Power Yacht Training – Boat Master Commercial

Experience required prior training:  None
Certification required prior training:   VHF/SRC
Validity:  5 years (Subject to refresher before renewal)
Minimum age required:  21 years old
Equipment requirements: Power boat up to 15 m long, able to plane
Suggested number of training hours:  50 hours
Who can run the training: ISSA Instructor
Who can do the examination:  ISSA Instructor
How to submit the application:  To authorised ISSA school only
Qualifications obtained after the course:  Skipper power boats:
– up to 15m long (with inboard our or not our outboard engine)
– Day and Night
– Up to 20 nautical miles offshore

Boat’s construction

• Knows the basic terminology of a power boat:
  ° Bow;
  ° Stern, aft, etc.
• Can fill up the water and fuel tanks;
• Can operate the engine;
  ° Start is;
  ° Switch it off;
  ° Check operation of cooling system;
  ° Check oil level;
  ° Top up engine oil;
  ° Check cooling fluid level;
  ° Top up cooling fluid level;
  ° Find bottom valves;
  ° Recognize the breakdown of impeller in cooling system and possibly replace it;
  ° Check whether alternator is charging batteries when engine is working.
• Knows elementary equipment of yacht:
  ° Echo-sounder (location, operation, typical errors);
  ° Log;
  ° Steering system;

Line and spring handling

• Can combine two lines of the same and different diameter;
• Can make:
  ° Bowline;
  ° Fast a line on a cleat;
  ° Fishermen’s bend;
  ° Coil mooring lines;

• Can:
  ° Pass, take, make fast on cleat, let go mooring lines;
  ° Throw mooring lines;
  ° Describe different ways of taking a mooring.

Handling fenders

• Can:
  ° Fix the fenders using adequate knots;
  ° Effectively apply the manouvering fender;

Operating the anchor

• Can:
  ° Prepare the anchor for weighing;
  ° Select safe location for staying at anchor;
  ° Apply rules for safe anchoring (4xdepth, anchor alarm/watch);
  ° Distinguish different types of anchors and their characteristics.

Safety

• Can:
  ° Perform the safety briefing:
  – How to move on deck;
  – How to apply personnal safety equipment (harness, jackstay, etc.);
  – Apply distress signalling equipment (pyrotechnics, flags, etc.);
  – Different methods to send distress signal;
  – Make a distress call with help of VHF;
  – Knows procedures to be applied in restricted visibility;
  – Basic knowledge about SAR procedures (RIB, helicopter);
  – First Aid Kit (location and content).

Handling boat under power

• Can:
  ° Launch and recover a boat;
  ° Manouver a boat under power;
  ° Approach a MOB;
  ° Take a berth/leave a berth (longside, stern-to, bow-to);
  ° Weigh anchor.

International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea

• Knows the navigation shapes and lights:
  ° Vessel not under command;
  ° Vessel restricted in ability to manouver;
  ° Vessel engaged in fishing;
  ° Vessel aground;
  ° Pilot vessel;
  ° Towing set
  ° Sailing yacht;
  ° Power driven vessel;
• Knows the vessels’ priority at sea;
• Knows how to proceed in a „close encounter” situation;
• Is familiar and complies with the requirement for continues observation;
• Is familiar with other legal obligations of a skipper and crew;
• Is familiar with and understands after-collision rules applicable at sea.

Navigational Aids

• Knows, understands and is able to recognize lateral and smaller channel marks at day time in system IALA A and B;
• Knows, understands and is able to recognize cardinal marks and other navigational marks (safe water mark, isolated danger mark) at day time;
• Is able to use the list of marks and symbols used on charts (eg. Chart 5011);
• Is able to apply navigational publications when planning a port’s entry (pilot books, almanacs, navigational plans);
• Knows and can recognize light characteristics of Lighthouses/navigational marks.

Terrestrial navigation

• Knows and understands the basic terms from geography:
  ° Latitude;
  ° Longitude;
  ° Magnetic pole;
  ° Geographic pole;
  ° Earth’s magnetic field;
• Knows the basic types of sea charts, their construction and application:
  ° Mercator’s projection chart (how is it constructed, spreading of parallels, construction parallel)
  ° Passage charts, coastal charts, plans;
• Can read elementary information from a chart that is crucial for safe sailing:
  ° Depths;
  ° Distance;
  ° Navigational obstacles
  ° Navigational marks;
• Can read charts/ plot latitude and longitude;
• Knows and understands the phenomenon of Earth’s magnetism, variation and deviation;
• Can use a compass;
• Can make use of various bearing lines;
• Has general information about tides and tide-related dangers.

Electronic-based navigation

• Knows how the GPS system works;
• Can enable and check the elementary settings of GPS and plotter;
• Can set and read adequate course on GPS;
• Can plot a position on a chart taken from a GPS;
• Knows what is AIS, ARPA, VTS.

Meteorology

• Knows the Beaufort scale and its meaning for small craft;
• Knows sources of meteo information and how to use them;
• Has the basic knowledge about high, low pressure areas, fronts;
• Can recognize cumulonimbus clouds;
• Understands meteo messages (including those broadcast by radio coastal stations)
• Can take meteo factors into consideration when planning a passage in a coastal zone:
• Has the habit not to leave harbour without valid weather forecast.

Other

• Environmental friendly approach and respect to other yachtsmen and women;
• Knows and applies basic pro-environmental rules;
• Knows and applies social friendly approach at sea and in harbour.