SeaMemo
How to log sea miles for RYA Yachtmaster & Day Skipper
Every RYA sailing qualification comes down to experience you can prove: sea miles, days at sea, night hours and qualifying passages. Here's exactly how much you need for each level, what a qualifying passage is – and how to record it all so it stands up when an examiner starts asking questions.
What counts as a sea mile?
A sea mile is a nautical mile – 1.852 km, the distance sailors and the RYA count in. What matters for a qualification is the distance you actually covered on the water, so a GPS track over the ground is the most honest measure. Miles count whether you were under sail or engine – it's sea time – but for the sailing Yachtmaster your experience needs to be gained on sailing yachts. "Night hours" are the hours logged between the times of sunset and sunrise, and a "day at sea" is a day spent on passage or living aboard and sailing.
RYA sea mile & sea time requirements
The RYA Certificates of Competence build on each other. These are the minimum pre-exam requirements, and all sea time must have been gained within the last 10 years, with at least half in tidal waters:
| Certificate | Days at sea | Miles | As skipper | Night / passages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yachtmaster Coastal | 30 days | 800 miles | 2 days | 12 night hours |
| Yachtmaster Offshore | 50 days | 2,500 miles | 5 days | 5 passages over 60 miles, incl. 2 overnight and 2 as skipper |
| Yachtmaster Ocean | Hold Yachtmaster Offshore first, then a qualifying ocean passage of 600 miles (incl. 200 miles more than 50 miles from land), lasting at least 96 hours, non-stop, as skipper or in sole charge of a watch – plus astro navigation. | |||
Holding a lower certificate reduces the requirement: e.g. with the Coastal Skipper Practical certificate, Yachtmaster Coastal drops to 12 days / 400 miles; with a Certificate of Competence in another discipline, Yachtmaster Offshore drops to 25 days / 1,250 miles / 3 passages. Always check the current figures on the RYA website before booking an exam.
What about Day Skipper? Day Skipper is a training course rather than an examined Certificate of Competence, so there's no hard mileage gate – but the RYA recommends arriving with some real sailing behind you (commonly cited as around 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours). Those early miles also count later towards Yachtmaster, so log them from day one.
What is a qualifying passage?
The RYA defines a qualifying passage as a continuously underway (non-stop) voyage from a departure port or safe haven to a destination port or safe haven. The distance is the shortest navigable route – you can't pad it by sailing the long way round. You must have sailed it in a responsible role:
- Skipper – the person responsible for planning and executing the passage, including vessel and watch management.
- Mate – anyone with sole responsibility for managing a navigational watch during the passage.
Crucially, the role can't be shared: if the skipper hands over mid-passage, neither person can claim to have skippered it. That's why recording who did what, on which leg matters as much as the miles.
Mile building
"Mile building" is the British term for trips taken specifically to accumulate qualifying miles and passages – often longer offshore legs and overnighters that tick several boxes at once (miles, night hours, passages over 60 miles, time as skipper). Book them deliberately, and make sure the trip actually contains the overnight and skipper legs you still need.
There's no official RYA sea-miles form. Unlike some countries, the RYA doesn't issue a stamped, signed mileage certificate. Your experience lives in your own logbook, and at the exam the examiner will question you extensively about your qualifying passages, mileage and sea time. Your logbook is the proof – so it needs to be accurate, detailed and something you can talk to with confidence.
How SeaMemo helps you log – and defend – your miles
SeaMemo turns every trip into exactly the record an examiner probes for. It tracks your route and distance by GPS – offline, over the ground – and adds up your nautical miles, days at sea, night hours and days as skipper on their own. Each leg keeps its departure and destination, times, crew and whether you skippered, so a qualifying passage is documented the moment it happens, not reconstructed from memory months later.
When you need to show it, you export a clean PDF from your logbook. To be clear: for the RYA that PDF is your logbook evidence, not an official form – there isn't one. But GPS-verified miles and honest, per-leg detail are exactly what let you answer every question with confidence.
Sailing towards a German (SKS, SSS) or Austrian (FB1–FB4) licence instead? There, SeaMemo fills the official sea-miles certificate for you automatically – see the sea-miles certificate on the home page.
Log every mile, prove every passage
SeaMemo is free on iOS and Android. Track your next passage, and your miles, night hours and skipper time add up on their own.
Frequently asked questions
How many miles do I need for Yachtmaster Offshore?
2,500 miles, plus 50 days at sea, 5 days as skipper and 5 passages over 60 miles (including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper), all within the last 10 years. Holding a Certificate of Competence in another discipline reduces this.
What is a qualifying passage?
A non-stop voyage from one port or safe haven to another, measured by the shortest navigable route, sailed as skipper or as mate with sole responsibility for a watch. The role can't be transferred mid-passage.
Does the RYA need a signed sea-miles form?
No. There's no official RYA mileage form. Your experience is recorded in your own logbook, and the examiner questions you on your passages, mileage and sea time – so an accurate, detailed logbook is what counts.
Do motor miles count towards Yachtmaster?
Miles under engine still count as sea time. But the sailing Yachtmaster expects experience gained on sailing yachts, so build the bulk of your miles under sail. SeaMemo keeps sailing and motoring hours separate so your record is clear.
What is mile building?
Trips taken specifically to gather qualifying miles and passages – typically longer offshore and overnight legs that tick several requirements at once. Plan them to include the overnight and skipper legs you still need.