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Choosing the Right Boat School

Although the activity of boat schools is highly regulated, the programs are perfectly clear and defined by regulations and the boat license issued is identical, the quality and the content of the training offers can be completely different from one establishment to another. Here is what should guide you in choosing your boat school:

To go sailing at sea, you must be well trained

For your safety and that of your passengers, navigating safely is not only about knowing how to maneuver the boat correctly, it is also:

  • Understanding the maritime environment and knowing how to decide whether you can go out and when it is necessary to return to port.
  • Knowing where to go safely and knowing where you are.
  • Preventing risks.
  • Dealing with unexpected situations.
  • Being able to alert rescue services.

So that your outings at sea are moments of pleasure and not stress for you and your companions:

The role of skipper can become extremely stressful if one has not been properly prepared to anticipate and handle alone new and changing situations.

Moreover, the stress of the skipper is often communicated to the crew and spoils all the pleasure of sailing and of the sea outing.

To avoid making costly mistakes:

Whether you are the owner or the renter of a boat, lack of training can lead to mistakes which, even if they do not endanger people’s safety, may cause costly damage to the boat.

To be well trained, you must turn to competent, serious and responsible training centers

Competence

The competence of boat schools and instructors must be both:

  • Technical (nautical or maritime)
  • Educational

At the moment, nautical or maritime competence is not taken into account in the issuing of the authorization to teach. It is therefore important for you to verify the competence of your instructor: initial or continuing training, professional background (maritime experience or instructor experience in a nautical activity) and personal background (volunteer instructor activity, participation in races or regattas, offshore sailing or crossings) provide good indications of this level of competence.

Seriousness

This concerns a structured organization of the training which consists first of acquiring the knowledge necessary to navigate before moving on to practical situations.

Furthermore, the quality of the teaching methods and tools used (video projection, manuals, online courses) is also a guarantee of the seriousness of the training center.

Responsibility

A responsible center respects the training times and programs defined by the regulations and above all by the instructors’ maritime “common sense” (see next point).

Be vigilant and demanding regarding the training offer that is proposed to you.

The regulations and above all maritime “common sense” provide that boat license training must include at least:

Theoretical training in the classroom with an instructor holding the authorization to teach for at least 5 hours.

This implies in particular that spending hours in front of mock tests cannot be considered as training, which must above all provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate.

Online training systems can be excellent complements for acquiring knowledge provided that they are real training systems and not only online tests.

An additional theoretical training of at least 1 h 30 to acquire practical use skills:

  • Safety equipment (individual and collective)
  • VHF
  • Weather information
  • Nautical chart

Practical training of at least 2 h 00 at the helm of the boat to acquire the basic skills of driving and maneuvering a motorboat:

  • Mastering engine start-up
  • Controlling the boat’s course, speed, stopping and reverse
  • Keeping an alignment forward and astern
  • Berthing and leaving the berth
  • Picking up a mooring buoy
  • Recovering a person or an object fallen overboard
  • Anchoring
  • Mooring a boat