RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Theory

RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Theory

6 days pleasant learning in Malta.

13 – 18 February 2026 (TBA)

Obtionally followed by RYA SRC VHF exam and Electronic Navigaiton, Radar Simulation week-end

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RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Theory

  • 6 days of intense, yet friendly and relaxed learning 

    (checking in on 12 Feb, checking out on 19 Feb after the course,
    prolonging stay possible e.g. for the SRC exam and Electronic Navigation and Radar Simulation

  • Complex issues explained with an holistic approach in an easy to understand way

  • All necessary preparation to easily pass your theoretical knowledge for the RYA Yachtmaster Exam 

  • Hands-on tips what you really use during every-day skippering
    – learn where you need to be exact and where approximations are accepted and still keep you safe

  • Combination of electronic and traditional navigation 

  • Discounted hotel prices which can be extended for some relaxing holidays in sunny Malta if booked early 

  • Pleasant lunches and evening dinners with heartily sailing discussions   

  • Feel the comradeship of the Reginasailing Family – learning and sharing experiences together 

  • You may take the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Theory assessments (at no extra cost) on your last day. But of course, you don’t need to!

  • After the assessment, we all go and celebrate the end of the course in the legendary Royal Malta Yacht Club in the evening (check-out of the hotel on 19 February in the morning)

  • Get prepared for your Yachtmaster Offshore exam

  • Course is held in easy to understand English with explanations in German or Swedish possible

  • Bei genügend Nachfrage,  Theoriekurse auch mit 100% deutschsprachigen Teilnehmern möglich (bitte bei Wunsch kontaktieren) 

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For German sailors, please note:

The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean is now officially accepted by the “Bundesministeriums für Verkehr (BMV)” and is recognised by “Deutscher Segler-Verband (DSV)” for being equal to the German “Sporthochseeschifferschein (SHS)” and can therefore be transformed into a German SHS certificate, if desired. 
See article in YACHT here. 
 

 

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Why RYA?

RYA Yachtmaster Theory course opens up many opportunities. First of all, the RYA is very well renown and respected world-wide and every sailor will not only know but also highly respect your deep theoretical knowledge if you can show an RYA Yachtmaster Theory certificate. Secondly, this is the first step for you to one day possibly take the RYA Yacthmaster Offshore exam, which is the pinicle of certificates and highly respected world-wide. 
 
It is more than essential to be able to use English expressions if you sail anywhere outside your home coutry’s waters. Therefore, the course is held in easy-to-understand English (see my videos here to get a feel for my understandability) using all the correct marine expressions from the start, while things may be explained in German or Swedish as well as needed. It is so much easier to grow up and learn all the correct expressions from start using the internationally recognised English expressions rather than having to re-learn these and translate from your own language to English as soon as you sail anywhere outside your country. 
 
The reason why the RYA is so popular with over 2,400 Training Centers over the entire world is that their curriculum is so hands-on and practial! Even the theory feels like sailing and is great fun! You will also learn where you may take some short-cuts without risk and where you better be exact!
 
On the last day of the RYA Yachtmaster Theory course, you will do a very practical oriented passage plan and then “sail” it in classroom where various things happen “along the way” and you will be asked questions how you would react in such a situation. It’s like in real life! 
 

The Syllabus

The subjects are as wide as they are important and interesting. Some examples of the hands-on subjects: Tidal Navigation, Radar, Weather, Navigation in Fog, Electronic Navigation, Buoyage, Lights, Rules of the Road, Ship’s Safety, Distress Signals, Helicopter Rescue, Passage Planning, Stability and so much more!

The curriculum of the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Shore-Based course in Malta consists of: 

 

   

1. Position
– Dead reckoning and estimated position
– Satellite-derived position
– Use of waypoints to fix position
– Radar fixes
– Techniques of visual fixing
– Fixes using a mixture of position lines
– Relative accuracy of different methods of position fixing
– Areas of uncertainty

2. The magnetic compass
– Allowance for variation
– Change of variation with time and position
– Causes of deviation
– Swing for deviation
– Allowance for deviation
– Different types of compass

3. Tides
– Causes of tides – Springs and Neaps
– Tide tables – sources
– Tidal levels and datum
– Standard and secondary ports
– Tidal anomalies (e.g. Solent)

4. Tidal streams
– Sources of tidal information
– Tidal stream information in sailing directions and Almanacs
– Allowance for tidal streams in computing a course to steer
– Tide rips, overfalls and races
– Tidal observation buoys, beacons etc

5. Buoyage
– IALA system buoyange in Region A
– Limitations of buoys as navigational aids

6. Lights
– Characteristics
– Ranges – visual, luminous and nominal
– Rising and diping distances
– Light lists

7. Pilotage
– Harbour regulations and control signals
– Methods of pre-planning
– Clearing lines
– Use of soundings
– Transits and leading lines

