qualifications and Training

Activity Yachting Learn to Sail

This is our traditional Learn to Sail holiday which we have been operating for over 20 years. You spend a week on a yacht with an instructor and you sail with the flotilla. During the week you receive training to the same level as the International Crew Certificate, but there is no written test to do and no certification is issued.

This is the default option that anyone who has not completed one of the other eLearning courses prior to the holiday ends up doing.

This option is perfect for anyone that

• just wants to try sailing for the first time
• has no interest in certification, or does not want to spend time doing eLearning before the holiday

It is ideal for families or groups that are on a yacht where perhaps one or two people are looking to train to a skipper level but the others just want a fun holiday.

An Activity Yachting course completion certificate can be issued to anyone that wants one including junior ones for those under 14 years of age.

The IYT International Crew Certificate

This is a course for complete beginners or those with limited existing knowledge which will provide training to enable them to become an active and useful crew member on a small sailing yacht.

It is open to anyone of 14 years and older, and on the yacht you will be issued with an IYT Log Book, the, "International Boating & Sailing Passport", which details the full syllabus of the Recreational Training Programme. This is also a Log where you can record the details of the sailing and training that you do.

The International Crew covers from Modules 1 to 12, and at the end of the training, a Gold Seal and School Stamp is added as evidence of course completion.

Modules are both theoretical and practical, and prior to completing the course you must complete an on line eLearning course, which is currently free of charge.

Over the week, a complete beginner will cover

• living on board a sailing yacht, and on board safety
• sailing and yachting terminology
• how to tie knots and handle ropes correctly
• the points of sail, and general wind and weather awareness
• how to steer a yacht under sail and power
• handling the sails, mooring and anchoring
• basic navigation, Rules of the Road and general seamanship
• any other aspects relevant to gaining an International Crew Certificate

Assessment will be on an ongoing basis over the week and at some stage there will be a multiple choice written test on the eLearning Theory. By the end of the week successful candidates will be a useful crew member on any small yacht.

An IYT Crew Certificate will be applied for after passing the assessment. This will be issued directly by IYT and currently costs 20US$. Certificates are sent free of charge by air mail post, with additional fees if a courier is used. Fees are paid directly to IYT who will email you a link for payment once the certificate is applied for.

All IYT certificates must be renewed every 5 years to ensure that contact details and photos are up to date, and this is done directly with IYT.

To do any IYT training you must

• register as a Student which is free of charge and which you can do here
• you can find the International Crew Learning here

The IYT VHF-SRC Certificate

The IYT Marine Communications course (Very High Frequency – Short Range Certificate) issued under the recognition of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, who operate one worlds largest Ship registries. It is intended for all marine environments and follows International standards.

The course provides radio communication training for recreational boating. Students will learn the correct use of the on board VHF radio, how to send a distress message correctly and learn about how EPIRBs, SARTs, AIS and DSC-enabled radios, are used effectively in marine communications.

Possession of a VHF operators licence is often a legal requirement when you charter a yacht, although this may not always be enforced, and possession of a VHF licence is now required by IYT for anybody hoping to get a Skipper certificate.

IYT offer a free eLearning course which anyone can do to in advance, so that everybody can get proper training. Anyone wanting to get the certificate should then complete an on line assessment which costs 95US$and then you must do an additional practical and written assessment at an IYT Training establishment.

In our case we can do this on the Yacht during a normal training holiday when you will be using the VHF on a daily basis.

An IYT Crew Certificate will be applied for after passing the assessment. This will be issued directly by IYT and certificates are sent free of charge by air mail post, with additional fees if a courier is used. If fees apply then they are paid directly to IYT who will email you a link for payment once the certificate is applied for.

All IYT certificates must be renewed every 5 years to ensure that contact details and photos are up to date, and this is done directly with IYT.

To do any IYT training you must

• register as a Student which is free of charge and which you can do here
• you can find the VHF eLearning here

The IYT Flotilla Skipper Certificate

This is an entry level skipper certificate. It is open to people of 18 years and older and there are no nationality restrictions or mandatory prior requirements for this certificate, although it is expected that people should already have relevant prior experience and should be at least at a crew level.

It is open to anyone of 18 years and older, and on the yacht you will be issued with an IYT Log Book, the, "International Boating & Sailing Passport", which details the full syllabus of the Recreational Training Programme. This is also a Log where you can record the details of the sailing and training that you do.

The Flotilla Skipper covers from Modules 1 to 26, and at the end of the training, a Gold Seal and School Stamp is added as evidence of course completion.

You must either already have a VHF licence to apply for this certificate or you must complete the IYT one as detailed.

Modules are both theoretical and practical, and prior to completing the course you must complete an on line eLearning course, which is currently free of charge. The eLearning Theory and training up to Modules 26 cover the same content as for the Bareboat Skipper, with the main difference being that you need less practical experience to get to this standard.

