License info

[Davide1981]

Hi everyone,
I’m new here and I have couple questions.
I would like to sail on my own boat from Australia to Italy.
What kind of paper, license, apart for the visas, do I need.
Few people I asked, they all said different things, celestial navigation, no license at all, icc only for the Mediterranean Sea…..
What do I really need?
Thanks to everyone reply me

[StuM]

CHeck out this site:
https://improvesailing.com/questions...ound-the-world

"When you circumnavigate the world, you will enter many different countries, and some have requirements for skipper competence and safety. You want to be prepared and not run afoul of any local ordinances. But do you need a license to sail around the world? You do not need a license to sail around the world. However, certain licenses and certifications can help you in local jurisdictions, and it's not a bad idea to get them. Though many countries require licenses for local boat owners and charterers, they do not always apply these rules to visiting sailors on their own yachts.

When you circumnavigate the world, you will enter many different countries, and some have requirements for skipper competence and safety. You want to be prepared and not run afoul of any local ordinances.
But do you need a license to sail around the world? You do not need a license to sail around the world. However, certain licenses and certifications can help you in local jurisdictions, and it's not a bad idea to get them. Though many countries require licenses for local boat owners and charterers, they do not always apply these rules to visiting sailors on their own yachts.
..."

Assuming it's an Australian registered vessel, you should however have a VHF licence and a registered MMSI number.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Lets add a few other papers to Stu's list you should have:

• A 3rd party damage insurance. Without it, finding a place in a marina might get complicated.
• Your ship's paper and in case you aren't the owner, papers giving you permission to use the ship.
• In some very few places, make sure all your radio gear is properly registered and you have the registration with you. Croatian authorities sometimes check this if the want to shake you down.
• If your Dinghy has more than 6 HP, make sure enough people have a coastal permit for motorboats. In Croatia this is also a popular way to shake down yachties.
• In some countries, it might be useful - though I don't think it's necessary - to have the coastal ICC (usually up to 20 nm from the coats). You'll never need the one requiring astro-navigation and stuff.

[ChrisJHC]

It’s not a legal requirement, but I’d strongly recommend an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualification.
It will cover many of the situations you’re likely to come across during your journey.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

It’s not a legal requirement, but I’d strongly recommend an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualification.
It will cover many of the situations you’re likely to come across during your journey.

This does require considerable sea miles and skippering experience and a 1-2 on boat exam .

At a minimum something like ICC will pass muster for countries that want competency certs.

[Zanshin]

The license applies to the boat registry. If you are sailing an Australian-flagged boat then you need whatever license Australia requires to skipper that boat. If you have a VHF then you will need a SRC or equivalent, as using the VHF is regulated by the ITU who delegates to member countries. If you have a SSB you will need a LRC or equivalent. Most countries won't check the radio licenses, but some will (perhaps the shakedowns in Croatia...). The short course for the radio licenses is worth it. It explains DSC and proper radio protocol.

The only internationally accepted qualification is the Yachtmaster, but it is difficult to get (which is why it is accepted everywhere) and not needed unless you plan on making a living sailing.

When clearing in to countries they will want your exit papers from the last port, your passport (and nowadays COVID vaccination status and perhaps a test), and boat registration.

I've been boarded and checked several times; those officers will check your paperwork including ownerships papers and bill-of-sale (that only happened to me once). They will check your EPIRB (if you have one) and fire extinguishers and flares for expiry dates. They will compare your registration with the markings on the boat and sometimes check your station license (if required) and SRC/LRC certificate.

Although I have licenses, I've never once been asked to produce anything along those lines, perhaps because the officers see my British registration and know that no license is required to operate my boat (scary - 57 feet and 30 tons and no license required...).

Liability insurance is frequently required by marinas and I've read that some countries, Mexico in particular, requires local insurance.

Overall the rules and regulations for COVID-19 these days are much more complex, and fluid, than clearances.

The best location to read up on rules and regulations and which is updated frequently by cruisers is Noonsite, it is as authoritative as one can get without going to each country's official pages.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

This does require considerable sea miles and skippering experience and a 1-2 on boat exam .

At a minimum something like ICC will pass muster for countries that want competency certs.

Agree, however if I was planning to sail halfway around the world (as per the OP), I would want to be at that level of competency.
If you are at that standard, and it’s only for personal use, you don’t need to do the exam so that saves some time and money.

[Todd_A]

Hi all. I am also new here. Located in Texas at the moment. my wife is very interested in us sailing to Europe. She had the opportunity to live in France for a brief period and was able to travel and see quite a bit and she wants me to experience some of what she saw... Anyway, from what I am gathering from the above posts on this thread, and from reading on noonsite and a few other places, some countries will require a "certificate of competence"... some will also require a radio operator license... Even though the rule appears to be that the country where the boat calls home is supposed to determine the licenses and certificates needed to sail, and other countries are supposed to recognize this and accept this.
So, here in the US, I see that there are a couple of locations that offer RYA licensing/training. None close to me though.
I also noticed that NauticEd offers the RYA Day Skipper theory course as well as a path all the way to an SLC license which they claim that the same EU countries that require the ICC will accept as equal.
I realize that this is more intended as proof of certificate of competence in order to charger a boat that lives in those locations...
I also noticed that the ASA is now offering a similar license that they supposedly have agreements with many chartering companies around Europe, however, I believe this is also geared toward chartering a boat.
Does anyone know if any of these other than the ICC is acceptable for someone who wants to sail their own boat from the US to locations in the EU that are asking for these certs?

[goboatingnow]

While is a common fallacy that flag state determines the rules applying to your boat, this is not the legal position. If you are within a countries territorial waters you “ can” be subject to whatever laws apply and those laws extend to your boat. For example Ireland’s life jacket regulations or Croatia’s competency certification

For peace of mind you should have a basic competency certificate , ASA ones are accepted as well as ICC and others.

For VHF the FCC will issue you with a formal ships station license. This will give you an internationally recognised MMSI and ships radio call sign and that data will be added to the worldwide ITU database

The will also issue you with a vhf “ Restricted operators license “ which European countries require ( but almost never check )

It’s easy to sort out and gives you peace of mind.

[Todd_A]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

While is a common fallacy that flag state determines the rules applying to your boat, this is not the legal position. If you are within a countries territorial waters you “ can” be subject to whatever laws apply and those laws extend to your boat. For example Ireland’s life jacket regulations or Croatia’s competency certification

For peace of mind you should have a basic competency certificate , ASA ones are accepted as well as ICC and others.

For VHF the FCC will issue you with a formal ships station license. This will give you an internationally recognised MMSI and ships radio call sign and that data will be added to the worldwide ITU database

The will also issue you with a vhf “ Restricted operators license “ which European countries require ( but almost never check )

It’s easy to sort out and gives you peace of mind.

Thank you! That makes sense. Too much research is confusing me I guess. So, based on this, as long as I have been trained by some agency and issued a certificate of a decent level of proficiency, other countries will likely accept that rather than having to have specifically the ICC which would be a bit more difficult for me to get in my location at this point. ASA would likely be the most accessible for me currently.

[davil]

Just received my RR restricted license to operate my SSB
cost $ 70.00

Tried to apply for a ship radio station cost $ 200.00!!
will pass for now and see how I will actually use it, when going into foreign ports will just disconnect the micro, as mainly use it to receive weather and nets reports.

When you register your EPIRB's and VHF radio with FCC (and you should) you will get a MMSI number as well as a call sign for your VHF.
Do not remember the fees but should not be too high, however is a MUST for emergencies as is linked to your DSC.
Your MMSI is also linked to your AIS.