COMPETENCIES TO QUALIFY FOR THE YACHT CAPTAIN LICENSE

• Introduction to Celestial Navigation. The Celestial Sphere. Coordinate Systems. Position Triangle and its elements.
• True motion of the Earth, Moon, and Planets. Apparent motion of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Selected astronomical definitions.
• Identification of the Stars most commonly used in navigation. Constellations. Relationship between GHA-LHA, star SHA, LHA, and the observer’s longitude.
• Relationship between time and longitudes. Time zones, legal, civil, and official time.
• Purpose of the Nautical Almanac. Meridian passage of celestial bodies. Concepts of Nautical Almanac components.
• The Marine Chronometer: General aspects. The Sextant: Optical or reading principles. Its use. Sextant errors and adjustments. Selecting a sextant.
• Measurement and correction of altitude for the Sun, Stars, Moon, and Planets. Methodology for meridian altitude observations.
• Lines of Position (LOP): Principle of the intercept method (line of position). Value of an altitude line of position. Fixing the vessel’s position by two or more lines of position. Advancing a line of position.
• Calculation of the line of position using tables. Various methods of calculating an altitude line of position.
• Determination of latitude by meridian altitude and by observation of the Pole Star (Polaris). Line of position by Stars, Planets, Sun, and Moon.

Fixes the vessel’s position utilizing celestial bodies.

Manages data and information from the nautical almanac.

Manages navigation aid equipment and instruments.

• Ship dimensions. Longitudinal and transverse stability. Center of gravity, center of buoyancy (buoyancy volume), metacenter, and center of lateral resistance (pressure). Positive, neutral, and negative stability.
• Calculation of trim and its variations. Draft variations due to changes in water density. Displacement. Regulations for determining freeboard.
• Vessel behavior among waves. Rolling and pitching.
• Hull breaching and flooding. Critical period. Grounding. Dry-docking fundamentals.

Guarantees the seaworthiness of the vessel.

Develops damage control contingency plans and acts effectively in such situations.

• Content of the IMO Model Course 1.27: Operational use of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
• Knowledge of the capability and limitations of ECDIS operations: Data accuracy, presentation rules, and the dangers of over-reliance.
• Utilization, interpretation, and analysis of information: Route monitoring, sea area display, display mode, and orientation.
• Verification of the vessel’s position by alternative means.
• Adjustment of operational parameters and alarms (grounding, special areas, chart updates).
• Situational awareness: Safe waters, proximity to hazards, direction and speed of currents, sensor integrity.

• Main engine, moving and stationary parts. Types of Engines. Operational principles (2-stroke and 4-stroke).
• Auxiliary equipment: Pumps, Generators, Evaporators, Boilers, Heat exchangers, and Valves.
• Types of maintenance: Preventive, corrective, and predictive.
• Common faults in marine engines and their troubleshooting/corrections.
• Preparations for bunkering (fueling). Consumption calculations. Procedures for connecting/disconnecting fuel transfer hoses. Tank sounding/level measurements.

Operates the Main engine and auxiliary equipment.

Maintains machinery installations.

Identifies breakdowns in propulsion machinery and its auxiliaries.

Contributes to bunkering operations.

• Meteorological instruments: Thermometer, thermograph, barometer, barograph, psychrometer, anemometer, weather vanes (types and calibration).
• Fronts: Properties and classification. Warm and cold fronts. Frontal systems along the coasts of Venezuela.
• Wind: Causes, air mass movements. Reading synoptic charts. Force and direction scales. Trade winds (Alisios) and counter-trade winds.
• Clouds: Classification and interpretation.
• Cyclones and Anticyclones: Formation, trajectories, seasons. Dangerous semicircles and evasive maneuvers.
• Meteorological information: Bulletins, reports, weather charts, and pilot charts. Decoding and plotting.
• Ocean currents: Caribbean Sea and coastal waters of Venezuela. Application to dead reckoning navigation.
• Waves: Formation, wavelength, speed, breakers, and undertow.
• Sea Ice: Formation, icebergs, limits, and seasons.
• Tides: Origin, harmonic motion, prediction of heights and times utilizing tide tables.

• IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP): Procedure, spelling, message markers, responses.
• Distress, urgency, or safety signals.
• Organization of radiocommunications.
• Specialized terms for Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).
• Search and rescue (SAR), medical assistance, meteorological conditions.
• Operational and maintenance manuals. Safety and lifesaving appliances.

• Basic knowledge of pollution in the aquatic environment. Prevention.
• Content of the IMO Model Course 1.38: Marine Environmental Awareness.
• Use and operation of pollution combat equipment.
• Approved methods for the disposal of pollutants.

• Steering: The rudder (types, operation, and maintenance). Faults, breakdowns, and emergency repairs. The steering gear (servomotor).
• The Anchor: Applications for ship handling. Anchoring maneuvers.
• Combined evolutionary effects of propeller and rudder. Turning circles.
• Maneuvering at low speed and in shallow waters. Sea trials and turning circle tables.
• Hydrodynamic resistance, wave-making resistance, air resistance, and hull cleanliness/fouling effects.