Old sailor needs a new fangled qualification

[OldGaffer]

Sorry if I have gone over old ground with this inquiry, but as a new member to this jolly nice nice website I would like to ask for some advice on getting one of those International Competence Certificates.

I am going on holiday in Majorca from August and would like to hire a large dinghy or a small cruising yacht for day trips around the bay from Puerto Pollensa. Never done anything like this before, but this time younger members of our tribe have asked if the Old Sea Dog (me) to take them sailing in a swish fibre glass yacht in the hot Med sunshine instead of swanning around the East Coast in a gloomy, leaky old gaffer in mainly gloomy, chilly weather.

However, I have been told I need an International Certificate of Competence before the Spanish boat owners will allow me to part company with my euros.

Sadly, I do not have any qualifications except a RYA coastal skipper theory certificate dating from some time in the Sixties and I have not seen it for donkey's years. Got lost in a move I reckon. The rest of my knowledge came from going to sea with good skippers and storing knowledge in the old braincells and getting plenty of hands-on experience. Not quite as a good as a proper course with all the theoretical stuff and a piece of paper at the end of it, but practical studies have stood me in good stead all these years.

I have been sailing for 50 odd years in boats ranging from 12ft clinker dinghies to Thames sailing barges. I have my own 28ft old gaffer dating from 1909 but have also sailed in some posh fibreglass cruising yachts ranging up to 43ft for Channel trips, loads of runs up the East coast and Thames Estuary and a trip around Denmark.

So, how easy would it be to get one of these bits of paper that will enable me to cruise in the Med? Do sailing schools do cheap and quick courses?

I'd welcome any advice.

All the best from the OldGaffer


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[LadyInBed]

I think you will have to suck up to the RYA and probably shell out loads of dosh.

A friend of mine armed with his ICC and credit card tried to hire a MoBo for 2 days in La Ciotat. Hire shop um'ed and ar'ed, said it was not French, so friends son produced his French ICC and all was fine and dandy, Father then paid and drove off in the MoBo.

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[OldGaffer]

I see

So to save me shelling out a fortune would anyone be prepared to lend me an ICC or perhaps a Coastal Skipper, Yachtmaster, Ocean Yachtmaster (Yachtmaster Espanol) etc etc .

Only kidding of course!

But despite me spending a fortune to get an ICC, assuming I am compentent enough, the Spaniards may not accept it.

Funny old business this being part of Europe...no one seems to know what the others are doing.

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[Davy_S]

I cannot understand this, unless I have missed something! I have an ICC for a MOBO up to 24 metres it says. I have hired mobos in Spain and Greece with it no problems. I thought that was the idea of it , Ie, international!

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[Guest]

Step 1. Become a full personal member of the RYA, if only for one year. The purpose of this is to get all the info you need to pass the exam.
Step 2 If you are as experienced as I think you are all you will need to do is take the ICC exam which is offered at most RYA recognised cruising schools
Step 3 Go to Treasure Chest and Collect.
Of course, if you had a YM or CS Certificate of Competence all you would need to have done would be either join the RYA and get your ICC for nought, or not join and cough up almost as much as 1 year's sub.
As has been said elswhere here it is INTERNATIONAL. However, I understand that in certain parts of France just now there is some anti-Brit feeling because of the war. John Peel said this morning that he was not allowed to eat in a restaurant because he was wearing shorts, despite there being two Frenchman in shorts munching away in the room!



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[LadyInBed]

Yes, you have missed something . . . It was in FRANCE!
I feel sure that there would not be a problem in Spain or Greece.

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[Dominic]

The Simple Answer

You come from a country that has never had a Fascist governement - hence the confusion.

The Europeans demand that you have "papers" or a driving licence.

What you need is an ICC.

Option One. Take a test. About two hours. Then you have it. Cost is what the school or yacht club charges for the use of the boat and tester plus about 30 quid for non RYA members, free for members.

Option Two. Show to the RYA a suitable certificate (Day Skipper, higher or foreign equivalent). Cost is about bout 30 quid for non RYA members, free for members.

Option Three. Chat up your local yacht club big-wig (in lieu of taking the test) then as above.

The final document will have your photo, lots of stamps and lots of languages. Just the sort of thing that your Johnny Foreigner loves with multilingual bits on. Just what the ex-fascist countries love.


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[colvic]

I am in Mallaorca for most of August and would gladly use my ICC to hire you aboat.

Cost me £150 to get the thing and have only been asked to show it once. Thing runs out end of this year so there goes more money. Us poor pensioners!!


Phil

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[OldGaffer]

Re: The Simple Answer

Thanks for the advice and the very kind offer from Colvic. However, I feel I ought to get my own piece of paper.

So it looks like its back to school for me then. Reckon I will have to find £130+ and take a test at a sailing school. I've found a possible place near me on the Crouch.

I have also just discovered that a chum's grandsprog, who might be in Majorca for a while during our jaunt, has got a Competent Crew ticket after spending a few days at sea when he was 18 last year. He qualified after learning enough ropes and basic boat handing and navigation during glorious but gentle conditions in the Solent. He found the whole thing too boring and has never sailed since.

