Officer of the Watch (Yachts) <3000 GT

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OOW-3000-M1 · Written: Navigation & Radar

10 lessons

OOW-3000-M1-A The IAMI Navigation & Radar written paper (2.5 hr) and its underpinning knowledge. Practice in examiner →

Compass work

This lesson explains magnetic variation and deviation, the arithmetic for converting between compass, magnetic and true headings in both directions, and how gyro error arises, is applied, and should be checked each watch.

OOW-3000-L1.2

Chartwork, position fixing and passage planning

Chartwork is the core practical skill tested in the Navigation paper and the daily craft of the watch. The OOW must know the charts and their projections, command the several ways of fixing and estimating position, and tie them together in a disciplined four-stage passage plan.

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Chart correction and Notices to Mariners

A chart is only as safe as it is current. The OOW is expected to keep the vessel's paper and electronic charts and publications corrected up to date, and to understand the system of Notices to Mariners that drives it.

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Tides and tidal calculations

Tides decide whether there is water under the keel and how the stream will set the ship off track, so tidal calculation is a bread-and-butter skill for the OOW. This lesson covers what causes tides, how to work the height of tide at standard and secondary ports, and how to allow for the tidal stream.

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Keeping a safe navigational watch

The Officer of the Watch is the Master's representative on the bridge and holds sole responsibility for the safe navigation of the vessel throughout the watch. This lesson sets out the principles of watchkeeping from the STCW Code and the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide, and the standing duty to call the Master.

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Buoyage — the IALA system

Buoyage marks safe water, dangers and the sides of channels, and the OOW must recognise every mark instantly by day and by night, on the chart and on the water. The IALA Maritime Buoyage System brings the world's marks into one scheme with just two regional variants.

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Electronic position-fixing aids

Modern watchkeeping leans heavily on electronic aids, but each has characteristic errors, and the competent OOW understands those failure modes rather than trusting a number blindly. This lesson covers satellite position fixing and the depth and speed sensors that support it.

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ECDIS

ECDIS is mandatory equipment for the OOW on vessels of this class and is generally the primary means of navigation. Using it safely means understanding its data, its settings and its limitations — not merely following the ship symbol across the screen.

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Radar — principles and plotting

Radar is the OOW's primary tool for collision avoidance and for position fixing in poor visibility. This lesson covers how radar works, how to set it up for the conditions, and how to plot a contact to find its closest approach and true motion.

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ARPA and AIS

ARPA automates radar plotting and AIS exchanges vessel data directly, and together they transform situational awareness — but both have real limitations the OOW must respect, and neither replaces the collision regulations or a proper lookout.

OOW-3000-M2 · Written: General Ship Knowledge

6 lessons

OOW-3000-M2-A The IAMI General Ship Knowledge paper (2.5 hr): construction, stability, meteorology and seamanship. Practice in examiner →

OOW-3000-L2.1

Ship construction terminology and stresses

An officer must understand the vessel's structure to keep her seaworthy, to work safely on deck, and to talk to shipyards, surveyors and engineers in a common language. This lesson covers the vocabulary of ship construction and the stresses a hull must endure at sea.

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Construction methods, corrosion and classification

This lesson covers how yachts and small ships are actually built, the plans carried aboard, how corrosion is fought, and the role of the classification society that oversees a vessel's structural life.

OOW-3000-L2.3

Load lines, watertight integrity and the bilge system

Reserve buoyancy and watertight integrity are what keep a damaged or overloaded ship afloat, and the OOW is responsible for maintaining them every watch. This lesson covers the load line, watertight and weathertight closures, and the bilge system that removes water that gets in.

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Stability fundamentals

Stability is the ship's ability to return upright after being heeled by wind, sea or a shift of weight. The OOW does not run the full stability calculation — that is the Master's and the loading computer's task — but must understand the principles well enough never to compromise them by careless loading or handling.

OOW-3000-L2.5

Meteorology

Weather governs the safety, comfort and timing of every passage, and the OOW must be able to read the instruments, the sky and the forecast. This lesson covers the global wind pattern, local effects, how cloud and fog form, and the depressions that bring the worst weather to temperate latitudes.

OOW-3000-L2.6

Seamanship, SOLAS, MARPOL and the CoSWP

The seamanship section ties the OOW's practical duties to the regulatory framework the ship operates within. This lesson covers pilot boarding and preparing for sea, the key international conventions, and the Code of Safe Working Practices that governs shipboard work.

OOW-3000-M3 · Oral examination preparation

5 lessons

OOW-3000-M3-A The MCA oral: IRPCS, watchkeeping and ship handling, emergencies, and legislation. Practice in examiner →

OOW-3000-L3.1

IRPCS — steering and sailing rules

The collision regulations are the heart of the oral examination, and the examiner expects them close to word-perfect because they are the rules that prevent collisions every day. This lesson covers the conduct rules — how vessels must behave toward one another — and how to apply them at sea.

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IRPCS — lights, shapes and sound signals

Recognising a vessel's lights, shapes and sound signals is how the OOW identifies what is out there at night or in poor visibility, and it is heavily tested in the oral. This lesson covers the key recognition patterns and the signals used to communicate intention and warn of danger.

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Watchkeeping, bridge equipment and ship handling

Beyond the rules, the examiner explores how the OOW actually runs the watch and handles the vessel. This lesson covers the practical conduct of the watch, the bridge equipment the examiner may probe, and the fundamentals of manoeuvring.

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Navigational and other emergencies

The examiner tests how the OOW responds when things go wrong, because the first minutes decide the outcome. This lesson covers the response to navigational emergencies, to fire and abandonment, and the distress communications that summon help.

OOW-3000-L3.5

Pollution prevention, legislation and business & law

The final oral area draws together the OOW's duties on pollution, the regulatory framework the ship lives within, and the elements of law and business that come with running a commercial yacht. The examiner wants to see an officer who knows the duty, the standard, and where the detail is written down.

Aligned to the published MCA syllabus. Official syllabus (GOV.UK).

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