There’s a reason you need a license for boats over a certain length or capable of reaching certain speeds. As illustrated by the case in question.
The point is that in the UK no licence is required. There is also a loophole in the certification, if Jane’s husband has taken his RYA Day Skipper Certificate for sail he would be able to use that to acquire an International Certificate of Competence that would allow him to use powerboats under 9 metres worldwide even if he had never even sat in one before.
I’m not in France ,it pays not to make assumptions
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Is that right, Martin? When I did my RYA Coastal Skipper I also had to do a separate written exam on lights and shapes for inland waterways. I assumed it was all part of the same ICC.
The extraordinary thing is that with arguably the highest standard of maritime training in the world, the only thing you need at sea in the UK is a wallet. There is a licence needed for inland waterways along with other regulations.
It still surprises me that I needed the ICC certificate to sail my own 36’ yacht across to France and use it in the canals whereas I can hire a 50’ boat (often referred to as bumper boats for good reason) with no skills or qualifications whatsoever.
Oh, and Brian, you really need to up your game, your trolling is too predictable, though the ‘very sad’ lifted directly from the Troller IN Chief, Trump himself, was a nice touch.
You need to do a CEVENI certificate to use a boat in Europe’s inland waterways, that’s quite different. As you have discovered there is a loophole for people who hire canal boats in France, no licence is necessary. That’s why holidays there are so popular with the Dutch and Germans who have strict regulations at home. You do not in fact need an ICC to use a UK registered sailing boat of any size in French coastal waters but you do to use a powerboat above a fairly small limit.
Although I have an ICC I have never once been asked to show it.
I think I was mixing them up. I now assume the ICC is essentially boat handling that came with the Coastal Skipper and the CEVNI was an endorsement for inland waterways.
I have been asked to show my papers twice in the canals and once at sea, but it’s true they didn’t specifically ask for anything in particular so I hit them with the lot and they were happy.
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Your Coastal Skipper entitles you to apply for an ICC. If you’re a member of the RYA it’s free, if not it’s @£40.
Brian… you will be aware that some of your Posts are being flagged as Inappropriate.
You will have received messages to edit such Posts.
Please do so without delay.
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Please don’t play his game Stella. Ban him now.
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He really does have some strange attitudes. Maybe he’s a bit too fond of the Gros Rouge himself.
Silence is golden… or will be for 3 months…
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I agree. In France one needs a “sailing licence” to mess around in boats. I’m just about to renew mine.
I’m just looking at my ICC and it’s 24 meters or 80 gross tonnes. Now I’m a dab hand in a thirty or forty footer but I could do a lot of damage in a seventy footer.
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As long as our Andorran correspondent can cut out the insults I don’t see the need for him to be banned as he’s providing much entertainment, plus most of us know he’s talking c**p.
I agree, every forum needs an “Andorran correspondent”.
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That’s interesting. Sail area indeed and no permis needed for a 43 footer. Nevertheless I’d recommend at least a day skipper course for anybody taking the sport up wouldn’t you? And what about a radio operators licence I wonder.
That brings up an interesting point for me. We have bought a house here in France and are in the process of moving here full time. It’s all a bit messy at the moment, but in the future, once we are resident here, I assume there are going to be all kinds of hoops to jump through with a UK (soon to be non-EU) registered boat in the canals.
Taking up which sport? Sailing or cruising? When I did my RYA cruising certificates I was amazed how little the other candidates knew about sailing. It’s all very well doing theoretical and practical work on navigation and pilotage but in fact it’s possible to get sufficiently qualified to get an ICC and be able to hire a 50 footer in the Greek Islands without actually knowing how to sail around a triangular course. Personally I think that qualifications in both sailing and navigation should be a basic requirement.