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Coastal License

Presentation

The coastal license allows you to navigate across the entire Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy, as well as at sea, up to 6 nautical miles from shelter (approximately 11 km) and to pilot motorboats without limitation on size or power. It is accessible from 16 years old.

It should be noted that there is no restriction on nationality or place of residence, but the theoretical exam requires a good understanding of the French language.

However, for all this, proper training is necessary to acquire the right reflexes of a competent skipper.

The Evian Léman Pro Yachting boat school will teach you all the mandatory maneuvers to obtain the license, taking into account the specificities of Lake Geneva as well as for the sea, with in-depth knowledge such as using a chart to plot a course, knowing how to navigate in waves, etc.

With Evian Léman Boat School, the license is structured in five stages:

  • A phase of acquiring knowledge online on our e-learning platform and/or using the course materials provided at registration. Plan for 20 to 30 hours of reading and tests.
  • A review phase and coastal navigation exercises, in the classroom, in small groups (plan for 4 to 6 hours).
  • A theoretical exam phase at a DDT Rhône-approved center according to the scheduled dates (plan for one hour on site).
  • A practical navigation phase (2 hours at the helm of the training boat within a total 4h30 session).
  • An optional nautical coaching phase, on your boat or our boat, depending on your apprehension, skill, or nautical experience, to be defined with the instructor.

The theory includes the code, validated by an exam organized by DDT Rhône Alpes (40 questions, maximum 5 errors).

This exam takes place at a DDT Rhône-Alpes approved center on an individual digital tablet, with a randomly generated and fully individual questionnaire.

For the administrative processing time for the application, 20 days must be respected before the exam date.

To prepare for this code:

You will have access to the online platform to acquire the basic notions with the proven pedagogy of the publisher Vagnon and to revise the lessons (review courses, do thematic tests, take mock exams).

We also provide the courses in booklet form for those who do not wish to spend hours on a screen.

It is necessary to acquire the vocabulary before classroom lessons and to individually prepare your theoretical training.

Traditional classroom courses with the instructor follow the motto: “As a sailor is not trained in one lifetime, we do not even try in a weekend!”, so approximately 4 to 6 hours of lessons are spread over 5 major chapters across three to four weeks.

The schedule is determined in consultation with the candidates: courses are organized either in the evening at 7:00 PM in our training room at the shipyard in Thonon (ZI de Vongy) and last about two hours, or it is possible to group courses on Saturday mornings.

You are not limited to a single course cycle; you can take the courses as many times as you wish.

The theory of practice or the skipper’s skills:

Concerned with the safety of future skippers, Evian Léman Boat School will provide you with a meteorology course (weather forecasts, analysis, and decision-making) and a charting course (latitude/longitude, heading, distances, and tides).

We will also cover the onboard safety module, presenting individual and collective safety equipment (its use, maintenance…).

The law provides 1 h 30 for these two courses, which is far from sufficient, so we allocate 2 hours for these modules.

Practical training on the boat:

The law requires a minimum of 2 hours at the helm per candidate with a maximum of 2 candidates at a time on the boat.

At Evian Léman Boat School, we organize 4h30 sessions on the water so that each candidate’s experience benefits the other. Exercises are performed alternately by each candidate after demonstration by the instructor to understand the objectives to achieve.

“This is our way of working. We prioritize quality because for us, it is more important to teach candidates to navigate safely rather than simply obtain a piece of paper.”

Training, practice, and handling for the coastal license

Coastal license training program:

  • Coastal and beach navigation markers and pictograms.
  • Introduction to the regional “B” marking system.
  • Steering and course rules (right of way).
  • Maneuvering sound signals and signals in reduced visibility.
  • Distress signals.
  • Port traffic control signals.
  • Weather signals / basic meteorology.
  • Lights and markings of vessels.
  • Navigation and safety rules between pleasure boats, and between pleasure boats and professional vessels; CE marking categories of pleasure craft; the number of persons or onboard load; navigation restrictions (prohibited areas, speed limits, diver signals and safety distances, shellfish farming areas); navigation in restricted visibility; equipment and safety of coastal pleasure craft and their supplements, as well as administrative documents to have onboard.
  • Regulations regarding the operation of motorized pleasure boats.
  • Basic knowledge of maritime mobile service, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), and proper use of a VHF radio station: frequencies, channels, phonetic alphabet, and basic English for its use; Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) and Digital Selective Calling (DSC), zones of GMDSS; distress and safety communications, protection of distress frequencies; search and rescue organization at sea.
  • Rules for waterskiing and towed devices; the skipper’s responsibility and legal consequences; proper reactions of the skipper in case of serious danger or distress while navigating.
  • Basic autonomy in fuel management.
  • Environmental protection: discharges, sanitary equipment on habitable vessels, antifouling paints; protection of fish resources: prohibition of sale, distribution, and purchase of fish from recreational fishing, regulations for spearfishing, protection of fauna and flora.
  • Meteorology: how to obtain forecasts; knowledge of the Beaufort scale and sea state.
  • Introduction to reading a nautical chart: knowledge of basic symbols, basic knowledge of tides and their impact on navigation.
  • Rules for using manned or automatic locks.

Practical training and handling program:

  • Ensure individual and collective safety of the crew, and understand the importance of training in the use of onboard communication equipment.
  • Decide on the appropriateness of a trip based on the weather forecast, respect navigational markers, and identify obstacles in the navigation area.
  • Be responsible for the crew and the boat, use distress equipment appropriately, and respect the natural environment.
  • Master engine start-up, vessel course and speed, stopping propulsion, reverse, and use of alignments.
  • Dock and undock from a quay, anchor, pick up a mooring buoy, and recover a person fallen overboard.

Registration

Your coastal license registration file must include the following:

  • Registration and training contract at the Boat School, accompanied by your payment (check payable to Pro Yachting) or card payment at our rental office during the season (on the quays opposite the commercial port of Evian, to the right of the CGN lake station).
  • Medical certificate of fitness for navigating pleasure boats (CERFA N°14673) (PDF) duly completed and signed by your doctor.
  • Passport-style photo (JPEG).
  • Valid identity document (JPEG).
  • Digital tax stamp numbers (exam registration fee €30 and issuance fee €78); you must acquire them on the site www.timbres.impots.gouv.fr (no paper stamps).

NB: your digital files must include your name and the document type. Example for candidate PAUL: PAUL photo.jpeg, PAUL ID.jpg, PAUL medical cert.pdf, etc.

Your documents must be sent to bateau-ecole@proyachting.net

Price & commercial terms

The full package includes:

  • Theoretical Training
  • Online Platform
  • Vagnon Code Book
  • Skipper Training
  • Practical Training 2 h individually / 4h30 with 2 candidates
  • Registration + Administrative Fees
  • Candidate Booklet

Price: €495 all-inclusive excluding tax stamps (€70 + €38)

Payment by credit card is possible, by appointment at the rental kiosk during the summer season.

Payment in three monthly installments by check is possible, provided at the appointment.

For couples, the second license is 50% of the price (for the same exam date) with a single internet access and a single code book and tests.