Are you young? Here’s how you can legally work on boats

Young people who love the sea, boats and want your passion to become a job, this article is for you. The title of “Recreational Navigation Officer 2nd Class” can now be earned and will make you a skipper in good standing able to command a boat in the Mediterranean .

In this piece we explain all the possibilities you have for making boats your profession: at every level. From the aforementioned title to the various international “YachtMaster” degrees, through other professional certifications.

Know that whatever degree you decide to pursue, you simply must:

– be 18 years old
– have sailed
– want to work on the sea with a boat (either sail or motor) as a skipper/skipper

How to work legally in boating

The skipper profession is at a turning point. After a startup beset by bureaucratic hurdles, the new title of 2nd class pleasure boating officer is in fact finally operational, and in many harbor master’s offices the calls to take the exam have begun. Not all obstacles are smoothed out, however. For example, difficulties are reported in accessing the First Aid first aid course (one of the five certificates required to obtain the title) because of the small number of health facilities that organize them. But past the impact of the first, inevitable wave of would-be new captains, the situation should soon normalize and the charter sector finally find the professionals it needs.

In this article we discuss all the major titles for commanding a boat. Go directly to the one that interests you. The new one concerning Italy is the first:

1. Recreational boating officer 2nd class
2. Recreational boating officer
3. Yachtmaster
4. Yachtmaster Offshore
5. Yachtmaster Ocean
6. Master 200GT to work in Italy
7. The other international titles

Recreational boating officer 2nd class

Features

This is the new figure of the professional skipper created in 2023 with the reform of the decree (121/2005) that established professional certificates for boating, the easiest professional title to obtain. It does not involve enrollment among maritime workers or apprenticeships at sea and has an exam that is only slightly more complex than that for a boating license. It does, however, involve restrictions on sailing areas, tonnage, and allows only Italian-flagged vessels to be driven; it is not recognized abroad.

Can embark:

-on Italian-flagged vessels not exceeding 200 tons (GT)

-in the Mediterranean or inland waters

-on pleasure boats and ships, including those for hire

-on ships intended for charter for tourist purposes

The requirements are:

• 18 years of age;
• Secondary school diploma or foreign qualification recognized as equivalent;
• Short Range Operator Certificate (SRC);
• Have passed basic firefighting, “First Aid” medical first aid, survival and rescue, personal safety and social responsibilities (PSSR) courses or, alternatively, a personal safety course for offshore navigation;
• Possess the psychophysical requirements necessary to obtain a category B boating license;
• Meet the moral requirements for obtaining and validating nautical licenses;
• Have passed a theoretical and practical examination organized by the harbor master’s offices. The program is basically similar to that of the category “A” boating license without limits from the coast.

Recreational boating officer

Features

This is the first qualification in the “deck section” under the regulations that attempted to regulate the training of the recreational skipper in 2005. Because of the requirement to register in the matriculation of the Seafarers, the length of the sailing apprenticeship and the complexity of the examinations, comparable to those to become an officer in the Merchant Navy, this qualification has never taken off; few have chosen it. In contrast, it offers a high degree of training and, with an “endorsement” procedure, can be recognized abroad.

Can embark:

as a deck officer in a rank lower than first (thus with a commanding officer present):

– recreational vessels also used for chartering

– Vessels intended exclusively for charter for tourist purposes up to 3000 tons (GT)

as commander

– recreational vessels also used for hire

– Ships intended for charter for tourist purposes up to 500 tons (GT)

– pleasure boats including those used for chartering

The requirements are:

• 18 years of age
• secondary education diploma or equivalent qualification
• period of training on board with qualification as a recreational navigation officer trainee (resulting in the training booklet) with duration of:

– 36 months of navigation, including at least 24 months of navigation on board recreational vessels or pleasure craft longer than 15 meters, including vessels for charter, or vessels intended exclusively for charter for tourist purposes (the period of navigation is reduced for holders of maritime degrees, graduates of nautical institutes, or persons with equivalent foreign degrees);

– courses: basic firefighting, survival and rescue, personal safety and social responsibilities (Pssr), security familiarization for embarked personnel, maritime life-saving equipment qualification (MAMS), Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS), radar, First Aid.

• Have passed a theoretical and practical examination organized by the harbor master’s offices. The program includes a theoretical and a practical test, plus a second written and oral test on technical English proficiency. The theoretical program is extensive, similar to that for deck officers in the merchant navy.

Yachtmaster

Features

This is the English certificate that certifies the ability to drive pleasure craft under sail or motor (or both). It is issued by the Royal Yachting Association (Rya) certifying body of the British Coastguard (Mca). In fact it is the most internationally recognized skipper’s certificate and allows one to command units flying the so-called red ensign the flag hoisted by British boats and some British colonies and former colonies including Canada, Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. When accompanied by the commercial endorsement (see below), it allows you to work as a professional skipper on pleasure boats or vessels used for passenger transport or commercial activities, meeting the tonnage and distance-from-shore limits of the level obtained (Coastal, Offshore, Ocean). Associated with the Master GT 200 title (see below), it can also be recognized as eligible to command pleasure craft from Italy or other countries. Examinations and preparatory courses to attain the Yachtmaster can also be taken in Italy in various nautical schools or centers; addresses can be found easily with an online search. We report below characteristics and requirements of the Yachtmaster Offshore and Ocean titles, the most functional for the professional skipper profession.

