Compass, sextant & chronometers
- Sextant errors: perpendicularity, side and index error
- Correcting a sextant and finding index error
- Care and use of chronometers
- Applying compass and instrument checks in practice
Fishing fleet · Command level · Deck
Fishing Deck Class 1Fishing Deck Class 1 Orals Preparation
Oral preparation for the Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) Class 1 examination — seamanship and emergency command, compass and chronometer work, ice, and safe working practice in fishing vessels.
Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) Class 1 oral preparation. Four weeks, monthly intakes, live online by Zoom or in the Glasgow classroom. Course fee £1,675.
Rank / pathway
Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) Class 1 — Deck pathway
Duration
4 weeks core preparation
Delivery
Zoom / live online or classroom in Glasgow
Intake
Monthly intakes
Fee
£1,675
Course dates
Choose the batch you want to book.
Batches start on the first Monday falling within the month. Two exceptions: the December 2026 batch starts Wednesday 25 November 2026 and the December 2027 batch starts Wednesday 24 November 2027.
Answer first
What this preparation is for
The Class 1 fishing deck oral is weighted heavily towards seamanship and emergency judgement: what you do when the rudder fouls, when the vessel grounds, when the weather turns, and when someone else needs rescuing.
Preparation teaches that scope properly and then rehearses it in oral format, including the sequence-of-action answers examiners keep coming back to.
This is preparation for the MCA oral examination. The MCA conducts the examination and makes the certificate decision.
Syllabus-led preparation
What we teach for this MCA oral
Preparation is structured around the published MCA oral examination syllabus for Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) Class 1. The examiner can draw from any part of that syllabus, so teaching covers its full breadth.
Meteorology & navigation in ice
- Steps to be taken in the event of ice accretion
- Navigation in, or in the vicinity of, ice
- Heavy-weather warning signs and precautions
- Using forecasts and observations to make passage decisions
Exceptional circumstances & casualty response
- Loss or fouling of rudder and propeller, emergency steering arrangements
- Action following collision or damage of any kind
- Action on grounding, methods of refloating and surveys after refloating
- Beaching a fishing vessel; steps when disabled and in distress
Distress, SAR & communications
- Preservation of crew, abandoning ship and survival procedure
- Assisting a vessel or aircraft in distress and homing on a casualty
- Launching boats and liferafts; search and rescue procedures and MERSAR
- Portable radio equipment, distress and pilot signals, port radio services
Manoeuvring, anchoring & towing
- Bad weather manoeuvres and precautions before heavy weather
- Effect of current, wind, shallow water and draught on manoeuvring
- Anchoring and working anchors and cables in all circumstances
- Approaching rivers and harbours; towing and Lloyd's Open Form
Fire, safe working practice, COLREGs & pollution
- Fire prevention, preventing spread and use of fire appliances
- Life-saving and firefighting regulations; inspection of living quarters and stores
- Collision Regulations and relevant annexes, IALA buoyage systems A and B
- Code of Safety for Fishermen, M Notices, and preventing oil spillage during bunkering
How the preparation works
Taught, questioned, then rehearsed
A sequence built for oral examinations rather than written ones.
01
Live instructor teaching
Each subject area is taught first by experienced maritime instructors, live online or in the classroom, so the foundation is solid before you are questioned on it.
02
Question and scenario practice
Topics are then rehearsed the way an examiner asks them: a scenario, your reasoning out loud, and follow-up questions that test whether the answer holds.
03
Directed study and discussion
Guided study between sessions, plus group discussion and peer questioning, so gaps surface in the classroom and not in the exam room.
04
Feedback-driven focus
Preparation is shaped by published candidate feedback on what is currently being asked, keeping your revision pointed at the right places.
05
Mock oral rehearsal
A live mock session runs the full oral format end to end, with structured feedback on both content and delivery.
06
Final readiness
The closing stage concentrates on the weak areas that remain, so you go in knowing what you know. No one can promise you a pass — the MCA decides that.
Built around real oral preparation
Support that sits behind the teaching
Experienced maritime instructors, feedback-driven preparation and digital learning support available alongside your course.
MCA Orals GPT & live mock
Oral-style question practice supported by MCA Orals GPT, with a live mock session to rehearse the real format.
Learn more
eSailor learning access
Digital maritime learning support available to candidates preparing with World Yacht.
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Selected
Fishing Deck Class 1 preparation
£1,675
Batch: — starts
The fee covers the World Yacht preparation course only. The MCA oral examination is booked, conducted and charged for separately by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Prefer to speak to us first? Use Book / Enquire or WhatsApp above.
Preparing for an MCA oral, not replacing it
This is oral examination preparation delivered by World Yacht. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency conducts the oral examination itself, sets eligibility, and makes the Certificate of Competency decision. We do not book, conduct or guarantee the outcome of your examination, and no preparation course can promise a pass. Confirm your eligibility and notice of eligibility requirements directly with the MCA before booking.
Questions candidates ask
Fishing Deck Class 1 preparation FAQs
Candidates preparing for the Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) Class 1 oral examination.
Four weeks of core preparation at £1,675.
Monthly intakes using the published World Yacht schedule shown on this page.
No. This is the deck syllabus. Engineering candidates should use the Fishing Engine Class 1 or Class 2 pages.
Yes — live online by Zoom, or in the classroom in Glasgow.
No. The MCA conducts and charges for the oral examination separately.
Related preparation
Other routes in this pathway
Next step
Book your Fishing Deck Class 1 preparation
Tell us your ticket and your exam timeline and we will confirm the next start date, the format that suits you and what to prepare beforehand.
Or email enquiries@theworldyacht.com · Call +44 141 370 0848
