Officer of the Watch (OOW < 3000gt) Course

Congratulations, you’ve been employed on Yachts for 36 months or more, have your RYA Yachtmaster Offshore / RYA Yachtmaster Ocean or IYT Master of Yachts equivalent and now want to complete your Officer of the Watch OOW <3000gt training in Cape Town, South Africa, so you can increase your rank & salary.

You will be required to complete several different OOW modules, delivered by PYT South Africa, as outlined below, before applying for your Notice of Eligibility (NoE) and sitting your final MCA oral exam in the UK.

Duties of Officer on Watch

A deck officer in charge of the navigational watch is said to be the Officer on Watch (OOW). While keeping a watch, he/she represents the Captain of the vessel and is responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel. It goes without say, that the Officer on Watch (OOW) has full control of the bridge and bridge team, whilst followoing the Captain’s orders in a safe and professional manner. Duties include, but are not limited to: Comparing compasses, checking echo sounder, checking the vessel position, passage planning, reading log entries, GMDSS watch, general yacht or ship rounds. 

Which modules make up the OOW <3000gt?

* MCA Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
* Navigation and Radar incl. ARPA
* Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB)
* General Ships Knowledge (GSK)
* Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)
* Human Elements of Leadership and Management (HELM)
* Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS)

What are the requirements to begin your OOW <3000gt training in South Africa?

Certifications to be held

*One of the following Offshore / Ocean tickets: RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or RYA Yachtmaster Ocean (Commercially Endorsed), IYT Master of Yachts 200t Offshore or IYT Master of Yachts 200t Ocean
*Valid STCW Basic Safety Training

Yacht & Sea Service

*36 months of Yacht service on vessels of any size, including 365 days of Sea service on vessels 15 metres or over in loadline length. (Yacht service is being signed onto a yacht, whether you are on passage or not, and does not include leave. Actual Sea Service is when you are actually at sea, on passage)

*The 365 days of Sea service can be broken down, to make it easier to achieve – you must have 250 days of Actual Sea Service, but the balance of 115 days can be made up with 90 days in the yard and up to 14 consecutive days of standby service at a time (fully fuelled/victualed/crewed whilst waiting for guests to arrive)

Note: A completed Training Record book is not required if the candidate can provide evidence of 36 months Sea Service in vessels of at least 24 metres in load line length.

Your Yacht & Sea service needs to be proven using 2 forms of evidence per vessel:

Usually a Testimonial and a Certificate of Discharge. (If you have a discharge book, this can be used with a testimonial for each vessel, or if you are a member of the PYA they will allow your PYA logbook)

Your application must be accompanied by a form of ID. This could be a copy of your passport, signed by your Captain or any other form of National ID.

View MSN 1802 (the testimonial and certificate of discharge can be found on pages 22, 23 & 24)

You will need to download the NoE application form. You must complete the form and send all of your original certificates and testimonials to the MCA. The NoE will be processed in about 28 days. Once the NoE is issued you are deemed eligible to take the oral exam.