Online RYA VHF/SRC Radio
Booking details
Online RYA VHF/SRC Radio
£89.00
£89.00
Joining Instructions: Please click here for course joining instructions
Recommended Reading: Sailing magazines and newspapers, but this is not essential
Course Prerequisites: No assumed knowledge
VHF Exam Booking: Please use this link direct to the RYA Website to book and pay for your VHF exam
Minimum Age: No minimum but Under 16’s will not be eligible to sit the VHF exam.
This is a one day online based course. The Short Range Certificate (SRC) is the minimum qualification required by law to operate the VHF or VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment (radio) on any British flagged vessel carrying a radio.
This includes both fixed and handheld equipment using International channels, and the general operation and etiquette of the radios.
The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course is designed to help you understand the important legal concepts and maritime SRC/VHF regulations and how they will affect you whilst out on the water.
To make things as straightforward as possible, follow these simple steps:
A VHF radio is a key piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct procedures and operations for its safe use. Unnecessary transmissions could block-out a Mayday distress call or endanger someone’s life.
The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course includes a wide variety of real-life situations – both routine and distress.
You’ll learn how to operate both base station and handheld VHF radios with confidence, including:
Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or just starting, this course builds the essential knowledge and practical skills to ensure you use your radio safely and legally.
A VHF radio is a key piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct procedures and operations for its safe use. Unnecessary transmissions could block-out a Mayday distress call or endanger someone’s life.
The RYA SRC / VHF Radio Course includes a wide variety of real-life situations – both routine and distress.
How long does it take?
Learning online takes most people between 5 – 8 hours to complete the course, including time to review all modules and pass the mock exam at the end to make sure it’s sunk in! This flexible approach means you can study at your own pace, fitting the lessons in around your schedule and revisiting any tricky topics as needed
Courses run in a single format:
For some people attending a 1 day VHF/SRC course in our classroom is not an easy option. So why not do it online!
When you have completed your course you are eligible to attend the SRC/VHF exam. Successful completion of the exam will result in you being awarded your VHF/SRC licence (To be applied-for separately).
On our course there is approximately 3-4 hours of pre-course learning that we recommend you undertake. This can be found by clicking on this link here.
The Exam. This 1 hour session needs to legally take place at an RYA Recognised Training School.
You can sit the exam in our dedicated VHF training facility at the end of the course, or you are free to sit the exam at any other Registered RYA Centre that is SRC accredited.
There is an exam fee of £76 which is paid directly to the RYA via this link here. Students must be 16 yrs old in order to be able to sit the operators exam.
If you are only looking to take the VHF/SRC exam and not the course itself, there is a separate fee structure to be aware of:
In summary: The RYA exam fee remains standard for everyone, but if you choose to sit the exam alone with us rather than as part of a course, the centre administration fee is applicable. Please factor this into your planning.
To ensure you’re ready for the real thing, the course concludes with a mock exam designed to check your knowledge and confidence in using VHF radio. This practice assessment covers all the key topics from the course, including distress and emergency procedures, routine calls, and correct radio etiquette.
You’ll tackle scenario-based questions similar to those you might face during the official RYA examination, helping to reinforce your understanding and highlight any areas that might need a quick review. Completing the mock exam is an excellent way to make sure you’re fully prepared before booking your actual test.
This is the perfect course for anyone going afloat.
The ability to clearly and safely call for assistance and communicate with the Coastguard or other boats via VHF radio is a vital tool for anyone onboard, weather you are the skipper, first mate or even a crewmember or passenger.
Being able to properly operate the VHF radio is essential. From calling for assistance, general communications between vessels and of course giving the marina the all important call for a berth for the night.
It’s a long day but incredibly informative and rewarding. The certificate is yours for life if you pass the exam at the end. This will give you a skill that could save lives in the future.
We really recommend this course for anyone operating a vessel as crew or skipper due to the need to be properly licenced.
Booking a charter holiday abroad it is now more commonplace for the holiday company to ask for someone on the boat to be qualified to operate the VHF radio.
£89.00
Study RYA Yachtmaster coastal theory with Commodore Yachting in Gosport. This RYA Yachtmaster theory course takes you from Day Skipper level to Coastal/Yachtmaster standard. Covering advanced navigation, meteorology, passage planning, and collision regulations over six days.