8. Electronic Navigation
– In depth on the optional week-end following this course:
– Electronic navigation on PC laptop’s in classroom
– Principles of operation and limitations of use
– Raster and vector charts, Datum
– Confirmation of accuracy while underway
– Knowledge of independent source and keeping a separate record of position
– Importance of paper charts

  

9. Echo sounders
– Principles of operation and limitations of use

10. Logs
– Principles of operation and limitations of use

11. Deck log
– Importance of log as yacht’s official document
– Layout of log, hourly and occasional entries

12. Meteorology
– Basic terms, the Beaufort scale
– Air masses
– Cloud types
– Weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems
– Sources of weather forecasts
– Ability to interpret a shipping forecast, weatherfax and weather satellite information
– Land and sea breeze
– Sea fog
– Use of a barometer as a forecasting aid

13. Rule of the Road
– A sound knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, except Annexes 1 and 3

14. Safety at Sea
– Personal safety, use of lifejackets, safety harnesses and lifelines
– Fire prevention and fire fighting
– Distress signals
– Coastguard and Boat Safety Scheme
– Preparation for heavy weather
– Liferafts and helicopter rescue
– Understanding of capabilities of vessel and basic knowledge of stability

15. Radars
– In depth on the optional on week-end following this course:
– Radar simulation on PC laptops in classroom
– Navigation in restricted visibility
– Precautions & Limitations in fog
– Get to know your Radar system maximising its use
– Modern Solid State Broadband Radars, who they work, benefits and limitatations

16. Passage planning
– Preparation of charts and notebook for route planning and making, and use at sea
– Customs regulations as they apply to yachts
– Routine for navigating in coastal waters
– Strategy for course laying
– Use of waypoints and routes
– Use of weather forecast information for passage planning strategy
– Sources of local and national regulations

17. Marine Environment
– Responsibility to minimise pollution and protect the marine environment

 

These subjects are further deepened during the Practical Coastal Sailing and the Practical Offshore Sailing, respectively. 

 

The Preparation and Pre-Course knowledge

The taught subjects are wide-spanning and the course is very intense. It has therefore lately been expanded from 5 days to 6 days, since the days simply got too long and tiresome. 

Since electronic navigation and radar navigation is so important but the Yachtmaster offshore curriculum does only cover it very basically, theoretical and schematic, Reginasailing has expended the Yachtmaster Theory course by a separate optional module where we use electronic navigation and radar simulation practically on PC simulators.

The curriculum spans over so many subjects,  it is very important to get prepared before you come, please.

What you need to have is a good working level of the theory knowledge of an RYA Day Skipper, Swedish “Skärgårdsskeppare”, German SKS or equivalent. You don’t need to hold these certificates in order to join, but it’s so much more fun if you brush up your basics before you arrive in Malta. Reading a book on the subject (see below) is a good preparation.  

It is assumed that you have some sailing experience and working experience using the chart, but you don’t need to be a navigational expert before you come.

Having said that, you should feel very confident in the following tasks. Practice or repeat them before you come so you don’t feel hesitant when doing the following tasks: 
– Plotting of a position on the chart (LAT/LONG)
– Reading a position from the chart, noting it’s LAT/LONG 
– Drawing a course or bearing using a Navigation Triangular, Portland Plotter or equivalent on the chart
– Reading a bearing or course from the chart using a Navigation Triangular, Portland Plotter or equivalent
– Reading a distance from the chart using a divider and then using the scale on the Longitude (!)
– Remember the basics how to treat deviation and variation (compass course to true and vice versa)
– Learn all the Col-Regs (lights, shapes and sound signals)

 

Especially the Col-Regs need to be learnt by heart, since it’s not fun to spend your valuable time in Malta by learning shapes, lights and sound signals in your room! You don’t need to know which Paragraph says what, nor do you need to know how far the lights need to be visible, but you need to understand what you see or hear “out there”. And by this I actually mean all shapes, lights and sound signals there are, unfortunately. 

I have compiled a variety of books, flip-cards and Apps you can buy and to prepare yourself for the course. Don’t overdo it, since there needs to be some left to learn in class, but I can’t stress enough: please learn the Col-Regs and please know how to plot a distance and course and read and plot a position really well.

Most books are in English, since this course is held in English and the RYA stipulates that it needs to be taught in the international language of the seas. Having said that, I have recently written a book that covers the necessary subjects in German. So for all German-speaking participants, reading “Praxisguide Fahrtensegeln” is a great preparation for the course in your own mother tongue. 

Please don’t forget to use your 10% discount code rs-BHAPGG10 when ordering from bookharbour.com. 

Praxisguide Fahrtensegeln, you can buy directly from the publishers Delius-Klasing-Verlag. 

