I need an ICC practical test to apply for a small sailing craft Sailing ICC as I will be sailing my yacht overseas soon

[ritchyp]

Hi,

I have been looking at how to get the ICC for small sailing vessels by July this year. I have years of experience and thousands of miles in Tidal waters. I was looking on the RYA site at schools and clubs that have examiners and then I wondered if anybody could put me in touch examiner who would perform the practical test on my boat. It is a well equipped safe and tidy vessel. I navigate from paper charts and I have Yachmaster Theory but going down that route always involves a sailing school and having to do the whole course and exam on their boat with other students.

If anybody can help me with this it would be very much appreciated.

Cheers, ritchy

 

[jlavery]

You can't get an ICC assessment carried out or signed off by a completely independent instructor/assessor, unfortunately.

Anyone who does the assessment needs to do it under the auspices of either a registered RYA tuition establishment or sailing club, because a Principal or Flag Officer needs to countersign. (Edit - re-reading your post, I think you know this).

Are you a member of a club, if so do they have someone who can do it?

The training establishments I know would do it as "own boat tuition" for a day (or 2), with the ICC assessment as the goal.

Where are you based?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I did it with a day's own boat tuition from East Anglian Sea School at Suffolk Yacht Haven. They have quite a lot to check, so even just an assessment would take most of a day.

 

[ritchyp]

Hi jlavery,

Unfortunately I'm not a member of a club. If I was sticking around, I may have managed to get somebody to refer me to a local club I would have liked to join but this particular club close by to me, can not be joined by applying, I am sure you know what I mean. I am based in Southampton on the River Itchen. Lots of sailing schools but nobody willing to do own boat tuition.

Thanks ritchy

 

[ritchyp]

I did it with a day's own boat tuition from East Anglian Sea School at Suffolk Yacht Haven. They have quite a lot to check, so even just an assessment would take most of a day.

Yes, i have read the criteria for the assessment and realise it would a day or best part of. Suffolk is fair old way from me unfortunately. I sailed the yacht I own back from Ipswich where I bought it. a tiny bit further i know....

 

[jlavery]

Hi jlavery,

Unfortunately I'm not a member of a club. If I was sticking around, I may have managed to get somebody to refer me to a local club I would have liked to join but this particular club close by to me, can not be joined by applying, I am sure you know what I mean. I am based in Southampton on the River Itchen. Lots of sailing schools but nobody willing to do own boat tuition.

Thanks ritchy

PM sent. Possible solution.

Edit - clarifying an obtuse answer. There are schools nearby which I know will do ICC as own boat tuition.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Riggy, I take it you dont have RYA certification? Coastal Skipper would do.

 

[Sgeir]

I have had ICCs for over 20 years but I don't remember any great rigmarole. I only have RYA Day Skipper practical and few odds and sods like DSC radio and diesel engine mtce.


Perhaps things have changed, but it probably helps if you are a RYA member or are in an affiliated club or association. And some logged experience as skipper.

 

[ritchyp]

Nope, I did RYA day skipper theory 20 years ago and then I bought a boat. every spare penny goes on the boat or the marina fees. I'm just a regular guy, I dont have a fat income or come from money. 25k credit card debt but at least Im not paying interest on it. With my experience, It seemed pontless doing the practical and 5 days on a training boat....there was always something more important to spend the money on.
2 years ago, when this plan started, I thought i would go for Yacht master coastal or Offshore as i have enough miles, night hours long passages etc. so my dear old Ma paid for me to do the Theory which I have. When i looked into taking the test, it wasn't as straight forward as i thought and it was ging to cost a lot more than i thought. I just kept sailing my boat and paying the upkeep. spent 3k already this year but i'm getting her upgraded and ready to go down to the med for now and maybe furth after that.
An RYA accredited ICC is what you need and I know any type of skipper's can get you an ICC but at this point, its quicker and probably less expensive to take the test...

yer man jlavery told me of a school in the Solent not that far away and when i googled own boat sailing tuition I got a ton of results so I think I should be able to sort it now. It makes sense that an independent instructor/examiner cant do it by himself as it needs to be counter signed & endorsed by the RYA.

