From green crew
to command.
Start at the point that matches your career. Practical training, trusted reference and career tools from a working commercial captain — built for the move in front of you.
Your position
STCW gets you certified.
It does not get you competent.
Mandatory certification leaves green crew unprepared for the real standards of a superyacht — and most of what sits beyond it is expensive, disconnected from actual deck work, and built for compliance rather than competence. OnDeck Academy fills the space between: practical, high-standard training built by a working captain, for crew who want to get better and progress faster.
Every tool the job actually needs.
One platform for the whole journey — learn the job, reference it, pass your tickets, and build the record that proves it. All built by a working captain.
Your career, on the record.
Sea time only counts when you can prove it. When a good position opens, the crew who win it are the ones with their record ready — not the ones digging through old emails for a reference.
Log it once
Every voyage, every day at sea, every watch — one logbook that tracks your progress against the real MCA and RYA requirements as you go.
Testimonial in one email
Generate your sea service testimonial in the PYA format, pre-checked against the form's own rules, and email it straight to your captain to sign. No more application scramble.
References that travel
Send a captain one private link; one tap confirms your service. The endorsement attaches to your record — not to someone's inbox on a boat you left two seasons ago.
The Career Passport
Your whole record on one page — sea time, tickets, progression, endorsements. Hand the next boat a private link instead of a folder of photocopies. Revoke it any time.
Free while it's built. Honest labels always — self-logged service says self-logged; endorsements say who attested them.
- 113
- Products in the database
- 9
- Foundation chapters
- 43m
- Vessel the captain commands
- 12
- Years on charter yachts
The Long Road
to the Bridge
Capt. Ryan Sandwith
I was born and bred in South Africa. Like most, I followed the traditional path — graduated at 21 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Then I stared at the prospect of a desk job and knew it wasn't right. I needed something more.
At 21 I packed my bags for France. I arrived in the industry as a green deckhand — bright-eyed, uncertain, and willing to work harder than anyone else in the crew. I didn't come in with all the answers. I came in with the work ethic.
Years later I'm commanding a 43-metre motor yacht with an MCA Master 3000GT licence.
I'm building OnDeck Academy because I know exactly what separates the crew who progress from the ones who don't. It has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with preparation. This platform exists to give you what the mandatory courses never will.
“My goal is simple: save you the years of trial and error I went through. When you step on that first boat, you won't just be another deckhand — you'll be a professional.”
— Capt. Ryan Sandwith, Founder
First to know.
Nothing you don't need.
One email when something worth your time ships — the Deckhand Foundation launch, new OOW oral prep tools, and the free guides as they're published. Written by a working captain, not a marketing department. Unsubscribe any time.
No spam, no selling your address on. One-click unsubscribe in every email.
The crew mess is on WhatsApp.
Deck questions answered, first look at what ships, and crew on the same path. No noise — leave any time.