Sea staff

Training and Qualifications

Formal courses and certificates
OYT South produces a Sea Staff handbook which is available to all existing sea staff as well as to people who are interested in joining – copies available from the office . This handbook lists compulsory and additional recommended qualifications required by OYT South sea staff at every level. If you need to do any courses in order to sail with OYT South or to make progress as a member of our sea staff, we do run occasional shore-based training weekends when a variety of courses are offered. If you let the office know when there is a particular course you want to do, we can see if we can get a group of OYT people together and set up a course for them. If we cannot offer a particular course on a date which suits you, we can recommend training establishments – just apply to the office.

Training on board John Laing
Mates training weekend voyages are offered at least twice a year on board John Laing. These are open to new sea staff, as well as to sea staff who haven’t sailed recently and might be a little rusty, or those hoping to do an assessment to become a more senior mate, or anyone who just wants a chance to practise something on board.

We also run slightly longer familiarisation voyages which are designed for new prospective sea staff, but are equally open to existing sea staff who want to refamiliarise themselves with the vessel and her routines without the added pressure of having to organise a watch of novices at the same time.

Check the 2008 programme or 2009 programme for dates and prices of forthcoming training and familiarisation voyages.

If you are booked on a normal voyage as sea staff, but there is something you particularly want training in, please let us know in advance of the voyage if possible, or tell the skipper when you join.