Easiest way for Canadian qualified skipper to charter in Croatia

EugeneR

EugeneR

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We're planning our next charter holiday in Croatia with my brother in law (who only has RYA dinghy qualifications), his family and a friend joining us, chartering their own boat.

The friend, who will be the 2nd boat's skipper, has a Canadian 'Basic Cruising Standard' or 'Day Skipper' certificate, issued by the Canadian Yachting Association (now known as Sail Canada, I think) which, he was told years ago, is accepted internationally. Both have practical sailing experience.

Sadly, it does not appear / no longer appears on the list of accepted qualifications to charter in Croatia.

Any suggestions as to what could be the easiest / cheapest way for them to charter in Croatia?

For example, is there a way to convert a Canadian certification to an equivalent RYA one (friend is resident in the UK now)? Or, would it be cheaper / easier for either brother in law or friend to do an online RYA day skipper theory course which, surprisingly, is on Croatian authorities' list of accepted qualifications?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thank you
 
The only way to get a definitive answer is to ask the Croatian authorities.
Or contact the Charter company and ask if they will get the information from the Croatian authorities.

One problem you may have is the CYA certificates are not official government issued or approved certificates. The RYA system sometimes runs into this difficulty as well which is probably why they will issue an ICC for a fee. If you do the RYA Day Skipper.

If you are Canadian your CYA certificate is just a voluntary training scheme much like the RAY day skipper. Good but not recognised officially.

In Canada unlike the UK you are required to have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card which is an official government approved boating licence.

Send a copy of your PCOC and your CYA Basic cruising standard to the Charter company and ask if this is sufficient proof of competence to satisfy the local regulations.

One issue you may find is the Basic Cruising Standard is or at least was just part of what most charter operators require.
The Basic Cruising Standard is an on the water practical training, a demonstration of the sailing skills required to sail a small cruising boat in familiar waters in day light.

Most charter operators required the CYA Basic Cruising Standard plus the CYA Coastal Navigation Standard. Or The Canadian Power Squadron course.

There really is no such thing as an international certificate though some may use the word international.
Each individual country or flag state rights there own laws which theoretically adopt an internationally recognised standard.

Visiting boats from other flag states are usually accepted as meeting local laws if they hold a certificate or proof of competence from their own flag State.

If I were to take my Canadian Boat to Croatia my Canadian issued PCOC would probably be suffice.

The difficulty arises when a foreign national wants to skipper a local boat.

Canada gets around the requirement for foreigners to hold a PCOC to charter a Canadian boat by exempting charter boats from the requirement for a PCOC and allowing charter companies to accept proof of competence in leiw of a PCOC.

Croatia probably has a similar contingency.

I’m not sure exactly where an ICC is issued or accepted. I think it is a European based certification so it is probably mainly the EEC and a few other European countries.

There are a couple of sailing schools in Canada which will run RYA Day Skipper Courses. I don’t know any which conduct the ICC as a stand alone course.
 
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>I’m not sure exactly where an ICC is issued or accepted. I think it is a European based certification so it is probably mainly the EEC and a few other European countries.

As far as I know it's global hence the International.
 
KellysEye said:
As far as I know it's global hence the International.
Click to expand...
It's meant to be international, but many countries (including some in Europe) have not signed up to it. In spite of this, it is accepted throughout the Mediterranean. Oddly, few countries in tidal Europe (where tidal knowledge is vital for navigation) require certificates of competence!
 
Uricanejack said:
The only way to get a definitive answer is to ask the Croatian authorities.
Or contact the Charter company and ask if they will get the information from the Croatian authorities.

One problem you may have is the CYA certificates are not official government issued or approved certificates. The RYA system sometimes runs into this difficulty as well which is probably why they will issue an ICC for a fee. If you do the RYA Day Skipper.

If you are Canadian your CYA certificate is just a voluntary training scheme much like the RAY day skipper. Good but not recognised officially.

In Canada unlike the UK you are required to have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card which is an official government approved boating licence.

Send a copy of your PCOC and your CYA Basic cruising standard to the Charter company and ask if this is sufficient proof of competence to satisfy the local regulations.

One issue you may find is the Basic Cruising Standard is or at least was just part of what most charter operators require.
The Basic Cruising Standard is an on the water practical training, a demonstration of the sailing skills required to sail a small cruising boat in familiar waters in day light.

Most charter operators required the CYA Basic Cruising Standard plus the CYA Coastal Navigation Standard. Or The Canadian Power Squadron course.

There really is no such thing as an international certificate though some may use the word international.
Each individual country or flag state rights there own laws which theoretically adopt an internationally recognised standard.

Visiting boats from other flag states are usually accepted as meeting local laws if they hold a certificate or proof of competence from their own flag State.

