Officer of the Watch

MCA Officer of the Watch training consists of several different modules which need to be completed within required MCA time scales. Anyone looking to gain their MCA Officer of the Watch Certification is advised to read the following pages to better understand the MCA requirements:

Elegibiltiy for deck officer
Routes to certification
Manning Scales

Officer of the Watch pre-requisites

• 19 years old or over
• Have (since the age of 16) a minimum of 36 months Onboard Yacht Service, in vessels of any size, including not less than 365 days Sea Service in vessels of 15 metres or over in loadline length, where the Sea Service is:
  • A minimum of 250 days Actual Sea Service, and
  • The balance of 115 days any combination of the following:
    • Further Actual Sea Service
    • Stand-by Service to a maximum of 14 consecutive days in one period regardless of any further time spent standing-by. Further periods may be counted only when the vessel returns after proceeding to sea on passage
    • Yard Service to a maximum of 90 days continuously or in separate periods
• Have completed the MCA approved Training Record Book

Note

Not required if the candidate can provide evidence of 36 months Sea Service in vessels of at least 24 metres in load line length.