Captains License in Montenegro

[Gallant Spirit]

Ahm an interesting point, I was told that VAT would only be payable on purchases on return to Jersey as the yacht has been in the EU all the time just not "fiscally EU"

the state of paperwork etc in the EU would not give me concern re this
I do however pay VAT or IVA on any services and marina fees etc so they get a fair whack every month as it is just on berthing alone ( current IVA €400/month)

 

[Gallant Spirit]

We are getting a wee bit away from the initial thread so ....

I think that in the UK we are too soft, the ICC should also be a minimum in uk waters
I have lost count up here in Orkney of all places of people trying to go out with no safety gear or even enough fuel never mind knowledge of the tidal streams which can be savage up here even on a calm day, granted they are in mobile phone range, but many just dont see the danger until they have been rescued !! well that probably restarts the interest

I will admit however to being a professional seafarer and being a little bit biased, I have also met on my yachtie travels many a fine seafarers who could teach some mariners more than a little when it comes to pilotage etc

 

[Tranona]

This is well trod ground and regularly discussed on these fora.

There is little real evidence that lack of training and preparation is a significant cause of accidents/incidents involving leisure yachtsmen - although there are, of course the odd newsworthy cases each year.

The key bodies involved in safety , RNLI, MCA, RYA do not see it as an issue that requires any change in the current policy of encouraging voluntary training. Equally, there is little evidence from countries that have compulsory licencing that their accident rate is any lower than here - not that it is easy to collect data, nor make direct comparisons.

There is no political pressure to change the status quo and suspect any politician taking it on would look at the drubbing that the minister got when he tried to present evidence that drinking is a real problem - the "evidence" just does not support the argument.

Of course you could construct evidence by taking a tick box approach to recording incidents with a box that said "Qualifications of skipper" or "Skippers level of competence" - but who would collect the data?, and how would you know there was a causal relationship?

Interestingly insurance companies in general do not penalise or reward on the basis of qualifications, which suggests that it has little impact on the level of risk.

 

[jimbaerselman]

There is little real evidence that lack of training and preparation is a significant cause of accidents/incidents involving leisure yachtsmen - although there are, of course the odd newsworthy cases each year.

The hazards of seafaring in UK waters ensure that Darwinian principles apply. Or at least a good fright ensures they either give up, or seek training!

 

[Boatlife]

Looking for boat life tips

After living on islands for many years, I finally decided to get a boat of my own and sail for the time being. considering that I never sailed a boat by myself before but just joined random sailing trips with friends, I am actually looking for a catamaran for live-aboard.
What could be the worst thing that could happen while sailing a catamaran?

 

[FistralG]

....What could be the worst thing that could happen while sailing a catamaran?

Capsize or pitchpole causing the boat to "turn turtle" and not be rightable without outside assistance.
It does require extreme wind and/or wave conditions for a large crusing cat to flip but for lighter cats, especially those with dagger boards, it can be more of a hazard as the Gemini that went over in the RTIR found out this year.