| Here I am going to explore the realities and the | | | | crew of, say ,15 it is hard to imagine someone |
| myths that surround this subject. I shall start with a | | | | without something to do in an emergency! It means |
| simple answer to the above question; the answer is | | | | that nannies, masseurs, secretaries, butlers and |
| NO! and also YES! | | | | security guards etc. do not need to do basic training |
| Oh dear! Now I sound like a lawyer. So let’s start | | | | but, practically speaking, everyone else does. |
| with the legal facts…….who LEGALLY must attend | | | | But to hell with legal requirements! Basic training is not |
| basic training? That’s easy to answer for some | | | | about legal technicalities. It is about YOUR safety and |
| people. Anyone who wishes to obtain a Yacht Rating | | | | the safety of your fellow crew members and your |
| Certificate, an Officer of the Watch, Chief Mate or | | | | guests. The MCA place a lot of emphasis on the |
| Masters certificate or anyone who wishes to attend | | | | importance of this programme and you should note |
| the Medical First Aid course or gain a Certificate of | | | | the recent comments by the Chief Examiner, Captain |
| Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue boats on a | | | | Roger Towner at a PYA seminar, to the effect that |
| luxury yacht charter must obtain the relevant basic | | | | they consider that five full days of instruction are |
| training module before they can even be admitted to | | | | needed as a minimum for the course material to be |
| the advanced course. | | | | properly presented. A course provider in Budapest |
| As far as the other members of the crew are | | | | was specifically mentioned as being sub standard; |
| concerned Section 6.1 of the STCW convention | | | | using videos instead of practical training, they ran all |
| states clearly that : | | | | four courses plus Crisis Management and Crowd |
| ‘ seafarers employed or engaged in any capacity | | | | Control in one weekend! Don’t sell yourself short |
| on board on the business of the ship as part of the | | | | – train properly! |
| ships compliment with designated safety or pollution | | | | Don’t forget that basic training is only the first |
| prevention duties shall, before being assigned any | | | | step in gaining the professional knowledge that new |
| shipboard duties [attend 4 element basic training] | | | | crew need to be safe and effective team members; |
| ’ | | | | the other key element is the yacht specific training |
| So, in fact the rules have stopped short of formally | | | | that should be organised on board. |
| requiring all yacht crew to attend as an automatic | | | | So in the end the answer is an emphatic YES! Those |
| requirement. They have said that all crew who have | | | | who have not taken their basic training courses |
| a nominated role in the emergency organisation | | | | already find it difficult to find work whether on large |
| should attend 4 element basic training. So what does | | | | yachts or small. Management companies and crew |
| THAT mean? | | | | are all making it a requirement. But the thing to |
| It is possible to imagine that on a luxury yacht | | | | remember is that there is a reason for this: these |
| charter with a crew of maybe 1500 there could be a | | | | courses are genuinely REALLY IMPORTANT! |
| few of them spare in an emergency but in a yacht | | | | |