Licence/accreditation required to sail around the world

[Eswee]

As I’ve mentioned before, my wife and I have a plan to start sailing but will only buy a CAT in 5-7 years. The plan is to sail around the world, mostly in coastal waters but to get to places we’ll need to cross oceans. We want to get as much experience as possible before then and get all the accreditation/licences needed.

What licences or accreditation does one need to sail a 30-something foot CAT around the world? We live in South Africa and the sailing schools offer RYA accredited courses. First you do the Competent Crew/deck hand course, then Day Skipper, then Coastal Skipper and then you’re only allowed to go 20nm from safe port. Once you do the Offshore Skipper you can go 150nm. Only after getting the Yachtmaster Ocean Skipper qualification are you allowed to go past that. The course is almost 5 months if you do it full time (part time could take years) and costs LOADS of money.

If we’re going to cross oceans then we’re going way past 20nm or 150nm so does this mean that we have to do the full Ocean Skipper course for us to be allowed to sail a CAT around the world?

[boatpoker]

Bottom line is ... All you need is the boat. No licenses or endorsements required for pleasure craft of that size range.

If you want insurance on that boat it becomes a whole different matter.
You could talk to your underwriter and see what they require but that will likely have little bearing on what the underwriter will say in 5-7yrs. Few business are changing more rapidly than marine underwriters.

However, there are huge personal benefits for the inexperienced in taking the RYA Yachtmaster.

[Paul Elliott]

In the USA you don't need *any* license or accreditation to sail around the world. Now if you want insurance for the boat you will probably have to demonstrate some appropriate experience, or perhaps training.

I will be interested to see how other countries handle this...

[PippaB]

Agree with the other replies in general, but the OP does say they reside in SA. My understanding is that South Africa does have licensing/training requirements. So, if the boat will be SA-flagged...

https://www.sailing.org.za/s-v-c/skippertickets/

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Bottom line is ... All you need is the boat. No licenses or endorsements required for pleasure craft of that size range.

If you want insurance on that boat it becomes a whole different matter.
You could talk to your underwriter and see what they require but that will likely have little bearing on what the underwriter will say in 5-7yrs. Few business are changing more rapidly than marine underwriters.

However, there are huge personal benefits for the inexperienced in taking the RYA Yachtmaster.

The inexperienced can’t take the Yachtmaster , you need considerable documented sea mile experience to qualify for the exam

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Eswee

As I’ve mentioned before, my wife and I have a plan to start sailing but will only buy a CAT in 5-7 years. The plan is to sail around the world, mostly in coastal waters but to get to places we’ll need to cross oceans. We want to get as much experience as possible before then and get all the accreditation/licences needed.



What licences or accreditation does one need to sail a 30-something foot CAT around the world? We live in South Africa and the sailing schools offer RYA accredited courses. First you do the Competent Crew/deck hand course, then Day Skipper, then Coastal Skipper and then you’re only allowed to go 20nm from safe port. Once you do the Offshore Skipper you can go 150nm. Only after getting the Yachtmaster Ocean Skipper qualification are you allowed to go past that. The course is almost 5 months if you do it full time (part time could take years) and costs LOADS of money.



If we’re going to cross oceans then we’re going way past 20nm or 150nm so does this mean that we have to do the full Ocean Skipper course for us to be allowed to sail a CAT around the world?

I would recommend the RYA Day skipper , covers both night and day sailing and covers a considerable syllabus. Typically 5 days on a boat , or sometimes boat and classroom mix.

Note the distance restrictions are national stipulations. The ticket itself has no such stipulations

If SA issues it, then get your ICC on the back of your dayskipper

Formal training is very useful ( to anyone young or old ) as it covers things you may know little about. .

[Eswee]

Yes we also want to do the South African Sailing (SAS) Day Skipper course (which gives us ICC as well) but it still limits us to day time sailing only within 20nm of safe port. Only when you go 4 courses up in the tier, The Yachmaster Ocean Skipper allows you to sail anywhere. Maybe I’m missing something.

[Eswee]

So the 20nm restriction would be for SA waters only and not applicable to other coasts? And night time sailing? Would that also just be applicable to SA waters?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Eswee

Yes we also want to do the South African Sailing (SAS) Day Skipper course (which gives us ICC as well) but it still limits us to day time sailing only within 20nm of safe port. Only when you go 4 courses up in the tier, The Yachmaster Ocean Skipper allows you to sail anywhere. Maybe I’m missing something.

