ASA valid in Spain?

[Mdiaz]

I am ASA certified through ASA 114 and planning to charter in Spain (Mallorca). I was told by the charter company that ASA is not valid in Spain and that I needed to add the IPC in order to work in Spain. Now they are telling me that the I need the day skipper from RYA or some other “Pleasure Craft Operator Card” from Canada.

Does anyone have experience chartering in Spain with ASA certifications or more info about this

Cheers!

[Lrak]

https://asa.com/international-proficiency-certificate/

[requiem]

Originally Posted by Mdiaz

... in order to work in Spain.

To clarify, are you intending on working there (you receive money), or simply chartering a boat for your vacation (you pay money)?

No experience there, but it sounds like perhaps some crossed wires in communication; the options mentioned seem roughly similar, as in "any single one of these should suffice".

Having done ASA 104 you should be able to request an IPC. It's really just a fancier bit of documentation with your photo attached; there are no additional classes or anything.

[boatman61]

Clarify.. Working in Spain or..
Holiday charter in Spain..
Get your ICC online..

[Mdiaz]

Yeah sorry folks and thanks for the replies.

Holiday in Spain and paying to charter a week in Mallorca. I got my IPC but and still told me it was not enough and I needed RYA. I also sent them the article from the ASA that says IPC is valid to charter in Spain and they are looking into it

I will check the ICC on line and wanted to check to see if anyone has experience chartering in Spain with AsA

Thanks again

[Kiwi_Rob]

I would strongly suggest you get your ICC as not all Spanish organisations recognise RYA qualifications.

If you spend some time sailing around Spain you'll notice that rules/regulations are not always applied consistently and the outcome often depends on the person/organisation you are dealing with.


It's not just the company you are chartering the boat from but also the Guardia Civil (Spanish Police - both on land and at sea) that you may have to interact with at some point in your holiday.


For additional context, the RYA is a British organisation and some Spanish authorities will take the opportunity to remind you that Great Britain is no longer part of the EU - especially if you are sailing near Gibraltar which the Spanish think should be theirs!


I have experienced this firsthand. I have my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (commercially endorsed) yet am required to carry my ICC when sailing in Spanish waters (you only need RYA Day Skipper to get an ICC).

I'm not sure of the process to get an ICC for ASA certifications but suspect it's as simple as for RYA qualifications where it can all be done online.

[Sailer_Med]

Originally Posted by Kiwi_Rob

I would strongly suggest you get your ICC as not all Spanish organisations recognise RYA qualifications.

If you spend some time sailing around Spain you'll notice that rules/regulations are not always applied consistently and the outcome often depends on the person/organisation you are dealing with.


It's not just the company you are chartering the boat from but also the Guardia Civil (Spanish Police - both on land and at sea) that you may have to interact with at some point in your holiday.


For additional context, the RYA is a British organisation and some Spanish authorities will take the opportunity to remind you that Great Britain is no longer part of the EU - especially if you are sailing near Gibraltar which the Spanish think should be theirs!


I have experienced this firsthand. I have my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (commercially endorsed) yet am required to carry my ICC when sailing in Spanish waters (you only need RYA Day Skipper to get an ICC).

I'm not sure of the process to get an ICC for ASA certifications but suspect it's as simple as for RYA qualifications where it can all be done online.

How long ago? The Spanish have updated the law. You can google “BOE-A-2021-8268-consolidado” to read the regs, but I have dropped an excerpt here. Basically they recognize the RYA titles, some Swiss and the ICC.

[Kiwi_Rob]

Late 2021 (Sep/Oct) which appears to be after the date this change was made? (See my earlier point on inconsistency...)

But thanks for the excerpt and reference. It's good to know the law has changed!

[leecea]

I'm not sure of the process to get an ICC for ASA certifications but suspect it's as simple as for RYA qualifications where it can all be done online.

You can't get an ICC in the US. that's why ASA issues an IPC and claims: An IPC provides a certification which many Mediterranean charter companies view as equivalent to the ICC (https://asa.com/international-certif...of-competence/).

No idea if it's really recognized by everyone.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by leecea

You can't get an ICC in the US.

That will be a surprise to the many organisations in the US that issue ICCs!

[requiem]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

That will be a surprise to the many organisations in the US that issue ICCs!

Those organizations might benefit from confusing people by claiming their IPC is an ICC, but as the previous poster mentioned, US organizations are not able to issue an ICC; they can only be issued via a government that has signed onto the problem.

For US citizens, the simplest route to an ICC is likely via the RYA. Some organizations like NauticEd might facilitate this process, but it's the RYA doing the examination and issuance.

[Mdiaz]

Thanks for everyone’s input. I pull the regulation and saw the table with RYA certifications. I didn’t see any notes regarding ASA/IPC and I don’t understand why the ASA advertise IPC as a valid option

https://asa.com/news/2021/06/01/chartering-in-europe/

And here a quick reference

“As of 2022 the following countries accept the ASA IPC certificate: Belarus, Croatia, France, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey.”

I guess I will try to validate or find a way to get RYA day skipper from the US.

Cheers

[leecea]

This article is a bit old but maybe still helpful: https://www.sailmagazine.com/charter...rtering-europe

It does actually mention getting an ICC in the US via a travelling RYA instructor. It's not cheap.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Mdiaz

I am ASA certified through ASA 114 and planning to charter in Spain (Mallorca). I was told by the charter company that ASA is not valid in Spain and that I needed to add the IPC in order to work in Spain. Now they are telling me that the I need the day skipper from RYA or some other “Pleasure Craft Operator Card” from Canada.

Does anyone have experience chartering in Spain with ASA certifications or more info about this

Cheers!

You mention the Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card. This is easy to get. My eleven year old grandson got his after one day taking the entirely on-line course and exam. Of course, he's exceedingly intelligent!

I don't recall it being restricted to Canadian citizens or residents, but it may be. Being on-line the course should be available (from several different schools) anywhere. Canadians need it to operate any pleasure craft over 10hp in Canada - except for day rentals which have their own mini-course.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by Sailer_Med

How long ago? The Spanish have updated the law. You can google “BOE-A-2021-8268-consolidado” to read the regs, but I have dropped an excerpt here. Basically they recognize the RYA titles, some Swiss and the ICC.

And the Canadian PCOC, among others, as these are just modifications to the list. At the very bottom of this page you can see the others: https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2014-10344

Edit: looks like a 2019 update removed a number of those countries... interesting... reading further...