Professional Yacht Training, USA provides several introductory courses, other than the STCW-10 Basic Safety Training. It is recommended that any newcomer to the yachting industry invest in their yachting career by taking advantage of all the introductory courses offered at PYTUSA.

Benefits of the MCA Yacht Rating Certificate Course

The MCA Yacht Rating Certificate Course

Of the introductory courses offered by PYTUSA, the MCA Yacht Rating Certificate course will reduce the required sea time to apply for an MCA Yacht Rating from 6 months to 2 months. Once the MCA Yacht Rating COC is issued and held for 6 months, candidates will be able to sit the MCA Efficient Deckhand course. The MCA Efficient Deckhand course completion certificate must be held by a candidate for 18 months prior to the issue of an Officer of the Watch (Yachts less than 3,000gt) Certificate of Competency.

The MCA Yacht Rating course is a 5-day training course that covers navigational watch duties, life-saving and firefighting equipment, seamanship, Code of Safe Working Practices (COSWOP), engine watch-keeping duties, pollution prevention, knots, bends and hitches, whipping and splicing, International Safe Management Code, chart-work, Rules of the Road, day shapes, lights and IALA A & B buoyage systems.

The advantages of gaining your MCA Yacht Rating Certificate are that it informs captains that you have advanced deck skills, you are eligible to be included in a vessels safe manning requirement, it shows more responsibility which could lead to faster promotions and is a fantastic introduction to the MCA Efficient Deckhand course, which is a requirement for advancing licensure to the OOW COC.

What is a Training Record Book?

The MCA Training Record Book is a key document for individuals working on yachts and serves a comprehensive log of a trainee’s practical experience and training, providing evidence of the skills and competencies that have been acquired.

The Training Record Book is used to record various tasks and duties completed by the trainee, demonstrating their hands-on experience, including tasks related to navigation, deck work, engineering, safety procedures and other skills. This book will be regularly reviewed by a supervising officer who verifies the trainee’s successful completion of a task.

The Training Record Book serves a detailed record of a trainee’s professional development and can be useful when applying for jobs. For certain MCA and maritime qualifications, having a completed and signed-off Training Record Book is a prerequisite and is absolutely necessary in advancing to higher levels of certification, especially MCA Officer of the Watch.

PYTUSA has MCA Training Record Books available for purchase and they are quite durable, with the intent they will last throughout your yachting career.