UK Coastal Zone

First and foremost you need your Yachtmaster Offshore with Commercial Endorsement. This will allow you to skipper a yacht up to 200gt.

A commercially endorsed Coastal Skippers ticket will get you a few jobs, perhaps with a Med based yacht charter/sailing activities company or as a mate on a delivery but the Yachtmaster opens up many more doors.

From January 1st 2010 the RYA/MCA Coastal Skipper Certificate of Competence will be known as the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence.

Unlike with the Day Skipper, where you are deemed competent (or not) by the instructor, obtaining the RYA/MCA YC Certificate of Competence requires passing an assessment by an external examiner who comes on board for a 6 to 10 hour period.

The Yachtmaster Coastal ticket is an excellent stepping stone on your way to Yachtmaster from Day Skipper. It is a lot harder than Day Skipper and requires a lot more experience. You need 800nm, 30 days at sea (2 of which as skipper), and 12 night hours before you can take the Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence exam.

Most people that take the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence exam do a 4 or 5 day Coastal Skipper prep course beforehand. This allows them to really focus on getting up to the standard the RYA expect and ensures that any bad habits are ironed out before the examiner comes on board.

Some people like to take the Coastal Skipper practical course before taking an exam. To take this course only 15 days sea time are required (2 of which as skipper), 300nm and 8 night hours. So it is a course that can be taken relatively soon after taking the Day Skipper course. It is deemed that the quality of experience obtained by taking the CS practical course is so good that the requirements to sit the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence are reduced to 20 days at sea (2 as skipper), 400nm and 12 night hours.

The difference between a Yachtmaster Coastal and a Yachtmaster or Yachtmaster Offshore is that Yachtmasters do it better. They are expected to be slicker, better practised and quicker to react to a problem.

To get the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence ticket candidates sit an 8 to 12 hour practical exam. Before sitting the exam they must have at least 50 days seatime, 5 days as skipper, 2500nm, 5 passages over 60nm, including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. It is a good idea for candidates to do a Yachtmaster prep week before taking the exam.

To sit either the Yachtmaster Coastal or Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence exam candidates must also have a restricted (VHF only) Radio Operators Certificate or a GMDSS Short Range Certificate or higher grade of marine radio certificate plus a valid first aid certificate (first aid qualifications held by Police, Fire and Armed Services are acceptable).

If you need a Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence in order to work on board a commercial craft subject the MCA's codes of practice, you will need to get it commercially endorsed. You can then work on commercial vessels up to 24m in length, operating in category 3, 4, 5 and 6 waters - that is up to 20 miles from a nominated departure point in fine weather and daylight.

If you need a Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence in order to work on board a commercial craft subject to the MCA's codes of practice, you will need to get it commercially endorsed as well. You can then work as a Master of commercial vessels of up to 200gt in category 1 to 6 waters - that is up to 150 miles from a safe haven.

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence can be used commercially in its own right. It is also a pre-requisite for the MCA's Officer of the Watch qualification, which enables you to work worldwide on vessels of up to 3000gt.

To get a commercial endorsement on either the Yachtmaster Coastal or Yachtmaster Offshore certificate you have to send your original YC or YM certificate to the RYA along with a commercial endorsement application form (issued by the RYA), a ML5 or ENG1 medical fitness certificate, a copy of your Personal Survival Techniques STCW95 or Basic Sea Survival Certificate and a passport sized photo with your name on the back plus an admin fee.

New Port is a city in Wales. The travel and work area of New Port incorporates most of south Monmouthshire. New Port has three major centers for employment namely the city center and business parks that are clustered around the M4 junctions (28 in the West and 24 in the East). The biggest employer in New Port is the Civil Service.

In the year 1997, New Port had bagged what was then considered to be Europe's biggest ever inward investment, when the LG Group had announced a £1.7 billion project, which in turn created 6,100 jobs and supported many public sector giants. New Port is renowned for its mild Pacific coastal climate, corporate houses and a nearby airport boasting of a dozen major air carriers. The city is also popular for its distinctive housing, oceanfront dining and a booming retail sector.

Excellent Transport Network
New Port has excellent road, rail, sea and air services that make it an ideal strategic business location.

Roads
The major east-west route in the Southern part of the UK, the M4 motorway, connects the city to London and the South East. There's a proposed second motorway that's expected to speed up the east-west connections even more.

Rail
New Port has a well-developed railway network, which connects it to other major cities. Through the rail network, a person can reach London in just 110 minutes.

Air
New Port is in close proximity to the Bristol Airport (which is only 55 minutes drive time away) and Cardiff International Airport (which is just 35 minutes drive time away). These airports provide direct scheduled services to many national and international locations. London Heathrow Airport, one of the major international airports in the UK, is just 2 hours drive time away.

Sea
The New York Port is ideally located to serve the major commercial and industrial centers of the UK.

Abundant skilled workforce
New Port's geographical position (it is situated at the gateway to Wales) provides employers with easy access to a vast reservoir of potential staff.

Close to 74,000 people are employed in New Port and an estimated 479,000 economically active people reside within a 30-minute drive time. More than 1.6 million people stay within a one-hour drive. The resident population of New Port is estimated to grow by approximately 10,000 over the next decade. Also, the annual output of first-degree graduates from the universities located within 30 miles of New Port is more than 17,000. The New Port workforce has a proven track record, when it comes to loyalty, flexibility and dedication.

Financial Assistance
For the companies expanding within or relocating to New Port, there are many financial incentives. Following are some grants (usually up to £5000) that are applicable to businesses in every sector:

• Information and Communication Technology Grant: It can be accessed by businesses consisting of up to 50 employees.
• Commercial and Industrial Improvement Area Grant: It is available to every business in the 6 defined areas of New Port.
• Start-Up Rent Subsidy: It's available to Limited Companies, sole traders or partnerships.

Apart from all these factors, New Port offers an excellent quality of life. Thus, New Port can really prove to be an investment hotspot.