Entry & progression
Certificate: MCA Master (Code Vessels) <200 GT — the entry command CoC (STCW II/2), built on the RYA Yachtmaster qualification. Assessment: an online written Part A knowledge test plus the MCA oral examination (MSN 1858). Entry: RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (limited to 150 nm) or Yachtmaster Ocean (unlimited area), commercially endorsed. Qualifying service: 6 months actual sea service while holding the Yachtmaster CoC (or 3 months on vessels 15-24 m / under 200 GT). Ancillaries: STCW basic safety, GMDSS ROC or GOC, HELM Operational, ENG1; MCA-approved ECDIS is optional. Grants command of commercially coded yachts of less than 200 GT; progresses to OOW (Yachts) <3000 GT and Master (Yachts) <500 GT.
Position and passage
The Master fixes the vessel's position by chartwork — compass and radar bearings, transits, and GNSS cross-checked against visual marks and the echo sounder — and works up the dead-reckoning and estimated position between fixes, allowing for the tidal stream and leeway. Every passage is planned through the appraisal-plan-execute-monitor cycle: the track is laid off with the tidal heights and streams, the no-go areas and clearing bearings marked, and a weather plan made for the whole intended time at sea. The vessel may be small, but the discipline is that of any professional passage.
- Fix position by more than one means; never rely on GNSS alone.
- Work the tidal height and stream from the tables and the chart's tidal diamonds.
- Plan with charts, the almanac, tide tables, pilot books and up-to-date notices.
- Monitor progress against the plan and act early if the vessel is set off track.
Tidal awareness in command
A small vessel meets the same tides, traffic and weather as a large ship, but with less margin — a shallower draught can be an advantage, but wind and sea affect her more. The Master must know the height of tide for entering and leaving harbour, the tidal gates on the route, and the effect of wind-over-tide on the sea state, and must build all of these into the plan before departure rather than discovering them at sea.
WARNING — Small vessel, same sea, less margin A vessel under 200 GT faces the same tides, traffic and weather as any ship, with a smaller margin for error. The size of the vessel is never an excuse for a thinner passage plan.
TIP — Cross-check every fix Command means being certain of your position. Confirm the GNSS against a transit, a bearing or the depth, and keep a running estimate so any jump or error shows up before it becomes a grounding.