 

 

Course Info

What’s so special?

The Reginasailing theory courses are unique in many aspects. The main benefits are:

  • Concentrated learning during an intense course covering everything you need to know for safe sailing and good seamanship
  • Combining holiday with fun learning
  • Beautiful venue at the famous Corinthia St George Hotel
  • Dinner at the renown Royal Malta Yacht Club (Members only and their guests) 
  • The Reginasailing atmosphere: make friends, meet again at reunions, at sea or at other courses. Become part of the Reginasailing family! 
  • Discuss your dreams, plans and boat equipment during evenings and lunches
  • Learn from an instructor with well above 85,000 miles of sailing experience 
  • Use your instructor’s own book in Navigation and Seamanship as your course material (currently in German only)
  • Enjoy Reginasailing animated slides and presentations, renown and sought after for talks at boat-shows, webinars and talks at yacht clubs 
  • Use of Reginasailing templates, turning secondary port calculations and Time-Zone calculations into an easy to understand and logical work-flow 

Exclusive dinner for Reginasailing at the Royal Malta Yacht club serving fresh local salt-baked fish (Seabass, Red Snapper and the local delicacy Gurbel)

Come and get to know Malta and the great Reginasailing Family.

 

The venue: The 5-star Corinthia St George Hotel:

Reginasailing has been offering Yachtmaster Theory courses in Malta since 2017. Thanks to excellent connections and loyalty Reginasailing has been upgrade to the 5-star Corinthia St George Bay Hotel in St Julians with extraordinary discounted price due to our loyalty! Prices have been kept the same for years, we may enjoy their best conference rooms and it is encouraged to bring your spouse for a relaxed holiday even if they don’t participate at the course. A spouse stays for free and only pays for the breakfast! 

Prolong your stay over the week-ends to enjoy some own sight-seeing and exploration of this historically interesting island! Especially Valletta is definitely worth a visit! Prolonging at the same discounted price is subject to availability and can only be guaranteed for early bookings. 

The Corinthia St George is one of the absolute top hotels in Malta, offering us a first-class conference room with a direct exit to the pool area with sea view. The Hotel is situated directly by the sea and offers great opportunities for combining your RYA theoretical course with holiday. It can’t get any better! 

 

The opening speech welcoming guests to Malta

 

Hotel prices for 2025 can still be held:

Superior room with sea view (single occupancy): EUR 115 per night including breakfast

Your spouse just pays EUR 20 extra for the very extensive breakfast. 

 

Example of sea view and view out of one of the conference rooms we have been using.

 

 

Coures date:

  • Yachtmaster Offshore Theory course:  13 – 18 February 2026

 

An evening at the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The sail training week is just as well a social event where we gain from each others’ experiences and enjoy the company.

 

Number of participants:

In order to grant the exclusive character and an individual and efficient learning experience, the number of participants have been limited to around 10 students.  

 

Price for the course:

  • Course Fee: Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course (6 days): EUR 1055 plus travel, food and hotel
  • Assessment Fee: Yachtmaster Offshore Theory assessment (3 in total) during the course: NIL, included in the above

Additional costs:

  • Hotel: The cost for the hotel nights are paid on site directly to the Corinthia hotel and booked via Reginasailing
  • Coffee breaks, water, lunches and dinner (see below)
  • Obviously your individual travel cost to Malta

 

Outside our conference room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Course price includes course notes, training and exercise booklet, training charts, assessment test,  RYA certificate for the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased course.

 

What to bring:

Please bring: pencil, eraser, colour pencils, notebook, divider, course plotter (navigation triangle or Portland Plotter).

If you wish to purchase a Portland Plotter and divider (approx EUR 40 together) please order them from me in good time before the course. 

 

Understanding the rhythm of the tide, seeing the “big picture” for easy planning and cross-checking.

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Tea&Coffee/Water/Lunch/Dinner:


Coffee breaks are at 10:30 and 15:30.

Previous participants have requested to take these breaks in the hotel lobby at our own expense so everyone can choose their favourite coffee or tea, whether it is a freshly made cappuccino, an espresso or a fruit tea, rather than getting the usual pre-brewed coffee from a thermos in the conference room. 

Coffee break in the foyer of the venue (Corinthia St George).

Coffee breaks in the sun.

Coffee break in the sunshine

Water bottles are supplied on our conference table and cost 3 EUR per large bottle. The total number of water consumed is divided through the number or participants (including me, of course). 

