Professional Yacht Training has been providing accredited yacht training since they started in Durban, South Africa in 2000. PYT Cape Town was established later on the same year.
In 2013, Professional Yacht Training USA (aka. PYTUSA & PYT) was established in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, making PYT USA a globally popular provider for yacht crew training. PYT is accredited by International Yacht Training (IYT) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) .
PYT USA is the exclusive provider of IYT mega yacht training in Florida. IYT is the most internationally accredited global leader in yacht training. IYT has achieved the highest level of internationally recognized and sanctioned best practices through British Standards Institute. The MCA, U.S. Coast Guard, Government of Ireland, The Marshall Islands and PADI all recognize and endorse IYT as the gold standard for professional and recreational marine training and accreditation.
Professional Yacht Training USA offers courses from the introductory level to master level. PYT USA offers the STCW, which is the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, a compulsory course for anyone wanting to work on a yacht. Other introductory courses offered at PYT USA are the MCA Yacht Rating Certificate and the IYT Small Powerboat and Rib Master course.
The MCA Yacht Rating Certificate is a 5-day course that covers navigational watch duties, knots, chart-work and seamanship along with other necessary skills for working on yachts. The MCA Yacht Rating Certificate will reduce the required time to apply for an MCA Yacht Rating Certificate of Competency (COC) from 6 months to 2 months. Another benefit to the MCA Yacht Rating Certificate is that once an individual has held their COC for 6 months, they are able to take the MCA Efficient Deckhand Course, therefore advancing their yachting career.
The IYT Small Powerboat and Rib Master course (aka. Power Boat Level 2) will give you approval to command a vessel up to 15 meters (45ft.) with no accommodations in fair weather up to 20NM (nautical miles) from a safe haven. This course can also grant an International Certificate of Competency (ICC), granting you the ability to command a vessel up to 10 meters in certain European and Scandinavian countries. This course consists of one day of theory in the classroom and one day of practical boat handling on the water. The course covers safety at sea, VHF radio operations, launching and recovery, anchor and anchoring, nautical terminology, boat handling under power, man overboard procedures, ropes and rope work and basic rules of the road (collision regulations).Upon completion of the introductory courses, it is then up to the student to decide which direction they wish to push their career.
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Advancing Your Yachting Career – The Master of Yachts Limited Certificate of Competency
The Master of Yachts Limited Certificate of Competency (MOY Limited) will give the holder the command of a yacht up to 200 gross tons within 150 NM (nautical miles) of a safe haven or to legally stand navigational watches on a yacht up to 500GT. In order to qualify to for the MOY Limited course, one must have logged 50 days on board a vessel as an active crew member; 3,000 NM while cruising at sea and 48 hours on watch at night underway, while the vessel is moving. With that being said, the MOY Limited course is not for beginners.
Upon receiving a Master of Yachts Limited certificate of completion (COC), one qualifies for the Master of Yachts Unlimited after having completed either 2 voyages of 250 NM or one voyage of 500 NM. This qualification indicates that the holder has sufficient knowledge of celestial navigation to navigate globally using a sextant and to plan, undertake and manage an ocean passage with a comprehensive understanding of the factors involved.
The MCA Officer of the Watch COC consists of 7 class modules that must be completed in preparation for the MCA Oral Exam. These 7 classes include Navigation and Radar including ARPA, General Ship’s Knowledge (GSK), Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB), Human Elements of Leadership and Management (HELM) (Operational Level), Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS), Efficient Deckhand (EDH) and Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). Once all the class modules have been completed the individual can then sit for their oral exam and receive their COC once they have passed. In order to qualify for the OOW COC one must be 19 years of age, hold a MOY Limited COC, have since the age of 16 a minimum of 36 months onboard service in vessels of any size, including no less than 365 days of sea service.
The MCA Chief Mate COC consists of 3 class modules that must be completed. These modules are Advanced Fire Fighting, Proficiency in Medical First Aid (PMFA) and Human Elements of Leadership and Management (HELM) (Management Level). Once an individual holds and MCA OOW COC they are eligible for the MCA Chief Mate endorsement, and this certificate can be applied for at the same time as the OOW COC.
To become the Master of a yacht, aka the captain, there are 2 routes offered at PYTUSA. The first being the Marshall Islands 350GT Master COC, which consists of the applicant completing all parts of the STCW, OOW Navigation and Radar, GSK, Advanced Fire Fighting, PSCRB, PMFA, Nav and Radar with ARPA, ECDIS, Bridge Resource Management and HELM Management. The second route one can take to become a master would be the MCA Master COC. This COC will give the holder the ability to command a vessel up 500GT/3000GT (respectively) upon completing the 6 class modules, which include Stability, Business and Law, Navigation and Radar with ARPA, Seamanship and Meteorology, Celestial Navigation Examination and Proficiency for Persons in Charge of Medical Care on Board a Ship (aka MedPIC-medical person in charge)
PYTUSA has a high standard of training and provide quality instruction with a personal approach in a family-like environment. Our high pass rates in our advanced ticket courses prove that PYTUSA is the place to go for all your yacht training needs. We offer affordable pricing as well as package prices for several of the routes you can choose to take in the yachting industry.
Professional Yacht Training is the best place to start your yachting career, as PYTUSA takes a personal approach with each student that walks in the door.
