Getting an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) in the USA
If you are an American sailor with international sailing aspirations, you have probably heard of the ICC. Sometimes described incorrectly as an 'International Sailing Licence' or 'Global Charter Certification', its roots and purpose are more complex, and somewhat strange to Americans. I'll start with a little background.
More ancient than automobile driving, mariners (in particular recreational mariners) have long enjoyed a tradition of loose or non-existent licencing of their activities world-wide. Even in well developed countries like the USA, there is very little in the way of formal requirements in order to operate a boat. This has led the world to view American charter skippers as 'Credit Card Sailors', due to the only thing needed with their name on it to sail is their credit card!
As often happens in matters like this, the ICC got its start in Europe. The close proximity of countries and the mixing of languages, laws, and cultures made a mis-mash of rules impossible to enforce, and the tradition of 'comity'; the respecting of a foreigner's native laws while traveling was unworkable where the foreign county had no regulations on the matter!
So the UN got involved, specifically the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee Working Party on Inland Water Transport, and set out to create a harmonized set of minimum capabilities in order to operate a pleasure (power or sail) craft in another country. Documented in resolution 40, any country that signs the agreement promises to accept the ICC as the equivalent of the document that would be required to operate a vessel in that country. They also promise to offer its people a way to apply for a ICC, typically by testing, or converting a level of its own internal certification that meets/exceeds the ICC requirements into an ICC.
So for example, lets say you are British, and had the RYA transfer your Day Skipper certification into an ICC. Then if you sail in Croatia and the port police asks you for your sailing licence, you do not have to produce the local certificate, or hope your Day Skipper cert is OK, but can show your ICC. Wonderful.
That's handy and a nifty trick. I've been asked for a sailing licence in Greece, and was only able to produce my charter licence. Happily, the harbor master at Santorini was OK with that.
Where is is really needed, and when?
This is a bit hard to answer with 100% accuracy, as maritime laws are enforced with differing levels of enthusiasm in ports around the world. But the RYA has some good words to say on the matter:
The requirement for evidence of competence varies from country to country. Sometimes it is required for coastal waters, sometimes for inland waters, sometimes for neither and sometimes for both. The law of the sea is frequently misunderstood, with many boaters believing that they can go wherever they wish abiding only by the rules of their Flag State (country of registration).
When you visit another country, in most circumstances (as detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) you can be required to comply with the maritime legislation of the visited country (the Coastal State) in addition to that of your vessel’s Flag State.
The most common requirement is evidence of competence where this is mandatory for a local boat. Whether this is stipulated in the national legislation, required under local rules or the local port authority making unilateral decisions is often not clear.
Experiences differ greatly. Inconsistency from province to province and port to port means many boaters are never asked to provide evidence of their competence abroad. However, those that are asked and do not have a suitable document can find themselves in an uncomfortable situation.
Querying the validity of such requests can make matters worse and to challenge the legality of a fine or other penalty would, in most cases, mean going to court abroad.
So what should you have?
Where evidence of competence is required by the country of registration (the Flag State) pleasure boaters must comply with those regulations. Additionally, when in the waters of another country you must also comply with any requirements of the visited country (the Coastal State). This is where an ICC can prove to be useful.
Now on to what the ICC is NOT.
First, is it not an international sailing licence, as only countries that have signed Resolution 40 are obliged to accept it. But most others will, and it is a very official looking document. A list of counties that have signed (to date) is HERE.
Second it is not a guarantee of passing bareboat charter requirements. This point becomes obvious when you remember that charter outfits are private companies that set their own rules. Happily, most will very happily accept it, along with a sailing resume.
Now on to the ICC from an American perspective.
The first thing that you will notice is that the USA is not signatory of Resolution 40. This makes perfect sense when you remember the purpose of the ICC. Because the USA does not have a certification requirement to sail or powerboat, it makes no sense for the USA to sign! We would never ask a Brit for his sailing licence; we never ask that of our own people.
But for American sailors interested in sailing/chartering outside of American waters, it does present a dilemma. While Resolution 40 provides for counties to issue ICCs to certain foreigners, that often means living or traveling to another country to get certified. But there is another way.
My story.