I think I should be ok now but thanks to jlave and all of you

 

[ritchyp]

I have had ICCs for over 20 years but I don't remember any great rigmarole. I only have RYA Day Skipper practical and few odds and sods like DSC radio and diesel engine mtce.


Perhaps things have changed, but it probably helps if you are a RYA member or are in an affiliated club or association. And some logged experience as skipper.

I'm on my 2nd log book, ran out of pages and well over 2500 M within the last 10 years as anything older doesn't count when they check for a qualification that needs so many miles which is in fact all of them.... Interestingly though, none of the skippers tickets make your insurance any cheaper. Its how many years' of experience and how many years no claims you have that decides it and most likely the value of the boat to an extent so a 5 figure yacht is going to cost less than a 7 figure yacht for sure...

Adios

 

[wonkywinch]

Hi jlavery,

Unfortunately I'm not a member of a club. If I was sticking around, I may have managed to get somebody to refer me to a local club I would have liked to join but this particular club close by to me, can not be joined by applying, I am sure you know what I mean. I am based in Southampton on the River Itchen. Lots of sailing schools but nobody willing to do own boat tuition.

Thanks ritchy

Hamble School of Yachting definitely do own boat and will put together something for you. As jlavery says, you need it done under the umbrella of a school. HSY prob don't have it listed but give them a call. Any problems, I can PM you an instructor who does own boat stuff and will work it through HSY.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Big question is why do you want ICC?

I have sailed to France and Ireland and no one ever asked me to have it.

If you pass your Day Skipper practical and join RYA then RYA give you ICC free. My Examiner teased me for having taken 25 years to get around to it. Yes it cost but it still refreshed and taught.

Yes the course costs, but its value depends on what you want the qualification for

 

[Daydream believer]

Seems odd to me. In 2000 I went to a sailing school the examiner gave me the theory test ,which I passed 100%. That only took 20 mins. We then went out on the Sigma 33. I pointed out that he had rigged the genny sheets wrong & changed them round for him.( thinking back it was possibly a trap to catch me out when sailing). I motored it from the berth & out of the creek. I hoisted the mainsail & helmed a short triangle. He said, " You know how to sail a boat, this is a waste of time. Let's go back". So in less than 45 mins, I took it back & put it in the berth. Strange first off, as I only had a Stella at the time & it was windy.
He left me to tie the boat up. The ropes were obviously mixed up, so I re arranged them. He came back when I had finished, checked I had springs bow & stern lines correctly placed & gave me a pass.
The whole test took less than 2.5 hours one afternoon. Pity because I was looking forward to having a proper go of a Sigma 33.

 

[Boathook]

Seems odd to me. In 2000 I went to a sailing school the examiner gave me the theory test ,which I passed 100%. That only took 20 mins. We then went out on the Sigma 33. I pointed out that he had rigged the genny sheets wrong & changed them round for him. I motored it from the berth & out of the creek. I hoisted the mainsail & helmed a short triangle. He said, " You know how to sail a boat, this is a waste of time. Let's go back". So in less than 45 mins, I took it back & put it in the berth. Strange first off, as I only had a Stella at the time & it was windy.
He left me to tie the boat up. The ropes were obviously mixed up, so I re arranged them. He came back when I had finished, checked I had springs bow & stern lines correctly placed & gave me a pass.
The whole test took less than 2.5 hours one afternoon. Pity because I was looking forward to having a proper go of a Sigma 33.

The RYA has tightened up since then.
My ICC was well before that and it just got signed off by a Yacht Master that knew me.

Edit. The EU were concerned over the various standards used by UK as to competent. The Commodore of Muddy Creek Yacht Club thought Joe was competent as he could navigate out of the creek, where's Gold Braid Yacht Club wanted to see whether a person (normally owner!) could actually navigate or even give correct instructions to skipper and crew.

