Royal Yachting Association Powerboat Handling Level 2).
RYA Powerboat Level 2) training takes place at our private country house estate venue in Staffordshire; a two-day course aimed at the commercial / industrial / lowland rescue and fire & rescue sectors; operating in land-locked counties without tidal or coastal considerations.
Our instructional team are either currently serving or recently retired from both lowland rescue and fire & rescue backgrounds.
Please note that we NO LONGER OFFER ‘LEISURE’ TYPE POWERBOAT TRAININING, only commercial courses, booked ‘per vessel’; three candidates to one instructor or multiples thereof.
Having moved away from ‘leisure’ oriented boat courses since the spring of 2023, Birmingham & Midland Marine Services Ltd are only running commercially oriented RYA Powerboat Level 2 training: our main client base being the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, their contractors, sub-contractors, and Lowland Rescue / Blue-Light personnel in lesser numbers.
Although not undertaken on coastal or tidal waters the theory is still covered in full and the licence issued upon successful completion is valid for inland and coastal environments within RYA guidelines.
Training is undertaken on a 3:1 basis as a ‘closed course’. We generally run two vessels simultaneously, as a 6:2 but are limited to three candidates to a vessel. 3 is our minimum number of candidates per invoice. Course charges are based on a full cohort of three candidates to a vessel with one instructor. Two candidates attending would be charged for the full three places. Prices are variable with discounts available for multi-boat bookings and for blue-light organisations; please contact office@midlandmarine.co.uk for more information.
Training takes place at our second training centre at Chillington Hall, based from an 18th Century ‘Grecian Temple’, adjacent to the 60 acre lake in the grounds (designed by the renowned landscape architect, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown) of the private, country estate; home of the occupying Family for some 900 years (www.chillingtonhall.co.uk).
We generally have availability for either three or six candidates on Mondays & Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays, if conditions allow (ice, excessive wind). Not having sole-access to the lake we can only advise upon which dates are ‘currently’ available for powerboat training: Other estate activities including ‘live firing’ events are also run in the same location, and shooting in particular doesn’t work too well with boats being on the water at the same time! If the lake or surrounding areas have earmarked for live firing activities out after you have given us your preferred dates, we will liaise with you to try to find an alternative set of consecutive dates that work for both parties.
Commercial / Industrial Training
Powerboat training for personnel working ‘Tiller-steer’ craft on inland, non-tidal waters such as Environment Agency / Canal & River Trust / Marine Access / Lowland Rescue / Safety staff and contractors, is undertaken on a minimum booking of three candidates, in multiples of three, ‘generally’ aboard our RTK Marine Mk 1) Rigid Raiders; 5m military craft.
These craft are former Royal Marines Commandos vessels and with 15hp outboard motors are an ideal training boat for those candidates who are likely to be deployed on Category ‘A’ & ‘B’ or ‘non linked’ waters such as canals, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
The course also forms on one the prerequisites for both our ‘Inland Waters Rescue Boat Operator’ course and ‘DEFRA Module 4) Water Rescue Boat Operator / Swiftwater & Flood Rescue Boat Operator’ courses.
Course content:
This course covers the full syllabus of the RYA scheme, plus additional ‘commercial’ and ‘safety / rescue’ content, course content and delivery developed with involvement of both the Environment Agency and the Canal & River Trust.
Covering elements such as boat handling, securing to a buoy, anchoring, leaving, and coming alongside, man overboard. operating in weed or shallow water conditions, vessel handling in the shallow-drive position, introduction to casualty positioning and management, search patterns and working in low-light / poor visibility conditions, the course provides a foundation level to both the ‘Inland Waters Rescue Boat Operator’s qualification and the Flood Rescue Concept of Operations DEFRA 4 Rescue boat Operator qualification.
For Maritime & Coastguard Agency guidance on training requirements, please follow the link below to view MSN 1853 (M)
Amendment 1
M Notice Template – MSF 5011 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
This notice describes the application of The Merchant Shipping (BoatMaster’s’ Qualifications,
Crew and Hours of Work) Regulations 2015 (“the 2015 Regulations”). The 2015 Regulations
re-enact the Merchant Shipping Inland Waterway and Limited Coastal Operations)
Ability after the course: Self-sufficient powerboater in the right conditions, aware of own limitations and those of craft. Commercial use in daylight hours on Category ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘non-linked’ bodies of water such as lakes and reservoirs. Commercial endorsement required for Category ‘C’ and ‘D’ waters and for night operations.
Note: This level of training would not prepare the coxswain to undertake Safety or Rescue Boat cover roles as these skills require additional training. Please contact us for details.
Included in the course fee:
- RYA PB2 training book
- RYA PB2 Photographic ID card upon successful completion. (You will require a passport photo for your photo ID IWHC licence)
- Tea’s, Coffee’s
- All boat costs.
- RYA Instructor