As a life-long sailor taught to sail by family and mentors, I viewed sailing certification as something that was done by people that didn't own boats but wanted to charter. As a well-trained boat owner with over 20,000 miles of sailing, I was confident that a BVI charter would only require my current sailing resume and a quick chat with the dock captain. And that was true.
But then I starting sailing in Europe on a regular basis. And I started to hear more and more mention of sailing licences, and certification requirements for chartering. And while my friend and charterer has presented my glossy US Sailing membership card to port police in Greece to gain a charter licence, I was starting to feel less and less comfortable with the situation.
Enter the ICC
As I investigated the issue, more and more it looked like the best path forward would be to get an ICC. But as an American living in the USA, that looked like a costly logistical challenge. So I back-burnered the idea, but kept a lookout.
A fortuitous email:
In December of 2016, a received an email from NauticEd, a on-line nautical e-learning/certification company who's mailing list I had long subscribed to. They had some interesting information on the ICC that I had read and filed in my mind. But what caught my attention in this email was that they were offering a RYA Day Skipper program and on-the-water-test, IN THE USA, which would lead to gaining an ICC. What was even more interesting that is was scheduled in February 2017, on a Sunday immediately after a Saturday regatta 70 miles away that I was scheduled to sail in. I called the president of the company and discussed the program and the logistics, and a plan was hatched.
Doing the RYC Day Skipper.
NauticEd offers a RYC Day Skipper theory coursework, as a prelim to the actual practical test. The cost is $400, and includes all of the RYC plotting/navigation material (charts, protractor, and compass) needed to do the paper charting part of the course. It also includes access to the RYC electronic plotter app with the same charts loaded, a very cool feature. While not strictly mandatory, I would have a hard time seeing most American sailors passing the RYC/ICC test without working on their international buoyage and tidal navigation skills. That's part of the reason I did the program!
Digging into the navigation section, I was soon neck-deep in tidal navigation:
As I mentioned, the RYC actually has a charts of a fictitious spot on earth for testing. This area is kind of like middle earth, with every manner of craziness on the chart. Along with the UK National Hydrography Office they have made-up a 40,000+ square mile fictitious area of the world that is chock-full of everything you would ever see at sea. Tides, currents, drying areas, sub pens, ship yards, wrecks, reefs, traffic separation schemes, and every type of buoyage imaginable. All of this with two charts (1:30,000 and 1:100,000) with an accompanying piloting guide and almanac. One of the commonly used fake places is Port Fraser; I feel like I've been there! You are unlikely to even encounter such a place on this earth. I learned to love it.
In addition, the course included access to a sample version of the much-lauded Chersoft NUNO Navigator app, with the same charting loaded in ENC format. I was an early user of Nuno back at its introduction in 2012, so this was a bit of a coming home for me. The inclusion of the program allowed you to do the test problems in either paper or electronic mode, which was very cool.
After a week of working/testing/cramming, I passed the online-theory portion, the same day I flew to Texas to take the practical!
The on the water was just as they described. Very hands-on and testing-based. $400 covered the cost of the testing and the boat. No learning, just checking if you knew your business. As Mark the tester cheerfully said, 'its easy as long as you know your stuff'! There were three applicants on boat, and we quickly entered into a rotation of sailing, docking, and navigation quizzes. Lots of big boat stuff, and thankfully the Beneteau 39 we were on felt and drove with great familiarity, which was handy when I had to back it into a slip into the wind first try!
After 8 hours and a lot of questions, we all passed! Signed off and ready to submit.
I sent in my papers and credit card details for the application, and 2 weeks later the ICC was in my hands! Mission accomplished. It also included a years membership in the RYA, a nice touch. BTW, the RYA has a wonderful mini-site on sailing abroad and the ICC. It is HERE.
Epilogue
Now looking back, was it worth it?
For me yes, for sure. As someone that sails/charters in Europe, and who held no certification of any kind, it was a no-brainer. I went from nothing to ready in one fell swoop.
But for others it might not be so clear.
If you have an ASA or US Sailing certification, It depends on what your ambitions are. Most charter companies it seems will take those. And while you see harsh words about them requiring an ICC, the economic reality is that most places will or have come around to the wisdom of allowing the vast majority of American charters in without an ICC. Even Croatia, the most hard-core of the ICC countries, has officially allowed ASA104 as an acceptable level of certification of competency, see HERE. Money talks. But in most places without an ICC you really don't know for sure.
