Yachtmaster Xpress
The RYA Training Scheme is structured as a ladder with the first rungs being the beginner courses of Start Yachting; Basic Navigation & Safety and Competent Crew.
Once on the ladder, you then climb the higher rungs of the Intermediate and Advanced courses reaching the upper level of the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence.
The Miramar “Yachtmaster Xpress” is an intense Sail Training package that takes you from the lower rung of Competent Crew to the pinnacle of Yachtmaster Offshore in just 12 weeks. 10 weeks of which are spent cruising the glorious waters of the Caribbean Sea. True “Blue Water Sailing” at its best.
Your only shore based courses are in weeks 2 (Day Skipper Theory) and 4 (Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore Theory). Thereafter, in week 5, you set off on a superb Caribbean Cruise with a series of day and night passages that sweep you south past the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Bequia, Canuoan, Tobago Keys, Union Island, Carriacou and finally Grenada. Each of these islands offers its own unique blend of landscape and culture with fantastic sailing unmatched anywhere in the world.
By week 6 you will have received the training and experience required to take your Coastal Skipper Practical Tidal course in the Grenadines.
You are now 6 weeks in, with 6 more to go!
In week 7, you remain in the Grenadines to build more miles in tidal waters. Week 8 is spent in preparation for the Yachtmaster exam. If you have joined “Yachtmaster Xpress” for the entire package, there is no need to take the exam at the end of this week as you will be taking it in week 12. The exam in week 8 is for those students who do not intend to progress to the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence on this package.
In week 9 there is more mile building in the tidal waters of the Grenadines before heading back to Antigua in week 10 on an intense week long cruise to build more miles and experience.
Once back in Antigua, week 11 is another intense week of sailing around the islands, building more miles and experience, to bring you up to the level where you are ready for your RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore preparation and exam in week 12. This is when you finally achieve your goal.
At some stage leading up to the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore Certificates of Competence you will need to have acquired your Restricted VHF Radio Operator’s Certificate as well as your First Aid Certificate. If you do not already possess these, we can make arrangements for these courses to be taken before examination.
It must be stressed that in the field of sailing one never stops learning. Every passage presents new challenges and variables that it is impossible to teach. The achievement of your Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate is a major step forward, but it is just the beginning of your sailing career for which you will have been well prepared to embark on a lifetime of more experience and learning.