# Charter Certification



## Slartibartfast (Apr 3, 2003)

Can someone tell me what the different levels of certification will allow you to do?
For example, what certification would I need to charter a boat overnight? Are the ASA and US Sailing certifications basicaly the same?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi,
I think in terms of charter certification, that will be dependent on the charter company that you are using. I would just give one of the many places out there a call and see what they say are necessary for them to charter a boat to you. Depending on your experience and sea miles, you may not need any certs. What is your experience? 
Tony


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## Slartibartfast (Apr 3, 2003)

None at all(not counting Sunfish experience).
I''ve never even been on any other kind of sailboat when it was moving(or should I say"under way"). I think the ASA 101 will allow you charter in the daytime, but I want eventually to be able to charter for longer periods. Assuming no other experience beyond classes what would I need to do that?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Not sure waht the requirements are in Th US but if you plan to charter in Europe, Medditerrain etc..
These are the basic requirements to skipper a bareboat.
You must have a Captains license,ASA course 104,103 and 101. or equilent RYA day skipper ticket.
Charter compaines do not legally allow you to sail at night, so forget that option.

HAving said all that I have seen too many fake licenses made on computers and accepted by charter companies as real. If a charter company lets you take a yacht out without the proper qualification then you are asking for trouble, damaging a yacht is expensive and costly.

An alternative Idea is to get your ticket while on vacation, there are many schools that will teach you sailing and get you though the basic course so that you can later charter your own yacht.
Go and look at this site
www.sailingcoursesingreece.com
they are a fully licensed school teaching ASA,RYA and IMT licenses to clients in the greek islands

sailmaster25


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## DuaneIsing (Jul 10, 2001)

Slartibartfast,

[A Doug Adams fan, I see.]

I have taken both US Sailing and ASA certification courses and they appear to be roughly equivalent, although each institution, school, and instructor will have specific agenda. To answer your specific questions, do a search for the US Sailing and ASA Web sites and read the info they have on the various certification levels.

In locals waters, someone with a 101 competency "might" be allowed to anchor/moor/dock overnight in a small boat (e.g. 24 footer). As stated, night sailing is almost always prohibited. For larger boats (32'' and up, for example), the charter company will likely want much more experience/training.

If, like me, you were/are not able to get big boat experience with other competent sailors, then I highly recommend good instruction. In order to skipper a larger charter boat for a day or a week (even in a benign sailing ground like the BVIs), most charter companies want to see either a fair amount of experience in boats of the size you want to charter, or at least some formal training up to the 104 level. Of course, I have some evidence and lots of anecdotes that a valid credit card is the major crtierion they use (especially for the smaller, hungrier companies).

When you think that you are taking charge of a $100-300K boat (depending on size and condition) and the safety of your crew, you really don''t want to just "squeak by" in terms of competence, IMHO. If all you have is a week of 103/104 training aboard a 35 foot (plus of minus) boat, you still have just scratched the surface of your lifelong learning process to be a good sailor (again IMHO). The mechanics of handling the boat are one thing, but developing good judgement is another. Sometimes you have to have a few uncomfortable situations to realize that a particular method or attitude is not advisable. We learn from mistakes, and we have to hope that they are not costly ones.

I''ll tell you that my weeklong 103/104 training prepared me very well for the 45'' sloop I chartered for my first bareboat charter last year. I''ll be learning for the rest of my life, but it gave me the foundation to build on and we had a fantastic time.

Good luck.

Duane


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## dtfm (Sep 23, 2002)

You will need an ASA bareboat certification (or equivalent) AND coastal navigation certification to charter from most places in North America (at least places I''ve looked at). In fact, most places will require you to have bareboat even to charter a 27 foot or greater boat just for the day.

So, in the ASA system, you would need to take the following classes: 1. Basic Keelboat; 2. Basic Coastal Cruising; 3. Bareboat; and 4. Coastal Navigation. 1 and 2 are prerequisites to 3. You can also combine them all into one class and get levels 1-3 done in a week, while cruising on a boat in a beautiful location.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Without any formal sailing courses, I have been certified by Moorings to skipper a bareboat up to 40'' in Tortola, Abacos, Baja, Nice, Turkey, Corfu, Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia. This is based on a sailing experience survey.


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