That distance limit is particular to SA. The actual ticket has no limits. For worldwide sailing there is no standard ticket but the ICC is fine all over Europe and elsewhere

The YM ocean is an “ add on “ ticket to the YM “ Offshore “ ticket. The OFFshore ticket is unlimited. You cant do the RYA ocean YM without having the offshore

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Eswee

So the 20nm restriction would be for SA waters only and not applicable to other coasts? And night time sailing? Would that also just be applicable to SA waters?

Yes for example Day skipper actually covers night sailing , very few countries have nautical limits on specific tickets.

[PippaB]

SA requires that an SA-flagged boat greater than 9m/15HP be skippered by someone with a certificate of competence as defined in the regulations. That certificate carries endorsements for distance from shore for operation. If the boat is SA-flagged it applies wherever SA laws apply to the boat, which is generally anywhere in the world (the SA regulations do acknowledge that in foreign travel local law may trump SA requirements).

If the boat is not SA-flagged then it becomes a matter for the flag state requirements. I do not know if an SA citizen can own a boat not flagged there, have never looked into that question.

[ChrisJHC]

There are also likely to be local national/state requirements.
For example, in Australia, many states require a boat licence for any vessel with engines of more than about 6HP.

Also note that, with the RYA, you can undertake any course (except for Yachtmaster Ocean) at any time.

E.g you can go straight to Yachtmaster Offshore if you are competent enough and meet the prerequisites.

I also recommend doing a number of the preceding courses as well, however there is no need to do them all.

If you are complete beginners, then you might choose a path like:
Competent Crew
Day Skipper
Yachtmaster Offshore
Yachtmaster Ocean

Realistically that would take a couple of years assuming you’re picking up the required hours and miles on a part-time basis.

Finally, apparently the RYA is looking at revamping the Yachtmaster Ocean course to reduce the amount of celestial navigation and increase the amount of “everything else” you need to know.

[mark_morwood]

It's been implied above but it's good to be explicit - generally when sailing a recreational boat around the world you are sailing under the registration and licensing rules of the country that the boat is registered in, not the licensing and registration rules of the country you are visiting.

So if my boat is flagged in the USA then I must meet their skipper licensing requirements (none), if my boat is flagged in Spain then I must meet their extensive licensing requirements with different levels of licence for different distances offshore. Countries you sail in generally respect the rules of the flag country with respect to registration and licences while you are navigating a foreign flagged vessel in their waters. This also applies to boat rules like required safety equipment - though some countries like NZ have occasionally added additional local requirements on foreign boats.

I would be cautious about assuming this is true for your tender and then follow the local rules, not your flag country's for things like lifejackets etc.

Having said all that, getting some broadly recognised qualifications like those from RYA is very valuable, even if just for what you learn as part of the process.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by mark_morwood

It's been implied above but it's good to be explicit - generally when sailing a recreational boat around the world you are sailing under the registration and licensing rules of the country that the boat is registered in, not the licensing and registration rules of the country you are visiting.

So if my boat is flagged in the USA then I must meet their skipper licensing requirements (none), if my boat is flagged in Spain then I must meet their extensive licensing requirements with different levels of license for different distances offshore. Countries you sail in generally respect the rules of the flag country with respect to registration and licences while you are navigating a foreign flagged vessel in their waters. .

Except for places like Queensland where I see you currently are


https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/boating/recreational
Overseas marine licences for visitors

When you visit Queensland from another country, you may be able to use your overseas marine licence if it is a current recognised overseas licence (PDF, 130KB).
If your recognised overseas marine licence is not in English, you will need a translation from an accredited National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters translator and must keep this with your licence.
If your overseas marine licence is not recognised, you will need to contact an approved BoatSafe training provider to assess recognition of prior learning and then apply for your marine licence.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by StuM

Except for places like Queensland where I see you currently are

Yeah, tell me about it. When I moved back here (having spent the previous 4 years sailing from Boston), TMR didn't recognise a RYA Yachtmaster Offshore as a qualification so I did the marine licence course from scratch so I could drive a dinghy! Still, I'm not really complaining, I think having compulsory licensing for boat skippers is sensible.

But I do think they generally apply the reciprocal arrangement to foreign cruisers. Certainly did for the cruisers I knew who have come here. My understanding of the above rules is that they are really aimed at people like me who are becoming residents here, or visitors who want to charter - not skippers on foreign flagged yachts. Like having to get a new licence three months after you move states.