Certification essential for boating in Europe
You fly out tomorrow ready to weigh anchor. Maybe, maybe not. Barry Wiseman reports.
It’s referred to as “bareboat charter”. You and some friends decide to head to the Mediterranean to hire a yacht or power boat to cruise down the Croatian coast.
It can be a holiday of a lifetime and is becoming increasingly popular with many Australians. Alternatively, you might fly into Europe or Britain to drive yourself on a leisurely cruise down the many canals and inland waterways.
However, there’s one more thing you need — certification.
Until fairly recently, it wasn’t uncommon for ocean-loving travellers to get to the quayside to join their hire boat only to be told they did not hold the right qualifications, even though they had produced their Australian Recreational Skipper’s Ticket. Annoyingly, they would face additional costs for that unexpected two or three nights in an expensive hotel until the skipper and at least one crew member achieved the necessary qualifications. The charter boat operators will not hand over the vessel until they are satisfied you are a competent sailor.
Fortunately, those tales are now less frequent because boating enthusiasts can achieve their International Certification of Competency (ICC) before they leave home and more charter boat operators in European and Scandinavian countries are highlighting the need for this requirement.
The ICC is a product of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Resolution 40 dealing with pleasure boat proficiency and more governments are adopting it as proof of boating competence. These include Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UK.
France, Italy and Poland have not yet adopted Resolution 40 but it’s not far away, according to Peter Robinson, principal of the Fremantle Yachtmaster Academy.
“The need for the ICC has been driven largely by harbour- masters to placate their insurance providers,” he said.
“The charter boat operators now insist that the skipper and at least one crew member is competent at handling the vessel. They won’t sign the boat over until they are satisfied it is in proper hands.”
Mr Robinson is one of 18,000 Yachtmaster instructor/ examiners around the world certified by the Royal Yachting Association and Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the UK.
For inland waters, you also need the European Code for Navigation on Inland Waterways (CEVNI) certification, mainly driven by French canal authorities.
ICC qualifications for sail and power boats up to 10m are now available to all Australian citizens through the FYA which is based at the Fremantle Sailing Club. For experienced skippers it involves theory study and a three-hour practical test. Candidates are required to demonstrate competency in boat handling and show a working knowledge of tidal navigation, pilotage, safety and collision regulations. ICC assessment costs $1580.
“It’s now also compulsory for Australians owning a canal boat in Europe to hold CEVNI and recommended for people renting a boat,” Mr Robinson adds.
Visit yachtmasteracademy.com.au for details on all local and international sailing courses and certification, or phone 0428 912 099.
