Ocean Skipper Licence (CY)
The highest recreational nautical licence in Spain. Unlimited distance, in any ocean in the world. Everything you need to know about the CY and how to prepare for the exam with the SailVoyager nautical chart simulator.
Practice exams
Practise with real official Ocean Skipper exam papers. Automatic grading with the exact pass criteria: overall, navigation theory, navigation calculations and meteorology/English.
CY · Comunidad de Madrid · Noviembre 2025
2 tests (Test 01 and Test 02) · 40 questions each · 2h 30min · 2 modules.
What is the Ocean Skipper?
The Capitán de Yate (CY) is the highest-level recreational boating licence in Spain for non-professional vessels. Issued by Spain's Directorate General of the Merchant Marine, it represents the pinnacle of sporting nautical qualifications.
The CY authorises skippering recreational motor craft up to 24 metres in length, personal watercraft without power limit, and sailing boats up to 24m with optional supplementary practice. It permits navigation day and night, with no distance limit from shore, in any ocean on the planet.
All the world's oceans
No distance restriction from shore. You can navigate in any sea or ocean on the planet, day or night.
Up to 24 metres in length
Allows skippering recreational motor craft up to 24m and personal watercraft of any displacement.
The highest recreational licence
It is the highest licence you can obtain for recreational boating in Spain.
Sailing with optional practice
Through optional supplementary practice, the CY can also authorise sailing boats up to 24m.
Requirements to obtain the CY
To obtain the Ocean Skipper licence you must meet the following requirements:
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✓
Hold the Yacht Skipper licence (PY) — It is mandatory to hold the PY before sitting the Ocean Skipper exam.
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✓
Be over 18 years old — Minimum age requirement to obtain the licence.
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✓
Pass the theory exam — Multiple-choice test of 40 questions organised by the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine or the corresponding regional authority.
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✓
Safety and navigation practice (48 hours) — Unlike the PY, all 48 hours must be completely underway. Each student must complete a minimum of 8 hours navigation watch (normally 4h daytime and 4h nighttime).
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✓
Short-range radio operator course — 12 hours (4 theory + 8 simulator practice). No need to repeat it if already completed for the PER or PY.
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✓
Specific medical certificate — Issued at an approved centre for nautical qualifications.
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Fee payment — Exam registration and licence issuance fees (approximately €180).
Differences between PER, PY and CY
The three main recreational licences in Spain form a pyramid of progressive qualification:
| Feature | PER | PY | CY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum length | 15 m | 24 m | 24 m |
| Distance from shore | 12 miles | 150 miles | No limit |
| Night navigation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal watercraft | No limit | No limit | No limit |
| Prior requirement | — | PER | PY |
| Exam questions | 45 | 40 | 40 |
| Oceanic navigation | No | Limited (150 nm from shore) | Unlimited |
| Exam calculations | Nautical chart | Nautical chart | Astronomy (Almanac) |
Syllabus for the CY exam
The Ocean Skipper theory exam consists of 40 questions divided into four blocks of 10. The maximum duration is 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Navigation theory — 10 questions. Minimum 5 correct mandatory. Astronomical navigation, dead reckoning, electronic and oceanic navigation.
Navigation calculations (Astronomical) — 10 questions. Minimum 6 correct mandatory. Solving the astronomical position triangle, altitude lines, latitude by Polaris and trigonometric calculations with the Nautical Almanac. No Strait chart used: exercises are solved on blank paper.
Meteorology — 10 questions. Synoptic analysis, oceanic forecasting, trade winds, tropical depressions and marine climatology.
Nautical English — 10 questions. Vocabulary and communications in English for navigation and distress procedures.
📋 Pass criteria
At least 28 correct answers out of 40 are required. Furthermore, no more than 5 errors in navigation theory and no more than 4 in navigation calculations. The exam can also be passed by modules: Meteorology + English form one module, Theory + Calculations the other. A module pass is retained for the next two exam sittings.
The Astronomical Calculations in the CY exam
The calculations block in the CY exam is radically different from that of the PER and PY: no nautical chart is used. The 10 exercises are pure Astronomical Navigation, solved on blank paper with the Nautical Almanac and spherical trigonometry formulae. It is the only block with a minimum threshold of 6/10 — the most demanding in any recreational nautical licence.