Yachtmaster Offshore

Allows you to command boats up to 24 meters long, 200 tons (GT) and sail up to 150 miles from the coast. It can be used to command commercial vessels (with commercial endorsement).

Requirements

– minimum age 18 years

– 50 days of sailing on boats up to 500 tons (GT)

– 5 days of sailing as a skipper on boats up to 24 meters

– 2,500 miles of sailing on boats of up to 500 gross tonnage (GT)

– 5 crossings of 60 miles with 2 overnight sailings and 2 as skipper

Gmdss Short Range and First Aid certificates

(at least half of the sailing must be done in waters subject to currents and tides)

Examination

The exam is practical, is done by sailing (theory is done on board), lasts between 8 and 12 hours, and includes a general assessment of the skipper’s skills, boat maneuvering, general seamanship, navigation, safety management, knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, meteorology, and signaling.

Yachtmaster Ocean

Allows you to command vessels up to 24 meters in length with no limit from the coast up to 200 tons (GT). Can be used to command commercial vessels (with commercial endorsement)

Requirements

– hold the Yachtmaster Offshore certificate (or other higher issued by the Mca)

Have sailed 600 miles on boats up to 500 tons (GT) including 200 miles more than 50 miles from the coast and a sailing duration of at least 96 hours. You must have planned and conducted navigation as skipper and have carried out astronomical surveys and ship points.

Examination

The examination consists of an oral and written test (no practice). Prior to the exam, a report of a navigation (logbook) made without the aid of electronic instruments and with relevant astronomical navigation calculations must be handed in. The oral exam includes questions on ocean navigation, world meteorology, crew management, maintenance, etc. The written includes questions on meteorology and navigation in low visibility conditions.

The “commercial endorsement”-The Yachtmaster title in order to be used for commercial purposes (to work on charter boats) must be completed by the commercial endorsement, a document issued by the Rya. In order to obtain this “endorsement” in addition to one of the Yachtmaster certificates (Coastal, Offshore or Ocean) one must hold a number of other certificates of competency including the basic “Stcw” courses: Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR), Basic Sea Survival (BSS) or Personal Survival Techniques (PST), ML5 or Medical Examination (ENG1). The Yachtmaster rating has no expiration date; however, training courses must be renewed every 5 years and the commercial endorsement every 2 years.

Master 200GT to work in Italy

– As mentioned earlier, acquiring the Yachtmaster title, even with commercial endorsement, allows one to command units that beat the red ensign, but not those from Italy (or other nations). In order to validate it in our country, an additional step is needed: acquiring the Master 200GT title. This is a certificate issued by the Maritime Coastguard Agency (Mca) that complies with international Stcw standards. It allows you to command units up to 200 tons (GT) up to 150 miles from the coast (limited version) or with no limits from the coast (unlimited version). To earn it, one must pass an oral exam (in English and online) that includes knowledge of English as well as international maritime regulations, among other things. Also for this title, preparation and access can be done through nautical schools and centers in Italy.

The requirements to enter the Master 200 GT exam are:

-have the title of Yachtmaster Offshore with commercial endorsement (limited version) or Yachtmaster Ocean (unlimited version) with at least 6 months of sailing

– hold Eng1 Medical and Helm Operational level certificates

– hold Stcw certificates: Gmdss Goc, Personal Survival Techniques, Pssr, Fire Fighting & Fire Prevention, Elementary First Aid, Proficency in Security Awarness

– apply to the Maritime Coastguard Agency for a Notice of Eligibility (NOE), a document certifying that you meet all requirements to operate as a professional skipper.

The Master GT 200 title can be recognized by Italian maritime authorities through validation (endorsement) obtainable through Italian consulates in England.

The other international titles for commanding pleasure craft

Of course, the international scene offers many other qualifications to command even commercial pleasure craft without sailing limits. Such as the French title Captain 200 Voile, which allows one to put oneself at the helm of (French) boats of up to 200 tons. This, too, is a highly professional qualification, often chosen by those who operate on transalpine Caribbean fleets, and which nonetheless involves complex theoretical practical examinations as well as stringent entry requirements (at least 50 days of sailing, of which 5 consecutive days and 2,500 miles sailed). Even in this sector, then, there is no shortage of shortcuts.

Rumors from “dockside radio” report, for example, that in recent years there have been more and more aspiring skippers heading to Malta or Croatia to obtain a professional title more easily, quickly, and cheaply.

But not all of these qualifications seem to be able to be then recognized in Italy (or in other countries) or, in any case, have the authority required by charter operators or maxi-yacht owners. However, for those approaching this profession, the range of choices has never been wider; one just needs to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each title, the preparation it offers, the costs to be incurred, the time to acquire it, one’s propensity to travel, and one’s ambitions, aptitudes, and even skills. Keeping in mind that taking a first step now is easier than ever.

Fabrizio Coccia