Over the week, you will cover items like

• living on board a sailing yacht, and on board safety
• sailing and yachting terminology
• responsibilities of a Watchkeeper/Flotilla Skipper
• man overboard procedures
• how to tie knots and handle ropes correctly,
• the points of sail, and general wind and weather awareness
• how to steer a yacht under sail and power, including marina mooring
• handling the sails, mooring and anchoring,
• charts, chartwork, pilot books, and the magnetic compass,
• buoyage and collission regulations
• taking over a vessel and vessel checkout
• crew safety briefing and general crew management.
• basics of tides
• preparing a short passage
• use of VHF
• any other aspects relevant to gaining an International Watchkeeper/Flotilla Skipper Certificate.

Assessment will be on an ongoing basis over the week and at some stage there will be a multiple choice written test on the eLearning Theory. By the end of the week successful candidates should be comptent to take charge of, and to skipper a yacht themselves in a Flotilla environment.

An IYT Flotilla Skipper Certificate will be applied for after passing the assessment. This will be issued directly by IYT and currently costs about 30US$. Certificates are sent free of charge by air mail post, with additional fees if a courier is used. Where you may also be getting a VHF certificate, both will be applied for at the same time. Fees are paid directly to IYT who will email you a link for payment once the certificate is applied for.

All IYT certificates must be renewed every 5 years to ensure that contact details and photos are up to date, and this is done directly with IYT.

Once you have obtained a Flotilla Skipper it is intended that for your first few times going out as skipper that you should sail in company of other yachts where there are more experienced Skippers to advise and assist you. This can either be as part of a Flotilla on a future holiday, but it could equally be sailing in company with friends.

Once you have obtained sufficent experience you can then still charter a yacht on your own at a later stage with this certificate, without sailing with other yachts and you can see that it is on list of approved Skipper licences in Croatia for Bareboat Charter at number 35a. You can view this list here.

Many people however will want to upgrade to a higher level Skipper certificate at this stage, and in this regard the Flotilla Skipper Certificate is a perfect stepping stone for a beginner to work up to a Bareboat Skipper level.

To do any IYT training you must

• register as a Student which is free of charge and which you can do here
• If you need to do the Radio Licence, you can find the VHF eLearning here
• You can find the Flotilla Skipper eLearning here

The IYT Bareboat Skipper Certificate

This is a more advanced skipper certificate, which is open to people of 18 years and older and of any nationality. It is not suitable for beginners and the minimum entry level requirements are

• you must have done at least 200 nautical miles
• have spent at least 10 days at sea
• ideally have previous skippering experience, either through having a lower level skipper certificate like the Flotilla Skipper or having taken charge while still under the command of another more experienced skipper.

You will be issued with an IYT Log Book, the, "International Boating & Sailing Passport", which details the full syllabus of the Recreational Training Programme. This is also a Log where you can record the details of the sailing and training that you do.

The Bareboat Skipper covers from Modules 1 to 26, and at the end of the training, a Gold Seal and School Stamp is added as evidence of course completion.

You must either already have a VHF licence to apply for this certificate or you must complete the IYT one as detailed.

Modules are both theoretical and practical, and prior to completing the course you must complete an on line eLearning course, which is currently free of charge.

Over the week, you will cover all of the following items. You are already expected to be familiar with most of these areas but you are expected to be able to go into them in more detail than if you were doing a lower level certificate.

• living on board a sailing yacht, and on board safety
• sailing and yachting terminology
• responsibilities of a Bareboat Skipper
• man overboard procedures
• how to tie knots and handle ropes correctly,
• the points of sail, and general wind and weather awareness
• how to steer a yacht under sail and power, including marina mooring
• handling the sails, mooring and anchoring,
• charts, chartwork, pilot books, and the magnetic compass,
• buoyage and collission regulations
• taking over a vessel and vessel checkout
• crew safety briefing and general crew management.
• basics of tides
• preparing a short passage
• use of VHF
• any other aspects relevant to gaining an Bareboat Skipper Certificate.

Assessment will be on an ongoing basis over the week and at some stage there will be a multiple choice written test on the eLearning Theory. By the end of the week successful candidates should be comptent to take charge of, and to skipper a yacht themselves in a Flotilla environment.

An IYT Bareboat Skipper Certificate will be applied for after passing the assessment. This will be issued directly by IYT and currently costs 50US$. Certificates are sent free of charge by air mail post, with additional fees if a courier is used. Where you may also be getting a VHF certificate, both will be applied for at the same time. Fees are paid directly to IYT who will email you a link for payment once the certificate is applied for.

All IYT certificates must be renewed every 5 years to ensure that contact details and photos are up to date, and this is done directly with IYT.

The Bareboat Skipper is recognised as an approved Skipper licence with which you can charter a recreational yacht in most countries around the world. Croatia is included among these and you can view this Certificate as being number 32 on the list of approved Skipper licences here

To do any IYT training you must

• register as a Student which is free of charge and which you can do here
• If you need to do the Radio Licence, you can find the VHF eLearning here
• You can find the Bareboat Skipper eLearning here

The International Certificate of Competence or ICC

The ICC is the International Certificate of Competence for operation of Pleasure Craft of up to 24mt, and it is issued under Resolution 40 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Each government that is signed up to the Resolution can choose which sailing and licencing organisations can issue ICC's on their behalf to its citizens or residents..