Lunches are planned, but not necessarily, to be enjoyed jointly. Some wish to have a lunch break on their own or having a short nap after an intense morning! Often lunches are great fun, I must admit,  joining in for more talks about our joint sailing dreams…

To enjoy an efficient lunch, we choose from the menu and order during morning coffee breaks. At around 12:30 we walk over to the lunch terrace of the hotel at “Henry J Beans” or to the beautiful terrace overlooking the St George Bay in the Corinthia Marina Hotel. We are then promptly served thanks to the fact that we ordered it during the morning break. Alternatively, we stay in the hotel lobby for some club sandwich or sallad or we go for a short walk to the near by beach for a simple sallad in the sunshine. 

Waiting for lunch in the near-by Corinthia Marina Hotel

 

 

If your spouse or partner is making you company for a holiday on Malta but does not join the course, they are obviously very warmly welcome to join for lunches and dinners! 

 

A salad or wrap for lunch at Henry J Beans just outside our conference room.

 

Dinners can be enjoyed on your own or jointly with the group. Typically I join you for most (but maybe not all) of the evenings. We enjoy dinners in my favourite restaurants in vicinity. 

Dinner at Fresco’s

Dreaming, planning and talking about sailing continues deep into the night in one of the cozy restaurants nearby.

The 2024 group at the MEZ restaurant, tasting the spices of the Indian Ocean.

Frescos as seen on their own homepage

 

Possibly the top of evenings is when we jointly meet at the renown Royal Malta Yacht Club, (also famous for hosting the annual Rolex Middle Sea Race). As a member of the RMYC, I may invite my participants as guests at this exclusive club. 

 

 

Pre-dinner drink on the terrace of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

Reginasailing dinner at the Yacht Club.

Flights and getting to and from the airport:

Malta is one of the easiest places to fly to from all over Europe. KM Malta, Lufthansa, Ryanair are just a few of the many airlines that fly into Malta several times per day.

The the easiest way around on Malta is to download the BOLT-App to your smartphone and let one of the over 1,000 BOLT-drivers pick you up anywhere and drive you exactly where you need to go. 

Fly to the sunshine in winter to this thrilling and very different island in the Mediterranean!

Preparation:

If you intend to take the RYA Yachtmaster Assessments, it is strongly recommended that you come well prepared and have a good understanding of the basics of navigation. You are, however, also welcome if you wish to learn as much as you please without doing the assessments in which case you, obviously, may come as prepared or unprepared as you like.

It is very helpful, if not necessary, to be on the working level of an RYA Day Skipper or have taking your “SKS” in Germany. Alternatively, reading the Complete Day Skipper by Tom Cunliffe or Praxisguide Fahrtensegeln by myself makes the course so much more relaxed to attend!

Please check here for some examples of books to read. 

Please don’t forget to use your 10% discount code rs-BHAPGG10 when ordering anything from bookharbour.com.

 

 

 

Book early:

Please contact me, preferably including some short information about yourself, if you are interested to participate in one of the upcoming theory courses.

What previous participants say: 

For full list of testimonials, see here.

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Yves Moury, Bolivia
“You would be a fool not to attend a Reginasailing course, whatever your previous experience is."
Daniela Baumgaertl, Germany
"Compared to the German system, the SSS or the SKS, the Yachtmaster is more focused on the practical side."
Christoph Lussi, Germany
"The real benefit of the course was the team chemistry created by Leon."
Renato Bosso, Brazil
"The course opened up my mind for future possibilities even crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to my home country Brazil one day."
Kajsa Lemby, Sweden
"If you wish to learn navigation and laugh at the same time, take a course with Leon!"
Niels Thiele, Germany
“If I had to describe Leon as a person in three words, I would choose the following words: empathetic, professional, and patient. However, three words are not sufficient to fully capture his remarkable personality and his outstanding course."
Carol Wu, Hongkong
"The learning stays with you long after you have left the classroom. Plus, Leon has the patience of a saint. Leon is simply wonderful!"
Dagmar Schulze, Germany
“This is practice-oriented learning par excellence: this is how you learn passage planning! Leon's balanced approach turned both the exercises and the subjects into interesting matter."
David Kinnaird, UK
"Leon has a philosophical approach to sailing, mixing the ying of mastery of the elements with the yang of mastery of technology."
Christian Rudolf, Germany
“The RYA method is much more hands-on than the German SKS, constantly emphasising on good seamanship. Once I had taken the hurdle with the English sailing terminology, it was all really relaxed."
David Harrisson, Northern Ireland
"One word that applies to everything Leon does is ‘Quality’! Whether it’s the templates he designed, the hotel where the theory courses are held, the restaurants he recommends, the condition in which Regina Laska is maintained, the meals he is able to provide at sea and, perhaps most important of all, his training courses."
Roland Maasfeld, Germany
“It has been amazing to meet all the like minded fellow sailors from across the world and to spend the time in this course together. You have created a fantastic atmosphere inside and outside of the course!"
Martin und Brigitte Winkel, Austria
“This theory course felt like sailing together with friends!"
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