But he does have the magical piece of paper that will entitle him to apply for an ICC and that will of course allow him to skipper boats up to about 40ft in Majorca.

I, on the other hand, would be relegated to pedalos, despite my thousands of hours of practical sailing experience and knowledge.

What do you ladies and gentlemen think I should do? Let the sprog be responsible for our chartered vessel (even though he might have to be press-ganged into going to sea and lashed to the mast while the rest of us enjoy ourselves) or should I shell out on a sailing test for myself?

£130+ would pay for an awful lot of Adnams during the rest of the season!

(I have ruled out the other options suggested by Dominic (a) because I can't find my one piece of official RYA paper and (b) I don't think a Commodore's letter would be accepted by the hire firm.

PS Colvic, do you know anything about the sailing school at Puerto Pollensa marina? Someone told me it is run by people who are sticklers for the rules and are very keen on seeing ICCs. Can you suggest anywhere else in the Puerto Pollensa area where I can hire a day yacht up to about 30ft?

regards

OG




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[ccscott49]

Re: The Simple Answer

Your grandsprog will not get n ICC with a competent crew certificate. I'm going back to alcudia (just round the corner from pollensa) and will ask around for you. Your commodore, should be able to get you straight onto the exam, which you should pass with your eyes closed!! Find out if theres a RYA examiner around you and get him to come out and test you on your own boat, it shouldn't cost that much, you must know an examiner, I'll bet theres one in your club.

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[ecudc]

Re: The Simple Answer

if its something you think you're going to do again....get the certificate. If you don't put sprog down as official skipper and be a back seat helmer.

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[OldGaffer]

Re: The Simple Answer

I feel somewhat relieved to hear that the sprog's basic training does not give him the right to an instant ICC.

Will be able to find out more about taking a test when I hopefully contact a local examiner tomorrow.

Thanks for all your advice so far. Looking forward to hearing more about charter opportunities in Puerto Pollensa or Alcudia. However, we only want to go for occasional day trips. Ladies in the party won't allow the gentlemen and children to swan off for longer voyages of discovery.

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[ccscott49]

Re: The Simple Answer

I know a fewboat owners down there that may be able to help, I'll contact them through my mate down there on the phone and see what can be done.

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[OldGaffer]

Re: The Simple Answer

Very kind of you CC

I'd be more than happy to volunteer as crew for a Puerto Pollensa based UK skipper, or even pay expenses (or for dinner) in return for a skippered day trip with some of our tribe. That would save all the hassle of getting a piece of paper. £130 saved would certainly buy a jolly nice dinner in a leading fish restaurant in PP.

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[billmacfarlane]

I'm surprised you need an ICC to hire a large dinghy. I hired a Hoby cat in Puerto Pollensia a few years back and nobody asked me for anything except the cash.

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[CliveG]

You can down load the ICC exam paper from the RYA web site as a PDF file.
If the site is working that is!

If you have any difficulty PM me and I will send you a copy of the one I managed to get on the 4th attempt.

Clive G

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[tcm]

Hi.

The guy renting boats out in france was obv not erxposed to international scene in la ciotat (in france) whereas ICC is perfect currency in riviera and and so forth, and fine in Spain too, and anywhere reputable. For renting a poxy dayboat in france they have their own little tests, and no test needed for daysaily engineless dinghy/cat - despite teh fact that they can do 20+ knots and take you 30 miles out...but i digress.

The ICC is simple. One examiner told me that the guidance to examiners was "would you feel okay about letting this guy take your kids across the solent in his boat from Cowes and moor up in the Hamble?" and so of course you will be fine, just have a cheapy cheapy test, mebber brush up on weird lights but otherwise fine, and don't need the two-day course.

ICC is normally done as a course integral with test (hence 150 quid) but since you are v experienced it is almost a formality.

An ICC is valid for 5 years, but renewable for a fiverish (colvic).

IMPORTANT: in majorca, in july or august, the owner of a bathtub could rent it out. So you must book ahead, otherwise it will v likely be disappointment. They are all rented all august, and all available all the rest of the year. Well, the nice ones are anyway.


Finally, as regards the ICC, it is true, ICC is hopeless undertest of boaty ability required to skipper large boat, with real competence for any length of time. For example, with an ICC, you can buy a 23metre boat and drive it about, which er is what i have done. But then, with a car driving licence, you can buy a ridiculous ferrari and wham it along at three miles a minute, and erm i have done that too. So, it is obvious that you need experience too, but at least the ICC proves a basic level of seafaring ability. Hm. On re-reading this last paragraph i see that a more rational conclusion is perhaps that I should be locked up.

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[Twister_Ken]

> perhaps that I should be locked up<

I know of a lady in Soho who would oblige for a modest fee.

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[Twister_Ken]

Please stick around Mr OG

This board definitely needs more contributors who appreciate the finer things of life, like Adnams and real boats.

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[Laurin]

Re: The Simple Answer

Who are you thinking of going with near the Crouch £130 seems a lot!

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