SKS

There are people who buy a yacht and just set sail, without any clue. You can do that and it’s not at all reprehensible, but we are too fussy for that. We want to do it “right.” Moreover, we are determined, before buying a yacht, to charter various yachts to try out what works for us. And when you charter, you need proof that you know what you’re doing. Otherwise, understandably, they won’t give you a yacht.

What you need, therefore, is a motorboat license (these yachts all have engines), a coastal sailing certificate (Day Skipper), and a radio license. There’s this rumor that it’s a huge deal, with first years of experience on inland waters, then proof of 1000 nautical miles and an offshore certificate and all that nonsense. It’s not like that at all. As a Swiss, you don’t have to get a Swiss certificate either. That’s complete nonsense.

We were at the Boot Düsseldorf at Sönke’s Blauwasserseminar and got informed. There are essentially two Day Skipper certificates: One from RYA and one from ASA. RYA from the English Royal Yachting Association and the ASA from the American Sailing Association.

The JoJo Sailing School from Munich also had a booth at Boot Düsseldorf and they convinced us right away. However, they offer the German version from the Deutscher Segler-Verband: SBF See, the sports boat license for motorboats at sea, and the SKS, the coastal skipper certificate for sailing along the coast. These certificates have a good reputation and are very well-known in Europe. So, we’re trying that.

The practical part of the SBF was a breeze, to say the least, ridiculous. But we don’t want to drive motorboats anyway. The theory, however, was not bad, we learned a lot and you really have to practice. Especially the chart tasks are challenging.

With the SKS, the fun definitely ends. Here, the practice becomes elaborate and the theory challenging. For the practical part, we head to Portorož, Slovenia, where we sail one of the JoJo school ships for a week. We practice maneuvers and theory for several hours every day. It’s drilled like in the military. We then pass the exam on the last day without any problems. At least I do; Alexandra unfortunately gets sick during the week, can’t practice, and therefore doesn’t even take the exam.

I also pass the theory exam just before Christmas. It was really not easy and I had to study hard. I got ambitious and at least found the navigation tasks exciting. It’s quite different for Alex: Traumatic memories from math class come up and she stops practicing. Honestly, the whole thing is not really productive. The theory seems outdated and caught in a tradition. The SKS urgently needs reform, but like so much else, it’s stuck in Germany, somewhere in a swamp of sensibilities.

Alex has decided to go for the ASA. However, this does not take place at JoJo, but at a sailing school in Rijeka in the spring. We are curious to see if it’s better. At least it seems more modern and flexible.

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