What the Yacht Rating certificate is
The Yacht Rating certificate sits between green deckhand and the officer track on the deck career ladder. It is the point where properly recorded sea service starts paying off: it certifies you as a trained rating able to form part of a navigational watch on commercial yachts. Unlike the officer Certificates of Competency, which are issued under STCW Regulations II/1 and II/2, the Yacht Rating certificate is applied for on form MSF 4340 under the MCA's own guidance.
Exact requirements
- Sea service: at least 6 months onboard yacht service, which must include at least 2 months of actual seagoing service. Qualifying vessels must be at least 15 metres in load line length.
- STCW basic training: the four STCW basic courses (A-VI/1-1 to A-VI/1-4), delivered together as STCW Basic Safety Training.
- Medical: a valid ENG1 seafarer medical or accepted equivalent.
- Training record book: completed tasks as set out in Annex B of MSN 1862.
- Service evidence: seagoing service is evidenced using the Yacht Rating and Deck Hand seagoing service testimonial at Annex A of MSN 1858 (M+F) Amendment 2.
- Application: apply on form MSF 4340. For fees and processing times, check the current guidance on gov.uk.
"At least 6 months onboard Yacht service which includes at least 2 months of actual seagoing service"
Qualifying vessels must be "at least 15 metres in Load Line Length".
Yacht Rating certificate guidance (MSF 4340), updated 7 April 2025 · Read the full guidance on gov.uk
This is where I started. I dockwalked for four weeks after my deckhand course, picked up daywork, then landed a permanent job that lasted two years, well past the 6 months minimum above, before moving on to a cadetship and my officer tickets.
Courses to book
Compare providers, dates and locations for each course in the YachtSync training directory.
- STCW Basic Safety Training, the four basic courses required for the certificate
- ENG1 seafarer medical, an examination rather than a course, booked with an MCA-approved doctor
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH), the sensible next step: EDH must be held for 18 months before a later OOW application, so completing it early keeps the officer track open
Source documents
- Yacht Rating certificate guidance (MSF 4340), how to apply, updated 7 April 2025. Guidance on gov.uk
- MSN 1858 (M+F) Amendment 2, Annex A is the Yacht Rating and Deck Hand seagoing service testimonial. Landing page · PDF
- MSN 1862, Annex B sets out the training record book tasks. Search gov.uk for the current version of the notice.
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Related: Deck career overview · OOW Yachts (less than 3,000 GT) · Chief Mate Yachts (less than 3,000 GT) · Master Yachts (less than 500 GT) · Master Yachts (less than 3,000 GT) · Chief Mate Yachts Unlimited · Master Yachts Unlimited
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