Our RYA Yachtmaster theory includes classroom tuition from experienced instructors, chart work, and exam preparation. After completing this course you can progress to RYA Yachtmaster practical preparation. For official syllabus information visit the RYA Yachtmaster page.
Learn more
The RYA Day Skipper Sail Course runs over five days and brings students with at least the RYA Competent Crew Sail qualification (or knowledge to that level as minimum) and some sailing experience, up to skipper level.
The RYA Day Skipper practical course is where you stop being crew and start being skipper. Over five days on the Solent, you will take command of a Bavaria yacht under the supervision of an RYA instructor. You will plan passages, make navigational decisions, and manage the crew.
The Solent is one of the best places in the UK to train for your Day Skipper practical. Tidal streams, commercial shipping, and busy harbours mean you get real experience of skippering in challenging conditions. You will visit ports like Portsmouth, Cowes, and Yarmouth, practicing berthing alongside and picking up mooring buoys. Successful completion prepares you for the RYA Coastal Skipper practical course.
Prerequisites: RYA Competent Crew (or equivalent experience) and the RYA Day Skipper theory certificate. You should have logged at least 5 days, 100 sea miles, and 4 night hours on a sailing yacht.
Learn more
RYA Coastal Skipper Practical: Master Solent Navigation in 5 Days
The RYA Coastal Skipper Practical training course is designed for sailors looking to enhance their coastal navigation and passage planning skills at Premier Gosport Marina. As the next progressive step from the RYA Day Skipper qualification, this training course delivers advanced sailing techniques and navigational expertise for executing longer passages. With over 30 years of Solent-based experience, Commodore Yachting equips you with the confidence to tackle essential Channel crossings. View our live course calendar for RYA Coastal Skipper Practical dates at Gosport Marina.
You may notice that the RYA Coastal Skipper Practical isn’t often scheduled during June, July, or August. This is quite intentional. One of the key elements of this advanced course is meaningful night sailing experience. The long daylight hours of summer simply don’t allow us to provide enough genuine night time navigation for every student. To ensure you gain real-world skills—like plotting courses in darkness and handling a yacht after sunset—we schedule these courses more at times of year when darkness reliably falls early enough for proper night passages.
Every aspect of the course is designed for focused, in-depth learning. We limit numbers to just four students per yacht, all learning at the same advanced level. This lets our RYA instructors tailor tuition to the needs of budding Coastal Skippers. Please note: students must be at least 17 years old, and anyone under 18 will need a parent or guardian on board. But don’t worry we do run them but we have smaller numbers in the summer so we can get those night hours in!
Ready to navigate with confidence, day or night? Here’s what’s included in your training:
The RYA Coastal Skipper practical course is the advanced level of RYA training. This is not a beginners course. You should already hold your Day Skipper qualification and have logged at least 800 sea miles with 30 night hours. The course pushes your navigation, boat handling, and decision making to a professional standard.
Over five days on the Solent, you will plan and execute coastal passages using tidal height and stream information, manage the yacht at night, and handle emergency situations. The Solent gives you varied conditions for this training — busy shipping lanes, restricted waters, and challenging tidal gates at Hurst Narrows and the Needles passage.
Successful completion of the Coastal Skipper practical course qualifies you to skipper a yacht up to 150 miles from a safe haven, day and night. It is also a prerequisite for the Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore exams.
Learn more
Exciting Channle islands exploration!! This will be my third time with Commodore, no regrets. 😁 Such a great trip exploring the Channle islands and northern France. We got to see lovely towns in Guernsey and Jersey as well as a fab market in Cherbourg. The sailing was so great! Over 350 miles covered and well over doubled my night hours. Big shoutout and thank you to our amazing skipper Ed who always had to the best recommendation and was so flexible to what we wanted to do as a group. He was an amazing support through out the trip, gave great MOB training and help in passage planning. Boat was great as always. Amazing experience and can’t wait to go on similar trips with the company.
Orla SimpsonWe did a mile builder channel crossing with Karen. She was absolutely brilliant, a great combination of confident and relaxed to help us build our feeling of confidence. Would highly recommend the mile builder with her. Overall a tiring but extremely rewarding experience. Thank you Karen!!
Ana Sofia Almagro