Entry & progression
Governing: RYA Intermediate, Advanced course and Advanced exam pages. Builds on: Tender Driving: Powerboat Level 1 and 2. Parallel: Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore Theory.
Three steps
| Step | Duration | Minimum age | Expected on entry | Aim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate course | 2 days | 16 | PB2 standard; first aid, SRC and Day Skipper theory strongly recommended | A short coastal passage by day |
| Advanced course | 2 days, at least 1 night exercise | 17 | Intermediate standard; chartwork to Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased level | Planing boat by day and night in tidal coastal waters |
| Advanced exam (CoC) | 4-5 h for 1 candidate | 17 at the exam | See below | Practical test of skippering by day and night |
The courses are training; the exam is the qualification. You can go straight to the exam if your experience and knowledge are there, but the course certificate reduces the sea-time requirement.
Exam prerequisites (RYA exam page)
- Age: 17 at the time of the exam.
- Sea time: 30 days at sea, or 20 with an Advanced course completion certificate.
- As skipper: 2 days.
- Distance: 800 miles, or 400 with the Advanced course certificate.
- Night hours: 12.
- Radio: SRC or higher GMDSS certificate.
- First aid: a valid first aid certificate acceptable to the RYA.
The RYA refers candidates to its powerboat logbook (G20) and applies a ten-year window to experience. Log every day properly: date, boat, area, miles, hours of night, and whether you were skipper.
CAUTION — Check before you book RYA prerequisites and exam arrangements change. Read the current exam page and logbook, not a training centre's summary or this course.
Exam format
The RYA describes the exam as a practical test of skippering ability by day and night, with knowledge expected at Yachtmaster Offshore theory level. Durations: 4-5 hours for one candidate, 5-6 for two, 6-7 for three; a maximum of three candidates. Lesson 4.1 covers what that means in practice.
Commercial endorsement
Only the Certificate of Competence can be commercially endorsed. The endorsement requirements are the same as for PB2: medical (ML5 or ENG1), sea survival (Basic Sea Survival or STCW PST), SRC, and the PPR course. See Commercial Endorsement.
Endorsed, the RYA says it covers commercial vessels up to 24 m in area categories 3 to 6: up to 20 miles from a safe haven. The Workboat Code Edition 3 also makes an Advanced certificate the minimum for any towing or high-speed operation (Note F; high speed is 20 knots or more) and for restricted category 3 operation outside daylight.
Why a yacht wants it
A PB2 driver is framed for daylight, fine weather and 3 miles. Yachts ask more of their tenders than that: night returns from restaurants, transfers between islands, 30-knot chase boats following a 50 m yacht on passage. None of those fit PB2. The Advanced CoC is the powerboat ticket that does, short of the motor-cruising Yachtmaster route.
TIP — Build the log on the job Chase-boat passages and night returns count as sea time if logged properly and signed off. Ask the captain to verify as you go, not in a rush the week before the exam.