Incidentally, both ASA and US sailing offer a 'faux' ICC called an IPC (International Proficiency Certificate). This document is their 104-equivalent certification packaged in another form, and is not UN official. But they have been working with governments and charter companies to accept it. You mileage will vary. But as I said, money talks, and the charters are keen to get American in their boats. But who knows?
But remember the key point: even IF the charter company accepts the 104 or IPC, it does not clear you from any governmental or legal need to have an ICC or local licence. Which is why it was created in the first place! Re-read that section from the RYA above for more details.
For that reason, I feel very good heading anywhere in Europe with a ICC with the RYA logo on it. I cannot image any situation that this document will not satisfy. To me that is worth the cost alone. And while the legal bit is always going to be a bit murky, its clear that from a practical perspective, the ICC is the gold standard of charter certification. I called/emailed a bunch of operators around the world. The discussion stopped when I said RYA/ICC.
Now if you only go to the BVIs, they will carry on with the same attitude; your credit card gets you in. So if you do not plan to go farther afield than that, it probably is not worth your time and money.
But I'm glad I got mine. And the NauticEd course-work was a great addition to my sailing knowledge-base. Recommended.
More ancient than automobile driving, mariners (in particular recreational mariners) have long enjoyed a tradition of loose or non-existent licencing of their activities world-wide. Even in well developed countries like the USA, there is very little in the way of formal requirements in order to operate a boat. This has led the world to view American charter skippers as 'Credit Card Sailors', due to the only thing needed with their name on it to sail is their credit card!
As often happens in matters like this, the ICC got its start in Europe. The close proximity of countries and the mixing of languages, laws, and cultures made a mis-mash of rules impossible to enforce, and the tradition of 'comity'; the respecting of a foreigner's native laws while traveling was unworkable where the foreign county had no regulations on the matter!
So the UN got involved, specifically the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee Working Party on Inland Water Transport, and set out to create a harmonized set of minimum capabilities in order to operate a pleasure (power or sail) craft in another country. Documented in resolution 40, any country that signs the agreement promises to accept the ICC as the equivalent of the document that would be required to operate a vessel in that country. They also promise to offer its people a way to apply for a ICC, typically by testing, or converting a level of its own internal certification that meets/exceeds the ICC requirements into an ICC.
So for example, lets say you are British, and had the RYA transfer your Day Skipper certification into an ICC. Then if you sail in Croatia and the port police asks you for your sailing licence, you do not have to produce the local certificate, or hope your Day Skipper cert is OK, but can show your ICC. Wonderful.
That's handy and a nifty trick. I've been asked for a sailing licence in Greece, and was only able to produce my charter licence. Happily, the harbor master at Santorini was OK with that.
Where is is really needed, and when?
This is a bit hard to answer with 100% accuracy, as maritime laws are enforced with differing levels of enthusiasm in ports around the world. But the RYA has some good words to say on the matter:
The requirement for evidence of competence varies from country to country. Sometimes it is required for coastal waters, sometimes for inland waters, sometimes for neither and sometimes for both. The law of the sea is frequently misunderstood, with many boaters believing that they can go wherever they wish abiding only by the rules of their Flag State (country of registration).
When you visit another country, in most circumstances (as detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) you can be required to comply with the maritime legislation of the visited country (the Coastal State) in addition to that of your vessel’s Flag State.
The most common requirement is evidence of competence where this is mandatory for a local boat. Whether this is stipulated in the national legislation, required under local rules or the local port authority making unilateral decisions is often not clear.
Experiences differ greatly. Inconsistency from province to province and port to port means many boaters are never asked to provide evidence of their competence abroad. However, those that are asked and do not have a suitable document can find themselves in an uncomfortable situation.
Querying the validity of such requests can make matters worse and to challenge the legality of a fine or other penalty would, in most cases, mean going to court abroad.
So what should you have?
Where evidence of competence is required by the country of registration (the Flag State) pleasure boaters must comply with those regulations. Additionally, when in the waters of another country you must also comply with any requirements of the visited country (the Coastal State). This is where an ICC can prove to be useful.
Now on to what the ICC is NOT.
First, is it not an international sailing licence, as only countries that have signed Resolution 40 are obliged to accept it. But most others will, and it is a very official looking document. A list of counties that have signed (to date) is HERE.
