RYA Commercial Endorsement
If you would like to work as a professional skipper on a vessel whether it be a Powerboat, sailing yacht or motorboat then you will need to apply for RYA Commercial Endorsement.
Commercial Endorsement is required to work, as skipper, on a British flagged vessel that takes “paying passengers”. A commercial vessel can be defined as:
A motor or sailing vessel in commercial use (i.e. Charter) for sport or pleasure, carrying no cargo and not more than 12 paying passengers.
You are able to apply for a Commercial Endorsement on any of the following qualifications:
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA Advanced Powerboat
- RYA Day Skipper Practical (Power or Sail). You must have completed RYA Day Skipper Theory too
- RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence
How do I commercially endorse my certificate?
Before you can apply to the RYA to get your certificate commercially endorsed, you need to complete the following:
- ENG1 or ML5 medical.
- Sea survival certificate
- The RYA online Professional Practices and Responsibilities course, known as PPR. Note, that the PPR qualification lasts for life.
Once you have completed these three steps then you can apply for commercial endorsement through the RYA. It can take a couple of weeks for your certificate to arrive in the post, so plan ahead.
STCW endorsement
Some overseas employers, Superyachts or flag states will require STCW Basic Safety Training Certificates. If you are thinking of working outside the UK then we would recommend getting STCW.
If you hold an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean then having STCW allows the holder to skipper a vessel up to 200 gross tonnes. Such vessels may be larger than 24m in length. This qualification is sometimes called the RYA Master of Yachts 200GT.
Once you have completed your STCW Basic Safety Training course then you will need to complete steps 2 and 3 above.
If you have any questions relating to RYA Commercial Endorsement then feel free to contact us