What is required in the CY calculations?
Astronomical navigation exercises require mastery of the position triangle and the Almanac. The most common types of calculation are:
- ✓ Solving the astronomical position triangle
- ✓ Calculating altitude lines (Marcq St-Hilaire method)
- ✓ Determining latitude by Polaris
- ✓ Azimuth and compass correction by astronomical observation
- ✓ Use of the Nautical Almanac and declination tables
- ✓ Time calculations (UT, GMT, local time)
⚠ The CY exam is the only recreational licence that does not use the Strait of Gibraltar nautical chart. Exercises are solved on blank paper using the official Nautical Almanac.
Why use SailVoyager to prepare for the CY
The CY exam does not use the Strait chart, but astronomical calculations with the Almanac. Even so, SailVoyager is useful on your path to the CY: mastering coastal navigation (bearings, courses, compass correction) practised in the PER and PY with the simulator is the indispensable conceptual foundation on which CY astronomical theory is built.
Solid foundation for astronomy
The concepts of course, true bearing and compass correction you practise in the simulator are the starting point for understanding the astronomical calculations of the CY.
Consolidate PER and PY
The CY requires holding the PY. Using SailVoyager helps you review and strengthen the nautical foundation before making the leap to astronomy.
Practise at your own pace
Access 24 hours a day from your computer or tablet. No schedules or travel.
Recommended by academies
Nautical academies across Spain use SailVoyager as a support tool in their qualification path.
Frequently asked questions about the Ocean Skipper
Prepara el CY desde tu ciudad
SailVoyager funciona desde cualquier lugar de España. Elige tu ciudad para ver información específica sobre convocatorias, capitanías y consejos locales.
CY en Madrid
Capitanía Marítima de Madrid · El título náutico de mayor rango al alcance desde la capital.
CY en Barcelona
Puerto de Barcelona · Base para rutas oceánicas por el Mediterráneo y el Atlántico.
CY en Valencia
Comunidad Valenciana · Flota deportiva activa y acceso al Mediterráneo Oriental.
CY en Málaga
Costa del Sol · Punto de salida hacia el Estrecho y las rutas atlánticas.
CY en Sevilla
Capitanía Marítima de Sevilla · Acceso al Atlántico desde el sur de España.
CY en Bilbao
País Vasco · El Cantábrico como escuela para la navegación oceánica.
CY en Alicante
Costa Blanca · Navegación oceánica sin límite hacia el Mediterráneo oriental y el Atlántico.
CY en Palma de Mallorca
Baleares · El CY abre el Mediterráneo occidental e internacional desde el archipiélago.
CY en Tenerife
Canarias · La titulación recomendada para travesías atlánticas desde el archipiélago.
CY en Gran Canaria
Puerto de Las Palmas · Punto de partida estándar para la travesía atlántica al Caribe.
CY en Santander
Cantabria · Atlántico norte, Golfo de Vizcaya y rutas oceánicas sin límite.
CY en A Coruña
Galicia · Azores, Madeira y las grandes travesías atlánticas.
CY en Vigo
Rías Baixas · Atlántico sin límites desde el sur de Galicia.
CY en Cádiz
Estrecho de Gibraltar · Cruce Mediterráneo-Atlántico y rutas hacia Canarias y el Caribe.
CY en Cartagena
Murcia · La capitanía con mayor volumen de exámenes CY del Mediterráneo sur.
CY en Gijón
Asturias · Atlántico norte sin límites desde el Cantábrico.
CY en Ibiza
Pitiusas · Mediterráneo oriental, Córcega, Cerdeña e Italia.
CY en Menorca
Baleares · Puerto de Maó y rutas oceánicas sin restricciones.
CY en Mallorca
Baleares · Puerto de Palma, base de veleros oceánicos del Mediterráneo.
CY en Murcia
Cartagena · Mediterráneo sur y una de las sedes CY más activas.
CY en Irún
Gipuzkoa · El Atlántico norte sin límite desde la costa vasca.
CY en Asturias
Cantábrico · Azores, Canarias y el Atlántico desde el norte peninsular.
CY Online
Prepara el Capitán de Yate desde casa · Sin desplazamientos, a tu ritmo.
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