on a properly licensed vessel and comprises First Aid, Fire Fighting,
Personal Safety and Sea Survival.
MODULE
TWO:
Students should now be able to make themselves
useful onboard a small yacht anywhere in
the world. It's now time for the ladies
and gents to go their seperate ways for
the next week. Prospective deck crew will
progress to the skills required on larger
vessels while prospective Stewardesses will
learn the skills required in the hospitality
department onboard a super yacht. |  |
A typical day starts at 08h30 with lectures until about
11h00. Thereafter practical sailing offshore Durban until 16h30 when the instruction
ends with a daily debrief and cleanup of the boat.
Refreshments
at the yacht club overlooking the marina are the next priority after a long day
outdoors. Students have a chance to chat to newfound friends, network with other
sailors and reflect on the day's adventure. Topics
covered during this week include: |  | | THEORY: | PRACTICAL: | | Basic
sailing | Sail
handling | | Introduction
to navigation | Helming
| | The
rules of the road | General
crew drills | | Simple
weather forecasting |
Points of sailing | | Customs
and etiquette | Anchoring | | The
language of sailing | Knots
and ropework |
| MODULE
THREE:
Deck crew students follow the curriculum of the MCA approved
Yacht Rating Course. This shore-based module leads to the issue initially of a
course completion certificate and, after one month's sea service, the MCA Yacht
Rating Certificate.
YACHT RATING COURSE:
| Steering
and helm orders | Keeping
a proper lookout and lookout duties | | Emergency
duties | Knots
bends & hitches | | Ropework | MCA
Code of Safe Working Practices | | Engine
watchkeeping | Prevention
of pollution |
STEWARDESS
COURSE:
| Money
management and budgeting | Mixology
and wine appreciation | | Menu
planning | Table
setting and napkin folding | | Laundry/cleaning
of vessel | Presentation
of meals and garnishes | | Preparation
of vessel for charter | Cleaning | | Etiquette
and PR | Flower
arranging |
MODULE
FOUR:
This module consists of the MCA approved Small Power Boat &
RIB Master Course, theory and practical,
which is followed by theory and practical
exams leading, for successful candidates,
to the issue of a RIB Master licence which
enables one to legally drive a tender. This
certificate will greatly assist you in your
job seeking overseas.
| THEORY: | PRACTICAL: | | Ship's
lights at night | Twin-screw
motor launch instruction | | Basic
coastal navigation |
Pilotage | | Collision
Regulations | |
FAREWELL
Finally,
advice and tips on job seeking, in the industry.
It's
always something of a wrench to say goodbye to the great friends made in the previous
month but we'll all meet again somewhere: the yachting world is a small one indeed.
The new doors that have now opened up make everyone's future a very exciting prospect.
COSTS FOR 2010:
28
Day Career Crew Training Course -
R 14 000.00 per person for the 28 days.
50%
Non-refundable deposit is needed in order to book and confirm your place and the
balance of the payment may be made on arrival. Please remember to book in advance as space is limited.
All
books, course notes etc are included in
the price but the students food, drink and
extra's are for their own account
Prices
are subject to change but students will
be informed of any changes prior to booking.
We
reserve the right to rearrange the set out of the individual modules, which will
take place according to weather patterns
A
minimum of four people is needed in order
to run a course
REGISTER
NOW… |
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Proud
to be an
SA World Class Academy
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Welcome
to Professional Yachtmaster Training (PYT)
in Durban, South Africa - one of the world's
leading megayacht academies and the only
one in the Southern Hemisphere directly recognized
by the MCA. PYT provides MCA recognized
courses from beginner up to Master level,
and our graduates are in demand worldwide.
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| | Courses
get booked
far in advance, so
and
go, go, go!
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