Bareboat Skipper

International Bareboat Skipper (Power or Sail)

This is a five day course. It is not for beginners and the recommended entry level requirements are a VHF radio operators certificate, over 200 nautical miles logged and 10 days at sea before advancing to this level. The recommended minimum age to obtain this certification is 18.

Certificate Limitations:

  • command of a vessel up to a maximum length of 78 ft /24 metres
  • in coastal waters up to 20 miles offshore
  • in daylight hours and in fair conditions with moderate wind and sea state
  • This certificate is the level of competence that one requıres when chartering a boat, especıally where there are restrictions in terms of cruising area, distance from the charter base and the fact that the vessel has to be safely moored in a marina or anchored before nıghtfall.

Course Outline:

  • Responsibilities of a bareboat skipper
  • Crew safety checks
  • Hull and rig checks
  • Machinery and systems checks
  • Fuel and water capacity and calculation of vessel range
  • Menus and quantities of provisions
  • Float plan
  • Sources of meteorological information
  • Weather patterns
  • Cloud types and formations
  • Pilotage and passage planning
  • Routine for navigating a coastal passage
  • Port regulations, customs, immigration
  • Pilotage plans
  • Vessel handling in confined quarters
  • Mooring, anchoring, coming alongside
  • Ropes, knots, care and use of lines
  • General deck work
  • Tides and currents theory
  • Tidal heights, springs and neaps
  • Rule of "twelfths"
  • Position fixing, running fixes
  • Plotting the effect of tides and currents
  • Collision regulations
  • Lights, shapes and sounds
  • Application of the regulations
  • Advanced dingy handling