International Yacht Training is approved by the UK government to issue ICC's to UK citizens or residents. Citizens of other countries that are not signed up to Resolution 40 can also be awarded an ICC, but citizens of countries that are signed up to the resolution, which include most European countries, can only get an ICC from an authority approved by their own country.

You will find more detail who can and cannot get an ICC as well as additional information here

 Its purpose is to create a standardised Internationally recognised Certificate of Competence for those in charge of recreational Motor boats and Sailing Yachts for use on Coastal and Inland European waters. 

Strictly speaking it is not a Skippers Licence, but rather a certificate of competence approved by one European government, that can be issued to its citizens, which they can then bring to a different European country to show that they are competent to operate or skipper a vessel in that country. In practice it is therefore often regarded as the closest you can get in Europe to the equivalent to a "driving licence" for yachts. There are however issues of nationality about who can issue an ICC to whom

Due to changes in legislation in 2011, the ICC can now be issued to people of any nationality, with the result it is now the closest that there is to an Internationally recognised and accepted," basic skippers certificate of competence for recreational purposes" that you can get.

Virtually all charter companies, insurance companies and relevant port Authorities, even in countries that are not part of UNECE, recognise the Certificate. Sometimes they even insist on one, even though a person may have an alternative and more advanced qualifications from an Internationally Recognised Sail Training organisation.  This latter is generally because the Authorities, Charter, and Insurance companies know what the ICC is, whereas they may not know the value of any alternative paperwork being produced.

 

 

Unlike the other IYT Skipper certificates mentioned in the other tabs, the ICC is not just another IYT certificate, but rather it is one that they are approved to issue This is an entry level skipper certificate. It is open to people of 18 years and older and there are no nationality restrictions or mandatory prior requirements for this certificate, although it is expected that people should already have relevant prior experience and should be at least at a crew level.

It is open to anyone of 18 years and older, and on the yacht you will be issued with an IYT Log Book, the, "International Boating & Sailing Passport", which details the full syllabus of the Recreational Training Programme. This is also a Log where you can record the details of the sailing and training that you do.

The Flotilla Skipper covers from Modules 1 to 26, and at the end of the training, a Gold Seal and School Stamp is added as evidence of course completion.

You must either already have a VHF licence to apply for this certificate or you must complete the IYT one as detailed.

Modules are both theoretical and practical, and prior to completing the course you must complete an on line eLearning course, which is currently free of charge. The eLearning Theory and training up to Modules 26 cover the same content as for the Bareboat Skipper, with the main difference being that you need less practical experience to get to this standard.

Over the week, you will cover items like

• living on board a sailing yacht, and on board safety
• sailing and yachting terminology
• responsibilities of a Watchkeeper/Flotilla Skipper
• man overboard procedures
• how to tie knots and handle ropes correctly,
• the points of sail, and general wind and weather awareness
• how to steer a yacht under sail and power, including marina mooring
• handling the sails, mooring and anchoring,
• charts, chartwork, pilot books, and the magnetic compass,
• buoyage and collission regulations
• taking over a vessel and vessel checkout
• crew safety briefing and general crew management.
• basics of tides
• preparing a short passage
• use of VHF
• any other aspects relevant to gaining an International Watchkeeper/Flotilla Skipper Certificate.

Assessment will be on an ongoing basis over the week and at some stage there will be a multiple choice written test on the eLearning Theory. By the end of the week successful candidates should be comptent to take charge of, and to skipper a yacht themselves in a Flotilla environment.

An IYT Flotilla Skipper Certificate will be applied for after passing the assessment. This will be issued directly by IYT and currently costs about 30US$. Certificates are sent free of charge by air mail post, with additional fees if a courier is used. Where you may also be getting a VHF certificate, both will be applied for at the same time. Fees are paid directly to IYT who will email you a link for payment once the certificate is applied for.

All IYT certificates must be renewed every 5 years to ensure that contact details and photos are up to date, and this is done directly with IYT.

Once you have obtained a Flotilla Skipper it is intended that for your first few times going out as skipper that you should sail in company of other yachts where there are more experienced Skippers to advise and assist you. This can either be as part of a Flotilla on a future holiday, but it could equally be sailing in company with friends.

Once you have obtained sufficent experience you can then still charter a yacht on your own at a later stage with this certificate, without sailing with other yachts and you can see that it is on list of approved Skipper licences in Croatia for Bareboat Charter at number 35a. You can view this list here.

Many people however will want to upgrade to a higher level Skipper certificate at this stage, and in this regard the Flotilla Skipper Certificate is a perfect stepping stone for a beginner to work up to a Bareboat Skipper level.

To do any IYT training you must

• register as a Student which is free of charge and which you can do here
• If you need to do the Radio Licence, you can find the VHF eLearning here
• You can find the Flotilla Skipper eLearning here