What next pb2

[gtflash]

I have pb2 and been driving boats for 22 years now. I see the instructor courses and wonder what it would actually lead too.

I’d like to upskill, for satisfaction and if one day it allowed me to earn a little pocket money while messing about on boats it would be a bonus. If that were teaching or small boat skippering I don’t know. Not sure I’d ever make a career out of it. What options or advise can anyone offer.

[HDAV]

Plenty of courses intermediate, advanced, day skipper, vhf, first aid, safety boat.... The RYA has lots of ways to help you upskill.... there are some tracks but commercial use has certain requirements so anything that pays will likely need them....

See here: https://www.marine-education.co.uk/r...boat-exam-coc/


I have a few bits of blue paper, PB2, PWC, first aid, vhf, next is either a nav course or intermediate PB and then may consider advanced in 2020

Night nav is going to be my issue but will figure that out when I get there....

[paulbrown22]

If teaching afloat is something that interests you, I'd definitely consider doing the Instructor courses. The only formal pre-requisites for the RYA Powerboat Instructor course are a PB Lv2 and an in date First Aid qualification, but having a bit more grounding and familiarity with navigation and other topics can't hurt, maybe something you already have from your extensive experience afloat. Worth having a chat with some of the local schools offering the courses and getting their advice, especially if you'd be looking to teach with them afterwards. I do a lot of "work" as a volunteer instructor with the Sea Cadets, and there's loads of options with similar organisations, local sailing clubs, etc., but obviously unpaid.

Commercial work on small powerboats, typically requiring the Advanced CoC commercial exam detailed above, is clearly a slightly different pathway and type of work, but around the South Coast you often see adverts for Sea Safari skippers, etc., especially in Poole and the Solent. Some of those might want a more formal/regular commitment though, rather than an occasional day.

Similar to you, I've never really considered doing this as a career, but I greatly enjoy it as a hobby, getting a chance to go boating in different places, and especially with something like the Sea Cadets, helping to get people afloat who probably wouldn't be taking commercial courses through typical RYA schools.

[gtflash]

Thank you for feedback. COC talks about yacht mastersstandards and advanced pb. Nothing about instructors. Although being able to teach people sounds the most taxing.

Could we rate intermediate, advanced, instructor, yacht master and COC in that hiaracy?

[paulbrown22]

To me, they are just very different courses, and different skill sets, so can't really be put in a "hierarchy". It depends what you want to do, and what skills you are looking for.

The Powerboat Instructor course is all about teaching Powerboating, focussing on the Level 2 course. How to structure sessions, how to teach, giving feedback, coaching people, etc. You need to be able to demonstrate Level 2 standard boat handling skills as part of that, but the course is focussed on how to teach and coach people and how to successfully deliver an RYA Level 2 course as a new instructor, not really about improving your own personal power boating skills. The only formal pre-requisites are that you have completed the Level 2 course yourself, have a valid First Aid certificate, and pass the Pre Skills assessment. Whilst it can obviously help you in your teaching and background knowledge, you don't need to have any more advanced boating/power boating skills than Level 2.

Intermediate and Advanced are both courses designed to improve and grow your own personal power boating skills.

The Intermediate course looks at planning and executing short cruises by day on a planing powerboat: https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...ermediate.aspx

A big part of the Advanced course is about how to safely plan and execute a night passage on a planing powerboat: https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train.../advanced.aspx

The Advanced CoC is a commercial RYA/MCA exam (not a training course, although often coupled by schools with training, or taken immediately after the RYA Advanced 2 day course), designed to validate that you have the required skills to skipper powerboats in a commercial working environment, including coastal trips by night: https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...-advanced.aspx . Very much a test of your own powerboating and navigation ability!

Yachtmaster (Power I assume, not Sail) is from the "big boat" scheme, and more designed towards larger more complicated motor cruisers, longer multi-day trips, more navigation, etc. Some crossover with the Powerboat scheme in terms of core skills, but really aiming at a slightly different use case than RIB's. The Yachtmaster Power CoC is similar to the Advanced CoC in many respects, but taken aboard a larger motor cruiser.

Regards,

Paul

[boristhebold]

What about doing a night school course either day skipper or yacht master, many local adult education places do them, they run for about 12 weeks or so and in my experience are good fun, you learn lots about navigation and other topics in a friendly environement, especially good to do over the winter months. Ive done the day skipper course twice and the yacht master course once. They would definately help with specific nav knowledge in particular which would help if you became an instructor.

[John Kennett]

And the best bit is confusing the raggies by doing your weather routing on the assumption of a 30kt cruise speed and a distinct preference for calm conditions

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

And the best bit is confusing the raggies by doing your weather routing on the assumption of a 30kt cruise speed and a distinct preference for calm conditions

I’ll remember that

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by HDAV

....
Night nav is going to be my issue but will figure that out when I get there....

I was lucky enough to have an employer finance my way through to commercially endorsed ABP and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Even after 40yrs playing in boats it's enlightening to discover how much you didn't know.

Learning night nav is a must, especially in the winter when the days are so short, it buys you so much more time and even in the summer our best days out have ended in a run home in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGhBg8ArtA