Good news for Royal Yachting Association (RYA) commercial certificate holders. Australia now recognizes RYA training courses for the purposes of obtaining commercial certificate in Australia.
Holding a YachtMaster certificate does not automatically entitle the holder to an Australian commercial certificate (“Sailing Master Offshore NC”), but it is a prerequisite. You also need a commercial radio certificate and other specific training (see image below).
If necessary, you can read about the Australian equivalent of the Marine Personnel Regulations, Marine Order 505. In particular, commercial certificates come with a sailing vessel restriction.
Very few of us will sail in Australia. This addition to the law is therefore not of direct benefit to Canadian holders of an RYA certificate. However, it does add another jurisdiction to the list of those that recognize RYA patents for commercial purposes.