 

[jlavery]

Seems odd to me. In 2000 I went to a sailing school the examiner gave me the theory test ,which I passed 100%. That only took 20 mins. We then went out on the Sigma 33. I pointed out that he had rigged the genny sheets wrong & changed them round for him.( thinking back it was possibly a trap to catch me out when sailing). I motored it from the berth & out of the creek. I hoisted the mainsail & helmed a short triangle. He said, " You know how to sail a boat, this is a waste of time. Let's go back". So in less than 45 mins, I took it back & put it in the berth. Strange first off, as I only had a Stella at the time & it was windy.
He left me to tie the boat up. The ropes were obviously mixed up, so I re arranged them. He came back when I had finished, checked I had springs bow & stern lines correctly placed & gave me a pass.
The whole test took less than 2.5 hours one afternoon. Pity because I was looking forward to having a proper go of a Sigma 33.

We're signing a document that states that we know the candidate can do what it says on the form. It depends on how well the assessor knows the candidate.

I signed off a friend who I know can sail and handle a boat better than me (he regularly runs and parks 80' yachts, but has no qualifications ). We didn't do half the practical assessment because I know that he can do it however, we did still go through practical man overboard (and he learned a lot from that, he tells me).

So it's down to the assessor to decide how he/she justifies the signature on the form.

 

[Daydream believer]

The RYA has tightened up since then.
My ICC was well before that and it just got signed off by a Yacht Master that knew me.

I had one of those as well, but long since expired

 

[Stemar]

every spare penny goes on the boat or the marina fees.

Have you considered a swinging mooring? That could free up a fair dollop of cash compared with marina fees. Even more if you get a drying mooring on gloopy mud, like much of Portsmouth Harbour, where a fin will just sink in and sit upright.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

We're signing a document that states that we know the candidate can do what it says on the form. It depends on how well the assessor knows the candidate.

I signed off a friend who I know can sail and handle a boat better than me (he regularly runs and parks 80' yachts, but has no qualifications ). We didn't do half the practical assessment because I know that he can do it however, we did still go through practical man overboard (and he learned a lot from that, he tells me).

So it's down to the assessor to decide how he/she justifies the signature on the form.

That's the point. The examiner is certifying about 100 different points. Obviously, if the examiner knows the pupil, it may be possible to bypass some of that - but in ordinary circumstances the examiner has to test the pupil's ability.

I think the syllabus must have changed over the years; I had to demonstrate my understanding of tidal current on the course made good, and plot a course to steer using charted tidal information. Not difficult for anyone with elementary navigational skills, but I had to demonstrate my understanding. In fact we had an interesting discussion as my first principles technique differed from his! I can't remember rote methods, so I always go back to vector triangles.

I too learnt a lot from the MOB drill - mainly how my boat behaves under unusual conditions that I was reluctant to try in confined waters with a weak crew. I already knew she'd do a crash tack, though.

 

[Dutch01527]

Hi,

I have been looking at how to get the ICC for small sailing vessels by July this year. I have years of experience and thousands of miles in Tidal waters. I was looking on the RYA site at schools and clubs that have examiners and then I wondered if anybody could put me in touch examiner who would perform the practical test on my boat. It is a well equipped safe and tidy vessel. I navigate from paper charts and I have Yachmaster Theory but going down that route always involves a sailing school and having to do the whole course and exam on their boat with other students.

If anybody can help me with this it would be very much appreciated.

Cheers, ritchy

I had a similar situation. I did the ICC assessment and theory examination with these guys on their boat in Cardiff. All done in one day and a good experience. https://www.cardiffyacht.co.uk/private-tuition-sail/

I found the RYA schools I talked to pretty inflexible. They wanted to sell their set courses and did not recognise experience and Merchant Navy Navigating Officer qualifications meant that sitting through hours of theory tuition and a multi day assesment was not necessary.

 

[Refueler]

mmmm all interesting ....

When I asked for my first ICC - after having a barny with Latvian Authority ... I was awarded a Power only ICC based on my Ships Tickets ....

I contacted RYA .. passed them evidence of my Coxswain of Sailing Lifeboats etc .... filled in the CEVNI forms ... ICC was amended to full sail / Power and PWC ....

But that was a few years ago ... so no doubt not so easy now.

Back then - TBH - I was not so impressed by the standards for ICC - but if they've been hardened up - then that's not such a bad thing.