best and cheapes way to obtain boating quilifications

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senot

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hi im new to this forum so i apologies if its not the right place.
so i been living on a 40ft yacht in london for the past 4 years but don't have any qualifications. i been wanting to sail my yacht to Europe now that i finished university i have time to do it. so looking around i understand i need a icc, to get it i need to pass at list a rya powerboat level 2 course (225 pounds).

i am also interested in a yachtmaster certificate to make my self more employable. i was thinking maybe i should go for a skipper day course. as i understand it it be easier to progress to a yachtmaster.
i dont want to do the fast track as its too expensive for me at the moment and i also own my own boat so i can make my own hours at sea.

whats the best and cheapest option available.
i appreciate any replays, thanks for your time
 
The RYA power boat L2 will give you the ICC for just that, power boats up to 8m (might be 10m) it will not cover you for a 40’ yacht.
For that you would need day skipper, now a 5 day practicle course, preceded by a 5 day theory course
 
Day skipper course I believe costs around 800 quid for theory plus practical. Shop around...

If your yacht is seaworthy you may be able to find a flexible instructor who will sort you out for less; club together with a couple of mates and the only cost is his time. But I don't know how you find such a person; nor do I know the intricacies of insurance that may be required.

All that is aside from your skills and experience. Some people can go straight from comp crew to DS because they were well-taught and quick learners. Others take much longer and really need their sea-miles. Remember your DS (and indeed every qualification) is really just your permit to continue learning in a more extended context. Good luck!
 
Do not forget that you must also learn correct VHF radio procedures and pass the Short Range Certificate test in order to operate the VHF radio. If planning to enter the European canals you will need a further test and endorsement.
 
Apart from the qualifications, be careful of the VAT status of your yacht. If the government manage to crash the UK out of the EU on 31st October then your yacht in London will become UK goods, and no longer be Union Goods ... that means you will have to do a temporary import to take it to Europe and if you sell it in Europe it will be VAT unpaid.

It's not an insurmountable problem, but you will need time, paperwork and a bit of cash to sort it all out.

You did not indicate your nationality or age/value or type of boat. This info would help with replies. It might be more sensible to export your yacht to Europe now to retain it's status as Union Goods with VAT paid in Europe. Gives you a bigger market when you come to sell it.

It may well be cheaper to obtain qualifications abroad depending on which languages you speak. Don't bother with Germany however, it is more expensive than UK RYA.
 
Jane and went long distance sailing with a dinghy certificate I wanted for my son. We bought a steel ketch and set about getting experience in all weather conditons but not a gale. Over Biscay we had a gale gusting 50 knots, I reefed at 25 knots, and we had no problems.
 
Re "i also own my own boat so i can make my own hours at sea" - if it's a 40 ft powerboat and as you are also talking about a RYA Powerboat course I assume it is, the fuel consumed in getting the mileage will probably be very expensive indeed.
 
thanks for the replays. some more info
its a diesel engine power boat.
im 31years old, British , male.
i graduated from plymouth university.
i got dyslexia, i didn't know it was a English test for me to double check my writing just wanted some advice.

i wanted to take my boat on a summer trip to the Mediterranean can i get my hours that way?
so i can't do rya powerboat level 2 to get a ICC for my boat size?
is my other cheapest option a Day skipper course? its quite a difference in price from around 200 to 800pounds
 
The cheapest way, if you have your own boat, is probably to do an online YM theory course, getting some books from the public library.
Meanwhile, find a bunch of like-minded people who want to do YM and set about getting out there amassing the miles and experience.
Then get a YM instructor for some own-boat tuition to see if you are ready.
Then take the exam.
You'll need to do the VHF course and First Aid.

If you just want an ICC, then you just have to get adequate competence and take the assessment:
https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge-advice/boating-abroad/icc/Pages/the-icc-assessment.aspx
 
i been looking into day skipper course. my question is do i need both theory (Shore based course) and practical or can i go straight to practical ? all i want is enough qualifications to make my 1st trip to Europe (icc) i do prefer practical over theory
 
If you go down the route of getting an instructor onboard your own boat then I think you will find that you need one that is affiliated to an RYA approved sailing school in order to get your certificates.
 
senot said:
hi im new to this forum so i apologies if its not the right place.
so i been living on a 40ft yacht in london for the past 4 years but don't have any qualifications. i been wanting to sail my yacht to Europe now that i finished university i have time to do it. so looking around i understand i need a icc, to get it i need to pass at list a rya powerboat level 2 course (225 pounds).

i am also interested in a yachtmaster certificate to make my self more employable. i was thinking maybe i should go for a skipper day course. as i understand it it be easier to progress to a yachtmaster.
i dont want to do the fast track as its too expensive for me at the moment and i also own my own boat so i can make my own hours at sea.

whats the best and cheapest option available.
i appreciate any replays, thanks for your time
Click to expand...

You will need an ICC if you want to got to the Med. If I were you I would join the Cruising Association which is based at Limehouse. They run all the courses and can provide all the info you will need for the trip. Do the Day Skipper theory course and then either ICC assessment or Day Skipper practical. Have a look at the website theca.org.uk.
 
senot said:
i been looking into day skipper course. my question is do i need both theory (Shore based course) and practical or can i go straight to practical ? all i want is enough qualifications to make my 1st trip to Europe (icc) i do prefer practical over theory
Click to expand...

I did just the practical bit of Day Skipper. You shouldn’t have to do the theory first, but the trainer/skipper doing your practical course will want to know you’ve studied and understand the theory.
 
richardabeattie said:
Relax - Nice Mr Blair worked it out that the education system is now so good that 50% of all school leavers are qualified for three years of barely supervised study at any university they choose.
Click to expand...

..and also claiming dyslexia means to some that you don't have to proof read your work and have the right expect others to understand your meaning despite ignoring basic grammar and punctuation as well as spelling. Both my son and I are dyslexic but we work around it.
 
senot said:
i wanted to take my boat on a summer trip to the Mediterranean
[..]
its quite a difference in price from around 200 to 800pounds
Click to expand...

If you want to take a powerboat from the UK to the Med (and possibly back) for a summer trip, then you must have the sort of money laying around that makes £600 not worth quibbling about :)
 
best offer i see online for motor day skipper theory with accommodation, breakfast and lunch was 850 pounds
anyone know a better deal around south east England
 
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