SKS

There are people who just buy a yacht and set sail without a clue. You can totally do that, and there’s nothing wrong with it—but we’re way too uptight for that.

Training

We want to learn to sail “properly.” Plus, before buying a yacht, we’re determined to charter a few different ones to see what works for us. And if you want to charter, you need proof that you actually know what you’re doing. Otherwise, understandably, no one will hand you the keys to a yacht.

So what do you need? A motorboat license (since all these yachts have engines), a coastal sailing license (Day Skipper), and a radio certificate. There’s this rumor floating around that it’s a huge ordeal—you supposedly need years of experience on inland waters, proof of 1,000 nautical miles, an offshore license, and all that nonsense. That’s just not true. As a Swiss citizen, you don’t need a Swiss license either. That’s complete nonsense.

Boot Düsseldorf

We went to the Boot Düsseldorf show for Sönke’s Bluewater Seminar and got some info. Basically, there are two main Day Skipper certificates: one from the RYA and one from the ASA. The RYA is from the Royal Yachting Association in England, and the ASA is from the American Sailing Association.

JoJo

The JoJo sailing school from Munich had a booth at Boot Düsseldorf, and they won us over right away. They offer the German version from the German Sailing Association: the SBF See, which is the motorboat license for the sea, and the SKS, the coastal sailing license. These certificates have a great reputation and are well-known throughout Europe. So that’s what we’re going for.

SBF

The practical part of the SBF was a breeze—almost laughably easy. But we’re not really interested in driving motorboats anyway. The theory part wasn’t bad though; we learned a lot and you do need to put in some practice. The chartwork exercises, in particular, are pretty tough.

SKS

With the SKS, the fun definitely stops. The practical part gets intense, and the theory is challenging. For the practical training, we head to Portorož, Slovenia, where we spend a week sailing one of JoJo’s school boats. Every day, we drill maneuvers and theory for hours. It’s like boot camp. We both pass the practical exam on the last day with no problem—well, at least I do. Alexandra, unfortunately, gets sick that week, can’t practice, and doesn’t take the exam at all.

I manage to pass the theory exam just before Christmas. That was no walk in the park—I really had to hit the books. I got ambitious, and at least I find the navigation exercises interesting. Alex, on the other hand, gets flashbacks to traumatic math classes and gives up. Honestly, the whole thing isn’t really helpful. The theory feels outdated and stuck in tradition. The SKS is badly in need of reform, but like so many things in Germany, it’s bogged down somewhere in a swamp of bureaucracy and egos.

Alex has decided to go for the ASA instead. That’s not offered by JoJo, but by a sailing school in Rijeka in the spring. We’re curious to see if it’s any better. At least it seems more modern and flexible.

*This blog post has been automatically translated by a Large Language Model.