Germany not recognising the RYA SRC

[Wharfe]

Hi

On the 27th of July the German sailing association released this press statement

In essence what they are saying is that they see the RYA SRC as a crash course and do not believe it is comprehensive enough and as such have declared that they do not recognise the RYA SRC anymore, and that goes for anyone resident in Germany for longer than 1 year.

They are also implying that this is the same stance as several other EU states.

Can anyone give me some more clarification on this?

 

[jimbaerselman]

Hmmm. Excuse my ignorance, but what's an SRC?

 

[Lizzie_B]

VHF short range certificate (radio operator's licence)

 

[Seven Spades]

the French do a siilar thing with British trained skiing instructors.

 

[roly_voya]

If you are moving your registration you probably will always have to prove competance to there national standards, we do the same in lots of areas, but its only a problem if you need a German registered boat.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

If you need more than a day for the SRC you must be, well that seems to be the implication so all Germans are, no, surely that can't be the case.

Sounds like protectionism and the RYA need to be rosbust on this one, given that their status as I/C all UK boating certs is central to their fuction for anyone who isn't a racing sailor IMO.

 

[savageseadog]

[ QUOTE ]
the French do a siilar thing with British trained skiing instructors.

[/ QUOTE ]Does that read similar or sillier?

 

[jimbaerselman]

The general case is that if you're tax resident in an EU country (more than 183 days a year) normally you have to register your vehicles, boats etc in that country, and obey that country's requirements for such registration (obtain local driving licences, boating qualifications etc).

Sometimes foreign qualifications or international qualifications (driving licences) are recognised as equivalents, sometimes not.

So, if you own a German registered boat, to use it you need the approprate German qualifications. If they decide that the SRC is not a satisfactory equivalent to their own qulification, that's their business. And it's your business if you're resident there.

Quite frankly, comparing the VHF (in)discipline of different nationalities in the Mediterranean does put UK near the bottom.

 

[steve_cronin]

You know...

...Wjhen I opened that site an image of Jurgen Prochnau flashed across my mind!

Steve Cronin

 

[wotayottie]

The site is in kraut - this being an English language board it would be better to put the text in English!

The syllabus for the SRC is set by Ofcom, not the RYA, and the same applies to the exam at the end. I teach the SRC and tbh, I sometimes struggle to make it the full 8 hrs it is supposed to take. How much of a meal can you make of the operation of a radio? I would be interested to know what the Germans include that Ofcom dont.

Mind you, I found when doing business in Germany that the Germans were extremely reluctant to accept anyone else's qualifications / specifications, often being both arrogant and humourless about it. They seem still to believe their own national mythical efficiency / superiority etc.

However, in the end, when in Rome ................

 

[Amphitrite]

The germans make a the SRC a rocket science, incl. a lot of bullshit of transmission of public telegrams, special drawing rights etc.... and there are strong tendencies to simplify things...

 

[jtwebb]

If you think it is bad in the Med try the Solent! A large number of 'I say we are in ???? and suggest xxx ' for several minutes. Repeated calls to boats not answering at 20 sec intervals. Redundant radio checks. Add to that the DSC alerts from the French for routine safety traffic when they should only be used for out of routine and you turn the bloody thing off!

John Webb

 

[Wharfe]

Well here is the full text roughly translated using Babel fish

[ QUOTE ]
The Federal Ministry for traffic, building and town development has to 27.7. 2007 the following press release publishes: Concerned one: Limits valid radio operating certification (SRC) Federal Ministry of Transport: Radio operating certification of the British Seglerverbandes insufficiently - check probably Skipper, on whose sport boats and tradition ships a UKW DSC maritime radio plant is installed, and which need thereby a maritime radio certification (SRC), should not in Germany an examination according to the rules of the British Seglerverbandes RYA placing.

These "Crash courses", which lock with a short theory examination, do not correspond to the German requirements to the examination and participation in the international maritime mobile service. After press releases sail schools in some large cities offer corresponding a current rates, which can be locked successfully with a short theory test.

The independent theoretical and practical examination planned obligatorily in Germany is void. Thus the radio certifications issued by the British Seglerverband are comparable in no way with the German SRC. In different international agreements is defined, as and which for the acquisition of an internationally recognized SRC, which to the participation in the GMDSS justified, is to be examined.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport the Federal Office for sea-going vessel travel and hydrographie examines at present, to what extent test contents of the RYA deviate from the examinations removed in Germany.

Afterwards one specifies, to which extent owners of the British radio certification of a check to submit to have itself, in order to be able to participate in the UKW maritime mobile service on German ships.

This check was necessary for all German RYA Zeugnisinhaber as well as for all foreigners, who longer than one year in Germany are. In the available form the RYA certification cannot be recognized. Germany is thereby on a line with other European Union states.

[/ QUOTE ]

And to fill in my situation a bit.

I live in Germany and I have my RYA yachtmaster offshore and just a month or so back upgraded my old VHF licence to the new SRC. I did this by arranging with a group of other English speaking people and we got an RYA instructor to come over and teach us, mainly because this was cheaper than the German course, including paying the flights for the instructor.

But I do not currently own a boat, I do not intend to keep one in Germany anyway as I am about as far from the sea as you can get in western europe being near Frankfurt. And I do not intend to take the German qualifications as I already have the RYA tickets.

So the only problem I may encounter will be chartering a boat in Germany, as I imagine any charter company will accept what I currently have.

 

[charles_reed]

They probably

overheard the chaos on vhf channels on the UK S coast and took fright.

Can't blame them - though I suppose all the prats are illegal transmitters?

 

[wotayottie]

Re: They probably

[ QUOTE ]

Can't blame them - though I suppose all the prats are illegal transmitters?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dont know about "all the prats", but at one of my clubs I doubt that more than 50% of skippers have any licence let alone the SRC one.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: They probably

[ QUOTE ]
Dont know about "all the prats", but at one of my clubs I doubt that more than 50% of skippers have any licence let alone the SRC one.

[/ QUOTE ] I'm not disputing that but I find it incredible....surely people can spare a few pounds for the radio licence?

They can confiscate the vessel, I believe?

 

[pelicanpete]

Re: They probably

The licence fee is a tax. The VHF radio is a piece of life-saving equipment. Why tax safety??!

Licence or no-licence, skippers are going to use and, some, abuse the radio. Remove the tax, get rid of a quango government department that administers licencing, save us taxpayers £000's running said department. Ah - Happiness!

 

[Paulka]

[ QUOTE ]

Quite frankly, comparing the VHF (in)discipline of different nationalities in the Mediterranean does put UK near the bottom.

[/ QUOTE ]

... but much higher than the Germans.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[mcframe]

Set the EU on them!

Small print on a UK SRC cites WTA49 and T/R 31 -04 :
http://www.ero.dk/documentation/docs/doc98/official/pdf/REC3104E.PDF