Second it is not a guarantee of passing bareboat charter requirements. This point becomes obvious when you remember that charter outfits are private companies that set their own rules. Happily, most will very happily accept it, along with a sailing resume.
Now on to the ICC from an American perspective.
The first thing that you will notice is that the USA is not signatory of Resolution 40. This makes perfect sense when you remember the purpose of the ICC. Because the USA does not have a certification requirement to sail or powerboat, it makes no sense for the USA to sign! We would never ask a Brit for his sailing licence; we never ask that of our own people.
But for American sailors interested in sailing/chartering outside of American waters, it does present a dilemma. While Resolution 40 provides for counties to issue ICCs to certain foreigners, that often means living or traveling to another country to get certified. But there is another way.
My story.
As a life-long sailor taught to sail by family and mentors, I viewed sailing certification as something that was done by people that didn't own boats but wanted to charter. As a well-trained boat owner with over 20,000 miles of sailing, I was confident that a BVI charter would only require my current sailing resume and a quick chat with the dock captain. And that was true.
But then I starting sailing in Europe on a regular basis. And I started to hear more and more mention of sailing licences, and certification requirements for chartering. And while my friend and charterer has presented my glossy US Sailing membership card to port police in Greece to gain a charter licence, I was starting to feel less and less comfortable with the situation.
Enter the ICC
As I investigated the issue, more and more it looked like the best path forward would be to get an ICC. But as an American living in the USA, that looked like a costly logistical challenge. So I back-burnered the idea, but kept a lookout.
A fortuitous email:
In December of 2016, a received an email from NauticEd, a on-line nautical e-learning/certification company who's mailing list I had long subscribed to. They had some interesting information on the ICC that I had read and filed in my mind. But what caught my attention in this email was that they were offering a RYA Day Skipper program and on-the-water-test, IN THE USA, which would lead to gaining an ICC. What was even more interesting that is was scheduled in February 2017, on a Sunday immediately after a Saturday regatta 70 miles away that I was scheduled to sail in. I called the president of the company and discussed the program and the logistics, and a plan was hatched.
Doing the RYC Day Skipper.
NauticEd offers a RYC Day Skipper theory coursework, as a prelim to the actual practical test. The cost is $400, and includes all of the RYC plotting/navigation material (charts, protractor, and compass) needed to do the paper charting part of the course. It also includes access to the RYC electronic plotter app with the same charts loaded, a very cool feature. While not strictly mandatory, I would have a hard time seeing most American sailors passing the RYC/ICC test without working on their international buoyage and tidal navigation skills. That's part of the reason I did the program!
Digging into the navigation section, I was soon neck-deep in tidal navigation:
As I mentioned, the RYC actually has a charts of a fictitious spot on earth for testing. This area is kind of like middle earth, with every manner of craziness on the chart. Along with the UK National Hydrography Office they have made-up a 40,000+ square mile fictitious area of the world that is chock-full of everything you would ever see at sea. Tides, currents, drying areas, sub pens, ship yards, wrecks, reefs, traffic separation schemes, and every type of buoyage imaginable. All of this with two charts (1:30,000 and 1:100,000) with an accompanying piloting guide and almanac. One of the commonly used fake places is Port Fraser; I feel like I've been there! You are unlikely to even encounter such a place on this earth. I learned to love it.
In addition, the course included access to a sample version of the much-lauded Chersoft NUNO Navigator app, with the same charting loaded in ENC format. I was an early user of Nuno back at its introduction in 2012, so this was a bit of a coming home for me. The inclusion of the program allowed you to do the test problems in either paper or electronic mode, which was very cool.
After a week of working/testing/cramming, I passed the online-theory portion, the same day I flew to Texas to take the practical!
The on the water was just as they described. Very hands-on and testing-based. $400 covered the cost of the testing and the boat. No learning, just checking if you knew your business. As Mark the tester cheerfully said, 'its easy as long as you know your stuff'! There were three applicants on boat, and we quickly entered into a rotation of sailing, docking, and navigation quizzes. Lots of big boat stuff, and thankfully the Beneteau 39 we were on felt and drove with great familiarity, which was handy when I had to back it into a slip into the wind first try!
After 8 hours and a lot of questions, we all passed! Signed off and ready to submit.
