March, 2011
RYA POWERBOAT SCHEME CHANGES
On behalf of Rachel Andrews, Chief Instructor Motor Cruising & Power…
Dear Principals, Trainers and Powerboat Advanced Instructors,
It’s been a busy few months in the Motor Cruising and Power seat getting out to meet as many of you as possible. It has been great to see the high level of support and commitment to the RYA schemes and I hope to meet many more of you in the near future.
As busy as it’s been there has been enough time to cover a couple of changes, which will be outlined in the next edition of Wavelength, however I wanted to send this email to ensure it reaches everyone.
· Intermediate and Advanced Powerboat course - change to teaching ratios; The teaching ratios for Intermediate and Advanced Powerboat courses are being reduced to 3 students to 1 instructor in one boat. This is with immediate effect and is to bring the course in line with Powerboat 1 and 2 courses where the high standards of safety, good value for money and great teaching are hallmarks of RYA training.
NB. The Safety Boat teaching ratios remain 6:1 in two boats but with the strong recommendation that an experienced assistant is on hand should 2 boats be being used.
· Powerboat Advanced Instructor – changes to pre-requisites;-From 1 April 2011, in addition to holding the Powerboat Instructor qualification, the Advanced Powerboat Day and Night course completion certificate, prospective candidates for the Powerboat Advanced Instructor endorsement will also have to hold the RYA/MCA Advanced Certificate of Competence (exam). This step has been taken to ensure the high standard of teaching on the Advanced Powerboat Course. It will prove a measureable level of knowledge and ability of candidates.
· Safety Boat Instructors -Powerboat Instructors who gain the Safety Boat qualification after their PB Instructor award should notify the RYA Certification department by sending a copy of the certificate so that their Instructor Record can be updated.
· Powerboat and Personal Watercraft Instructor Courses -All instructor courses must be approved by the RDO or RYA Training if being run abroad. There must be a minimum of 2 instructor candidates on an instructor course
Whilst writing I wanted to remind you of a couple of points which have arisen:
Ø Man Overboard practice – under no circumstances are people to go in the water for training MOB during Powerboat Level 1, 2, Intermediate or Advanced courses. A dummy (such as a small fender with a weight or chain attached) is to be used
Ø Emergency Stop! This is not part of the Powerboat syllabus and should not be trained, practiced or demonstrated
Ø ‘High Speed’ should be interpreted as ‘Planing Speed’ the primary reason for teaching this element of the course is to allow the student to understand the different handling characteristics. Planing speed is achieved typically from 12 knots onwards