Glossary

Yacht delivery, term by term

Plain-English definitions of the licences, events, roles, documents, and concepts that come up in yacht delivery. Owners, captains, and crew all land here at some point. Pick a term, get the short answer, follow the links to the longer guides.

Licences

Commercial Endorsement
RYA Commercial Endorsement
A Commercial Endorsement is the add-on that turns an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean certificate from a recreational qualification into one valid for paid delivery work.
MCA Master Yachts <200 GT
MCA Master 200 / MCA Master Yacht 200
MCA Master Yachts <200 GT is the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency commercial captain licence for vessels up to 200 gross tonnes, the standard qualification for delivery captains on larger sailing yachts and most motor yachts.
STCW Basic Safety Training
STCW Basic / STCW 95 / STCW 2010
STCW Basic Safety Training is the international seafarer-safety certificate that every paid delivery crew member needs before they can step on a commercial-endorsed vessel.
Yachtmaster Ocean
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean is the highest RYA sailing qualification, certifying a skipper to plan and execute ocean passages of unlimited length, including transatlantic deliveries.
Yachtmaster Offshore
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore is the British sailing qualification that allows a skipper to command a vessel of up to 24 metres on passages up to 150 nautical miles from a safe haven.

Documents

Passage Plan
Voyage plan
A passage plan is the written, route-by-route plan a skipper produces before a yacht leaves port, covering navigation, weather, contingencies, and onboard responsibilities.

Concepts

Transatlantic Window
A transatlantic window is the seasonal weather period when an Atlantic crossing can be made with acceptable risk, bounded on one side by hurricane season and on the other by high-latitude winter lows.

Roles

Delivery Skipper
Delivery captain
A delivery skipper is a paid professional skipper hired to sail a yacht from one port to another, typically without the owner on board.

Events

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
ARC / ARC Rally
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is the annual transatlantic yacht rally that departs Gran Canaria for Saint Lucia in late November, the largest organised crossing in cruising sailing.

Need a quote?

Definitions are useful, but a real captain quoting your real route beats any reference table. Post your delivery and captains who actually know your route will reply.