Service Record Book

MCA approved SERVICE RECORD BOOK – available free to PYA members

An application for a Service Record Book (commonly known as an SRB) should be accompanied by:

1. 2 passport photos – one for your SRB, one for the office file and one sent by email (head shot) in jpg format for our new upgraded membership cards.
2. Original certificates or good copies of certificate certified by a captain or official PYA regional office. Any qualifications which are relevant to your career in the professional yachting industry can be entered – from Diving to Interior Crew training as well as the modules and courses which lead to Certificates of Competency. Translations into English are required if these are not provided in the certificates.
3. A current CV.
4. A copy of your passport.
5. Any sea service testimonials you may wish to submit.

How will your SRB look?

1. The PYA office issues the SRB by entering the personal details and certificates which are then checked, sighted and signed by our SRB Officer. Only the PYA office makes entries in the Qualifications of Holder section because there is a standard procedure for entries and it is then forwarded to the member.
2. NEW The PYA office now also makes all entries in the “Experience at Sea” section of the SRB. This information is entered in the SRB with details taken from the sea service testimonial so please make sure the information on the testimonial is accurate.
   
   There are many queries about this so here is some clarification. It is important to understand the different definitions so please take the time to read this.
   1. All experience at sea may be recorded even if it is not possible to verify and validate the entry. Remember that besides being documentary proof of your sea time required by the authorities, it is also your own personal record.
   2. Service Definitions as written in the MSN1802:
      • Onboard Yacht Service is the time spent signed on a yacht i.e. length of employment.
      • Actual Sea Service is any day that the vessel leaves the port, is underway or at anchor.
      • Stand-by Service is time spent moored fully crewed, victualled, fuelled and waiting for the owner of charter guest.
      • Yard Service is time when standing by a build, refit or repair.
      • Sea Service includes a combination of Actual Sea Service, Stand-by Service and/or Yard Service.
      • Watchkeeping Service is Actual Sea Service spent as a Watchkeeper Officer in full charge of a navigational watch for not less that eight out of every 24 hours whilst the vessel is underway.
      • For calculation purposes, there are 30 days in a month.
   3. The PYA introduced its own version of Sea Service Testimonials for Deck and Engineer officers based on the MCA pro forma but which also includes a contacts section so that sea time can be verified. Each entry that you wish to be verified must be accompanied by a sea service testimonial with contact details, preferably email. The same information on letter headed paper with the boat stamp is accepted providing it contains the same information as requested on the testimonial form.
   4. Testimonials forms can be obtained from the PYA Office or downloaded from the PYA website. www.pya.org

Apart from the need to produce the SRB as documentary proof of sea service at MCA oral examinations, it can often be used in the same way as a seaman’s book to obtain seamen’s discounts on air flights and/or additional baggage allowance (along with a letter from your Captain) and for presentation at job interviews.

For more information contact us at:

PYA Office:
8 Avenue Mirabeau, 06600 Antibes, France
P O Box: BP 41 06601 Antibes Cedex, France
Telephone: +33 (0)4 93 34 91 16 Fax : +33 (0)4 93 34 21 83. Email: info@pya.org Website: www.pya.org