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International Bareboat Skipper
Recommended Entry Level Requirements
- Candidates should be 16 years of age or over.
- To have logged with proof of a total of 200 nautical miles and 10 days at sea by the end of course.
- Must have taken IYT’s International Crew physical course with an IYT Partner School (candidates must either hold an IYT International Crew Certificate proving they have taken and passed the course, OR, a gold seal affixed to the IYT Boating & Sailing Passport signed by the school’s principal). Or they must hold an equivalent qualification from another training organisation.
- Hold an IYT VHF Radio Operators Certificate or equivalent from another training organisation.
* Please note that we do not accept ISSA VHF qualifications.
(If you are unsure if your radio license will be accepted, please send a scanned copy of the front and back of your license to [email protected]. We will verify that your license is sufficient to receive the IYT International Bareboat Skipper license). - Note: For IYT recreational certification, a “day at sea” is defined as 8 hours at sea, but not at anchor for prolonged periods of time.
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 fair conditions with moderate wind and sea conditions
- Most charter agencies will insist on daylight hours as a condition to charter.
This certificate is the level of competence that one needs when chartering a boat in the Mediterranean or West Indies where there are restrictions in terms of cruising area and distance from the base.
Course Outline
- Responsibilities of a bareboat skipper
- Crew safety checks
- Hull and rig checks
- Machinery and systems checks
- Fuel and water capacity and range
- Menus and quantities
- Float plan
- Sources of meteorological information
- Weather patterns
- Sea and land breezes
- Cloud types and formations
- Pilotage and passage planning
- Considerations when planning a passage
- Routine for navigating a coastal passage
- Passage strategy
- Port regulations, customs, immigration
- 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
Other Information
NOTE ABOUT POWER OR SAIL ENDORSEMENTS:
- If you undertake this course on a sailboat and later wish to obtain the International Bareboat Skipper Power you may do so by attending any IYT Partner school approved to offer the International Bareboat Skipper Power course and do the power training (Module 14 in the Passport Training Programme).
- This can usually be accomplished in 2 to 4 days depending upon the candidate’s experience as skipper of a sailing vessel. This will be left to the discretion of each school based on the cv and sea time of the candidate.
- If you undertake this course on a power vessel and later wish to obtain the International Bareboat Skipper Sail you may do so by attending any IYT Partner school approved to offer the International Bareboat Skipper Sail course and do the sail training (Module 15 in the Passport Training Programme).
- This can usually be accomplished in 2 to 4 days depending upon the candidate’s experience as skipper of a power vessel. This will be left to the discretion of each school based on the cv and sea time of the candidate.
The IYT International Bareboat Skipper Sail Certificate covers command of a sailing vessel with a sail area of greater than 80 square metres/861 square feet. Please see the official statement here.
Those who have obtained the International Bareboat Skipper qualification, can automatically obtain the “International Certificate of Competency” (ICC), provided the student meets the requirements as laid down by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Resolution 40). Please click this link for more information.
- If you undertake this course on a sailboat and later wish to obtain the International Bareboat Skipper Power you may do so by attending any IYT Partner school approved to offer the International Bareboat Skipper Power course and do the power training (Module 14 in the Passport Training Programme).
E-learning Theory Available
Students have the option to complete the E-learning theory component of this course online and pay the corresponding exam fee. Upon successful completion of the online theory exam, a course completion certificate will be issued and made available on the student’s IYT account.
Students must then forward a copy of their theory completion certificate to an IYT-approved partner school to undertake the required practical training and assessments. The partner school is responsible for retaining a copy of the theory completion certificate, completing and signing off on the practical assessment, and, upon successful fulfillment of all requirements, submitting an order to IYT for the final course certificate.
*Schools may administer an additional short quiz or theory test at the beginning of the course to help identify any gaps in the student’s theoretical knowledge.