I need an ICC

[ShipsWoofy]

As we prepare to sail south it is apparent that a piece of paper might make life easier when facing some officialdom. Also to use the canals in France which is appealing to us, to spend winter 2006 slowly exploring France on the way down.

Simple enough, but not quite.

Many will know I have a mobility disability that means I require help now to sail the boat. I can do most things, with planning I can do all things, but it may take longer than an able bodied skipper. For example, if I am alone on watch I will often gybe the boat to come about as it is far easier on HT to go the long way around.

Basically, I rely on my crew now.

I have no real idea what the ICC requires, but I am afraid that I am going to struggle to convince an able bodied tester that I am safe and fit enough to be in charge of a sailing yacht. I would have less trouble getting an ICC power I think, which is what we would be if using the canals.

The forum is pretty anonymous, but in real life I would also be embarrassed to be disabled in front of a tester, there is little I can do about this, but it would be there and could be a problem. I sometimes get irritable when in pain or struggling to do things that a few years ago would not have been a problem. This is not going to help someone who is judging me feel I am competent. I can pretend for a short period of time, but a days test is going to see me getting quite tired and short tempered. In the real world sailing is not as intense as a test situation.

SWMBO is not ready for the test yet. I have also pointed out that the application for the ICC requires that the candidate should be fit and able, I can not sign the application.

Have any instructors on here tested disabled people, was it a problem, would you consider testing me on our boat, can I use my girlfriend as my crew on the day. I will be sailing down and visiting the south coast prior to crossing the channel hopefully late this year.

waffle maybe, but I am actually quite stressed about this and fairly afraid I guess of being told that I am unfit to own my boat.

Sorry, more than 50 words, but it is quite hard to write some things in less than 50 words.

J

 

[Tisme]

There's quite a bit about the ICC on the RYA site, but I don't think that you necessarily need to be tested if you have the appropriate RYA certificates.

I also thought that they were more interested in how you manage the boat; if that means you use a crew then so be it.

 

[fireball]

To be honest I would think (just from reading your posts) that you would breeze through an ICC.
I believe part of it is a written test and when we were on flot the vflot crew did the practical in 1/2 day - I guess they'd had some assessment during the week too.

If you have a DS prac you can apply for your ICC anyway ... if not, it is no more difficult than a DS prac test - and ours wasn't that demanding (ok - I'm physically fit - well reasonably ... !) but the prac was all about simple nav and basic boat handling...

 

[Danny_Labrador]

You don’t have to worry about this. Just send off your Day Skipper (or better) cert to the RYA with the appropriate dosh and wait for the ICC by return – that’s it!

 

[wooslehunter]

Don't forget the CEVNI bit for the French canals though. It's only shore based if you don't already have it. Get it before the ICC and it's automatically added to the ICC.

 

[snowleopard]

As others have said, the normal way to get an ICC in the UK is to pay the RYA on presentation of any level of skipper's ticket. (Apart from the inland endorsement which requires a written CEVNI test).

If you don't have an RYA ticket your choice is to (a) take the Dazed kipper or go direct to a test for the ICC which would be a similar standard.

You seem concerned about the RYA's attitude to disabled examinees. Don't worry about it - as long as you are able to steer, do chartwork and communicate with the crew that's fine. More candidates fail through trying to do too much of the work than for sitting back and letting the crew do everything. A skipper is supposed to command. You can't take the exam singlehanded.

If in any doubt, have a chat with someone on the Sailability team. If you want to follow that up, PM me and I'll give you a contact name/address.

p.s. just re-read your post. I suggest that if you take an RYA exam you take another crewman on board. The ideal person is competent crew level - that enables you to be seen explaining what to do whereas your regular crew is likely to do things without being told. Also it's better to have 2 crew for some of the evolutions, e.g. mooring to piles or picking up buoy under sail.

 

[franky]

If you are a member of RYA the ICC is free on production of appropriate certificate. PHONE RYA 0845 345 7400 to get info.

 

[powerskipper]

Hi ships woofy,
ICC application

this gives you a list of all the things you need to be able to do, why don't you phone up an instructor or the RYA and have a chat with them, this would clear things in your mind to what you can and can't do.

 

[PeterStone]

Another way to get an ICC - the method I adopted - is to book a day on a canal boat under tuition. At the end you will receive a Helmsmans Cert which you can send off to the RYA to be converted to an ICC.

This will be power only but that's fine for the canals. No test as such - just a fun day out bumping a 72ft canal boat from bank to bank.

 

[Birdseye]

The ICC is a very simple basic test - we do it for our members using their own boats. It is not a test of your ability to single hand but of your general basic competence to handle a boat in the way you normally do. The testers manual makes numerous references to "crew", so if you need a crew to help you, take one along.

To quote from the testers manual "the purpose of the practical test is to give every candidate the opportunity to show that they are capable of skippering a boat without endangering or damaging other boats or people...." Nothing in there about doing it all yourself!

On the whole the RYA's tests are well written and sensible, but their monitoring of implementation is patchy. So you will get some testers who pass anyone, and some who turn into captain Bligh. Sorry but there is no alternative but to talk through your disability with a school and find out how they will react. It would be quite discriminatory, possibly even illegal, to make no allowance for your disability

Dont forget the CEVNI test - again a simple multpile choice test.

You have a pm

 

[AliM]

If you already have DS or above, the ICC is automatic and you just need to add the CEVNI. The written CEVNI test is very easy if you spend a few hours reading the book in advance.

If you need to take the ICC test, why not book a day on your own boat with an instructor/examiner, who can run through all the things he needs to assess you on, and work out how you can achieve them with your crew helping, before actually testing you for real. There will be a few questions on navigation, etc, which are straightforward. I'm sure you'll have no problems when you actually get down to it.

Good luck, and try not to worry about it.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Thank you to everyone who has posted, pm'd and the very helpful email with the test criteria that was kindly sent.

This has helped my confidence immensely that I can actually get myself an ICC. I did not know that you were allowed to start the engines to pick up a MOB. This is what I have always instructed my crew to do should I go over. In the real world with twin engines this will always be the fastest and easiest way to get back to the casualty. I had a fear that the test would want to see you could do it under sail, I could but I don't think it would be the appropriate method with my vessel.

I do not hold any practical certs from the RYA so will have to be tested from scratch, it is going to feel like a driving test, which was the last practical type test I did. Now to find a local instructor.

 

[KevB]

My wife was 8 months pregnant when I did my ICC so she wasn't too great at moving around the fore deck. The examiner told her to take it easy and he'd do all the crew work. It's a very easy relaxed test which wouldn't require you to do any of the deck work (as long as you have crew of course). You'll need CEVNI for the inland waterways of France which if I remember correctly consisted of 17 multiple choice questions which you only needed to get 12 of them right.