So do you REALLY need to do basic training or is this a myth that no-one has thought to challenge?



Here I am going to explore the realities and the myths that surround this subject. I shall start with a simple answer to the above question; the answer is NO! and also YES!

Oh dear! Now I sound like a lawyer. So let's start with the legal facts…….who LEGALLY must attend basic training? That's easy to answer for some people. Anyone who wishes to obtain a Yacht Rating Certificate, an Officer of the Watch, Chief Mate or Masters certificate or anyone who wishes to attend the Medical First Aid course or gain a Certificate of Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue boats must obtain the relevant basic training module before they can even be admitted to the advanced course.

As far as the other members of the crew are concerned Section 6.1 of the STCW convention states clearly that:

"seafarers employed or engaged in any capacity on board on the business of the ship as part of the ships compliment with designated safety or pollution prevention duties shall, before being assigned any shipboard duties [attend 4 element basic training]"

So, in fact the rules have stopped short of formally requiring all yacht crew to attend as an automatic requirement. They have said that all crew who have a nominated role in the emergency organisation should attend 4 element basic training. So what does THAT mean?

It is possible to imagine that on a passenger ship with a crew of maybe 1500 there could be a few of them spare in an emergency but in a yacht crew of, say ,15 it is hard to imagine someone without something to do in an emergency! It means that nannies, masseurs, secretaries, butlers and security guards etc. do not need to do basic training but, practically speaking, everyone else does.

But to hell with legal requirements! Basic training is not about legal technicalities. It is about YOUR safety and the safety of your fellow crew members and your guests. The MCA place a lot of emphasis on the importance of this programme and you should note the recent comments by the Chief Examiner, Captain Roger Towner at a PYA seminar, to the effect that they consider that five full days of instruction are needed as a minimum for the course material to be properly presented. A course provider in Budapest was specifically mentioned as being sub standard; using videos instead of practical training, they ran all four courses plus Crisis Management and Crowd Control in one weekend! Don't sell yourself short – train properly!

Don't forget that basic training is only the first step in gaining the professional knowledge that new crew need to be safe and effective team members; the other key element is the yacht specific training that should be organised on board.

So in the end the answer is an emphatic YES! Those who have not taken their basic training courses already find it difficult to find work whether on large yachts or small. Management companies and crew are all making it a requirement. But the thing to remember is that there is a reason for this: these courses are genuinely REALLY IMPORTANT!