If I were to take my Canadian Boat to Croatia my Canadian issued PCOC would probably be suffice.

The difficulty arises when a foreign national wants to skipper a local boat.

Canada gets around the requirement for foreigners to hold a PCOC to charter a Canadian boat by exempting charter boats from the requirement for a PCOC and allowing charter companies to accept proof of competence in leiw of a PCOC.

Croatia probably has a similar contingency.

I’m not sure exactly where an ICC is issued or accepted. I think it is a European based certification so it is probably mainly the EEC and a few other European countries.

There are a couple of sailing schools in Canada which will run RYA Day Skipper Courses. I don’t know any which conduct the ICC as a stand alone course.
Click to expand...

Lot of confusing and incorrect information here. An ICC is issued by governments to its citizens to confirm competence. It is usually but not always linked to a domestic qualification that meets the internationally determine requirements. The RYA issues them in the UK on behalf of the government. Additionally they can issue to residents who are not citizens on the basis of a qualification or a standard alone assessment. A list of acceptable existing certificates is on the application forms. Further information on the RYA Site.

An ICC is acceptable in Croatia.
 
So, the relevant Canadian certificate is not accepted by the Croatian authorities and the charter operator has no say in the matter.

Given the cost of DS theory online (£299) vs. 5 day DS practical in winter (£425), I recommended the latter.

I remain surprised, and concerned, that a DS theory certificate - without ever touching a boat - is accepted by the Croatian authorities.
 
Tranona said:
Lot of confusing and incorrect information here. An ICC is issued by governments to its citizens to confirm competence. It is usually but not always linked to a domestic qualification that meets the internationally determine requirements. The RYA issues them in the UK on behalf of the government. Additionally they can issue to residents who are not citizens on the basis of a qualification or a standard alone assessment. A list of acceptable existing certificates is on the application forms. Further information on the RYA Site.

An ICC is acceptable in Croatia.
Click to expand...

I may be confusing and incorrect with regard to Croatia, the RYA and the ICC of which I have no first hand knowledge.

The info on the CYA Basic Cruising Standard is accurate as is the info on The PCOC.
The PCOC can be obtained by completing an online test for about 40 or 50 Canadian dollars. In order to find out if this would be acceptable ask a Croation Official.
 
The RYA advice to people is to ask the Charter company. In addition, try to get them to put in writing. It's not only the requirement to prove competence the authorities, you need to satisfy their insurers just in case it all goes wrong. Whilst I think it unlikely a Canadian certificate would be acceptable to the Croatian authorities for a Croatian flagged boat. It should be acceptable proof of competence for an ICC issued by the RYA which will satisfy resolution 40 About the ICC.
 
Uricanejack said:
I may be confusing and incorrect with regard to Croatia, the RYA and the ICC of which I have no first hand knowledge.

The info on the CYA Basic Cruising Standard is accurate as is the info on The PCOC.
The PCOC can be obtained by completing an online test for about 40 or 50 Canadian dollars. In order to find out if this would be acceptable ask a Croation Official.
Click to expand...
No need to ask a Croatian official, they would only quote from the Croatian list of accepted qualifications at : http://www.croatia-yachting-charter.com/documents/acceptable-licences-sailing-croatia.pdf

As the OP found, the relevant Canadian certificate is not included. Canada is country items 32-35a. They accept: International Bareboat Skipper - Yachtmaster Coastal - Yachtmaster Offshore - Yachtmaster Ocean - International Watchkeeper/Flotilla Skipper Certificate. All International Yacht Training (IYT).

I regularly sail my yacht to Croatia and, depending on the port of entry, the harbourmaster (or assistant) to whom one has to report, can be pedantic, officious and inflexible with regard to documentation. Because I once only had a copy of my international insurance certificate and despite a call to the Swiss office who offered to send a fax copy, I was refused entry. I had to go to a local Croatian insurance office and get a year's third party cover and go back for re-submission before being allowed entry with my ICC, ship registration, VHF SRC and original insurance certificate. Plus a lot of money.
 
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EugeneR said:
So, the relevant Canadian certificate is not accepted by the Croatian authorities and the charter operator has no say in the matter.

Given the cost of DS theory online (£299) vs. 5 day DS practical in winter (£425), I recommended the latter.

I remain surprised, and concerned, that a DS theory certificate - without ever touching a boat - is accepted by the Croatian authorities.
Click to expand...

The list is drawn up by a civil servant and is huge, so not surprising there are anomalies. Part of the reasoning behind the ICC was to create a single acceptable certificate with a defined set of competencies and put the responsibility on home governments to determine which local qualifications comply. To date buy in has been patchy although the Med charter business would struggle without it.
 
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