I sent in my papers and credit card details for the application, and 2 weeks later the ICC was in my hands! Mission accomplished. It also included a years membership in the RYA, a nice touch. BTW, the RYA has a wonderful mini-site on sailing abroad and the ICC. It is HERE.
Epilogue
Now looking back, was it worth it?
For me yes, for sure. As someone that sails/charters in Europe, and who held no certification of any kind, it was a no-brainer. I went from nothing to ready in one fell swoop.
But for others it might not be so clear.
If you have an ASA or US Sailing certification, It depends on what your ambitions are. Most charter companies it seems will take those. And while you see harsh words about them requiring an ICC, the economic reality is that most places will or have come around to the wisdom of allowing the vast majority of American charters in without an ICC. Even Croatia, the most hard-core of the ICC countries, has officially allowed ASA104 as an acceptable level of certification of competency, see HERE. Money talks. But in most places without an ICC you really don't know for sure.
Incidentally, both ASA and US sailing offer a 'faux' ICC called an IPC (International Proficiency Certificate). This document is their 104-equivalent certification packaged in another form, and is not UN official. But they have been working with governments and charter companies to accept it. You mileage will vary. But as I said, money talks, and the charters are keen to get American in their boats. But who knows?
But remember the key point: even IF the charter company accepts the 104 or IPC, it does not clear you from any governmental or legal need to have an ICC or local licence. Which is why it was created in the first place! Re-read that section from the RYA above for more details.
For that reason, I feel very good heading anywhere in Europe with a ICC with the RYA logo on it. I cannot image any situation that this document will not satisfy. To me that is worth the cost alone. And while the legal bit is always going to be a bit murky, its clear that from a practical perspective, the ICC is the gold standard of charter certification. I called/emailed a bunch of operators around the world. The discussion stopped when I said RYA/ICC.
Now if you only go to the BVIs, they will carry on with the same attitude; your credit card gets you in. So if you do not plan to go farther afield than that, it probably is not worth your time and money.
But I'm glad I got mine. And the NauticEd course-work was a great addition to my sailing knowledge-base. Recommended.
Thanks for this write up - it was so very helpful!!
ReplyDeleteYou’re very welcome. Glad it was of help. It is for sure a complex enterprise!
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ReplyDeleteI appreciate the informative post! I found something similar to RoHS Certification and thought you might be interested. Please check it out and let me know what you think!
ReplyDeleteyou can buy your boat license and ICC here https://documenteverywhere.com/buy-registered-boat-license/
ReplyDeleteDo you know if Italy accepts the ICC to rent powerboats from local charters? Italy has extremely hard restrictions that includes, size, offshore and power limitations without showing a local license. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThey should, I know they do in Switzerland which also has very rigid restrictions. According to the licensing, they should accept it for powerboats up to 10 m.
ReplyDeleteDear Clay,
ReplyDeleteThanks for good information that can help lots of US (or non-EU) sailors with plans to come sailing/boating in Europe.
Please note that we here in the Netherlands are quite relaxed (I run a charterf business for both sail and motor boats), but I just got confirmed by our Waterpolice that none of the US licenses are recognized and thus boaters wanting to sail a yacht over 15 meters (or capable of speeds in excess of 20 km/h) can legally not sail a yacht in Dutch waters.
Where checks are very few and far apart, it is also interesting to note the "murky waters" of liability and insurance coverage.
What happens if you would somehow end up in a serious incident where the insurance company gets involved... I know only one thing and that is that most insurance companies will go and find the weakest link and try to get their money back from there.
Note: that only applies to yachts that fall under the above mentioned rules. Everything "slow" and/or under 15 meters is available to anyone and everyone from a legal standpoint, you only have to convince the charter company that you are capable enough.
As charter agent for sailing holidays in the Med for over 20 years I also know that in Croatia for example it has been the collective push from insurance companies that has finally made it law that an ICC was required.
In Greece the situation is even more difficult and enforcement/recognition varies immensly from port to port. Last season for example, the Port POlic in Athens region delcared that the Dayskipper license of the RYA was no longer sufficient as it mentioned a restruction of daytime sailing only!!
Hope this helps and gives a short update on things here on this end!
PS some of the links are dead, not sure if the pages still exist?
Kind regards Paul
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