Sailing License

Without a doubt the internet is great to get any information on almost anything. It seems fortunate that the natural tendency for the human being is to tell other people about themselves and what they did, and, encouragingly, what to watch out for. So googling tips and advice posted on the web about sailing without restraint, ie to go wherever one pleases, quickly reveals that a lot of hassle can be avoided by having the proper documentation and licenses on board. It does vary by country but it would be fair to say that you should be able to demonstrate convincingly with whom ownership of the yacht lies, that it is properly insured (at least third party), the radio is registered and that the skipper is qualified. Briefly, France is particularly keen about the yacht registration, Spain needs to see adequate insurance and Croatia now requires the International Certificate of Competence (ICC), for example.

Not much of relevance for me as yet, but obtaining the ICC would do no harm. It would also allow chartering in Croatia should we wish and besides, most chartering companies expect some kind of proof of competence regardless of location. In most European countries, the ICC is now tagged on to the existing yacht master qualifications, and it would appear that standards vary dramatically by country. I believe this is a reflection of the varying water sport 'facilities' which are found across Europe. So, in the UK, with the majority of boating trips taking place on the English Channel, the North Sea and the Atlantic, becoming qualified is justifiably challenging. And so therefore is getting one's hands on the ICC. In The Netherlands on the other hand water sport for the majority is constrained to the inland waters of which there are plenty. There, basic knowledge of the rules of the road, navigation and general safety considerations are arguably sufficient. Better to have the majority of water born folk educated to a reasonable minimum level than the occasional captain Haddock making his way through a bunch of ignorants. 

In The Netherlands the exam is theory only and studying for it is obviously fun with materials being widely available on the internet. With a couple of weeks of focus and cramming the different navigation lights of ships underway, stopped, aground, at anchor or otherwise into one's head, not to forget that true north minus variation and deviation equals magnetic north and that the wind will veer when a front passes by kind of sets you up to pass comfortably.

In August, parallel ruler and dividers in hand, I made my way to the neat set up of the examination facility in Hoofddorp, near Schiphol. Luckily I passed, another step in the right direction. With only a slight feeling of guilt having got off so lightly compared to for example our UK yachting counterparts, I headed into Amsterdam for a very nice evening out...