Experienced Sailors who want to Charter: May now need ASA #104!

[argold57]

Now experienced sailors and boat owners need an ASA 104 certificate to charter a bare-boat in Croatia. More destinations to come...

In the past I have bare-boated many destinations and needed no more proof of my abilities than my "Sailing Resume". Now I am told by The Moorings / Sunsail that I need ASA 104 certification to bareboat in Croatia. I asked around and it sounds like many other destinations will be enforcing this requirement in the near future.

I want to keep the costs and time down and I don't need a sailing school. We can use my Bavaria 38 Ocean Center Cockpit sailboat if we need to do an overnight demonstration (The ASA requirement calls for 48 hours).

We only plan to bareboat for a week. If this gets too onerous or expensive I'm guessing that many boat owners like me will stop bare-boating and just sail in their home waters.

Here's a bit of my background if you want to read further:

I took and taught sailing lessons with the U.S. Navy Sailing Association in the 1970's. Since then I have owned and raced boats from 14 to 38 feet, both onshore and offshore. I currently own a Bavaria 38 Ocean Center Cockpit in Annapolis.

I have taught navigation, and I have taught many of my own crew to sail; some of them now own and race their own boats. I do my own maintenance/winterizing and have rebuilt the diesel engine from my previous boat in my own garage.

Can we hear from others in similar predicaments or perhaps from some instructors or sailing school folks?

[Jim Cate]

From another perspective, I'm not a charterer but have often been surrounded by them. I for one wouldn't mind the criteria for chartering being raised a bit!

But I can readily understand your reaction to such rules being imposed on experienced but not formally "certified" sailors.

Wonder how it will play out, for I can see this cutting into revenues for the big charter companies.

Jim

[maytrix]

Looks like it is a requirement for the area, not Moorings. If it impacts the charter companies, they'll just take their boats elsewhere. But there are a number of options, not all ASA either.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding yacht charter Croatia


Here's a list of licenses that would qualify you depending on where you go. Seems you also need a license to operate the VHF?!

http://www.croatia-yachting-charter....ng-croatia.pdf

[maytrix]

And it looks like this is not charter related, but applicable towards a private owner sailing there as well.

[gjordan]

Interesting that they dont even mention a U.S. C.G. Masters with sail endorsement, but they honor British C.G. issued license. Maybe an oversight, or dont they think it is as good as a few weeks at a sailing school??? Just curious_____Grant.

[David R Broise]

Europe by that I mean Med. Sea area are all going down this route, Brussels loves to have its say in just about everything !! That said the ICC is now the minimum required for most Charters. It is I think quite easy for a experienced boater to acquire/ knowledge wise if you have a few years sailing experience, most would understand the rules that are identified to pass / obtain the certificate. And a very quick practical on water test of skills is quickly done. If ASA 104 is time consuming and expensive then try the RYA ICC course , it is on line.
Personally I question all the different bits of paper that one now is expected to have just to go sailing, what happened to good old fashioned seamanship learn't the old way , time at sea with a experienced old sea dog.

[LTDsailing]

Hi - I run an ASA school in the Caribbean - LTD Sailing in Grenada. You are correct that more and more Bareboat locations are requiring proof of certification even for experience sailors.

Currently - the quickest / most affordable way to get your 104 certification is to go in to a local sailing school and challenge the three exams (101, 103 and 104) and do an on the water skills assesment. You will need to contact a school and set this up. An individual instructor will not be able to certify you.

I am currently working on a more streamlined process for this exact scenario - the experienced sailor and charter guest who needs certification to charter at a particular location. We hope to have this more streamlined process in place within the next 6 months - working with a group of instructors, ASA and Sunsail / Moorings.

If you have any specific questions about the process or need help finding a school to help you with the challenge - feel free to contact me via private message.

Beam winds,

Chris

[josmason]

Boat US, has a basic keelboat course online for $75 or I think you can call them and take the test without taking the course and get credit for it.

[CLady]

This is a good way to require the charter to have to include a charter company skipper aboard.
My experience of most charterers is that they are not qualified and a liability to others. ASA 104 doesn't insure anything.

[Grateful]

Keep your shirts on ya'll!

Originally Posted by maytrix

Looks like it is a requirement for the area, not Moorings.

Here's a list of licenses that would qualify you depending on where you go. Seems you also need a license to operate the VHF?!

http://www.croatia-yachting-charter....ng-croatia.pdf

Read that list again. It says, "...for operating Croatian flag (sic) boats and yachts..." Reading this, I do not think that they require certification to operate your own vessel.

You probably do need a radio operator's license though.

[Islander36Kairo]

I've been considering chartering a bareback boat in BVI this winter for the first time. I have 40 years on and off experience, have had my own boat which I've sailed and maintained for (7) years now. I have spent quite a few dollars on sailing and training (including an ASA 101 challange some years ago).
TO THE CHARTER INDUSTRY, I WILL NOT SPEND ONE ADDITIONAL DOLLAR FOR ANY CHARTERS REQUIRING ANOTHER PAYOFF TO ASA!!

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Islander36Kairo

TO THE CHARTER INDUSTRY, I WILL NOT SPEND ONE ADDITIONAL DOLLAR FOR ANY CHARTERS REQUIRING ANOTHER PAYOFF TO ASA!!

The charter companies aren't the ones implementing these requirements. It's the local governments.

Still plenty of places to go though where it isn't required. Right now I think its more the minority than majority.

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Grateful

Keep your shirts on ya'll!



Read that list again. It says, "...for operating Croatian flag (sic) boats and yachts..." Reading this, I do not think that they require certification to operate your own vessel.

You probably do need a radio operator's license though.

Yeah, I read that after. I'm surprised they don't at least mention foreign flagged boats - even if its just to mention no requirements.. And couldn't a charter boat in croatia be flagged from another country just like charter boats elsewhere? So those would be excempt?

[Captain Fred]

I bought my first sailboat in 1945, went through the Naval ROTC program at Northwestern (a four-year course with one year each of Seamanship, Engineering, Navigation and Gunnery), sailed in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Baltic, navigated celestially transAtlantic under sail, raced Newport to Bermuda twelve times, took my own Baba 35 from Annapolis to England, the Cape Verdes, Martinique and back over 10 months and retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve as a captain. I think there should be some way for me to charter without paying somebody who runs a sailing school $75 to take a test.

[argold57]

[QUOTE=David R Broise;1653458]... try the RYA ICC course , it is on line. ...
[QUOTE]

Do you mean the Royal Yachting Association in England? I wonder if that is acceptable from the USA?

http://www.mppi.hr/UserDocsImages/TA...%2019-8_14.pdf