Is it possible to rent a yacht without a license in popular holiday destinations such as Greece, Italy or Croatia? What are the local regulations? In the following article, we will take a closer look at this issue and tell you what to do if you want to spend your sailing holidays and do not have the appropriate permissions.
What is worth remembering?
Many Polish sailors gain their first touches in Masuria, where, as you know, you can charter quite large vessels without the need for a license. This is also indicated by advertisements on the sides, which are also a kind of warning for other users of the basin.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that inland waters are different from sea waters - even such "civilized" and safe as Croatia, Italy or Greek islands. It should be remembered that a boat, which at first seems slow and light (you can move it with one hand, right?), is subjected to enormous forces.
In short, incompetent use of such equipment can cause significant losses, not only financial. Even if sailing a yacht without a license is allowed on certain waters, this does not relieve us of the need to exercise maximum attention and caution. So let's take a look at what it looks like in popular holiday destinations.
Yacht rental without a license in Croatia
It is one of the countries most often chosen by sailors: perfect weather, long season, varied coastline - what more could you want? Probably just peace of mind. And precisely in order to ensure it to all users of Croatian waters, the local law makes it very clear: yacht charter in Croatia without a license is impossible. Applies to both sailboats and motor boats. What's more, even if you want to sail an inflatable boat equipped with a motor, you must have a motorboat license.
In order to legally operate a yacht in Croatia, it is necessary to have at least a yacht helmsman's license and a radio station certificate. It is worth remembering, however, that the local law provides for one more solution: this is the so-called Voditelj Brodice category B. This type of license can be obtained by successfully passing the exam at the Croatian Harbor Master's Office.
Yacht rental without a license in Greece
This beautiful island country offers extremely favorable conditions for sailing and other water sports. It is worth recalling that there are as many as six different reservoirs at your disposal: Cyclades, Sporades, Ionian Sea, Saronic Gulf, Dodecanese and Chalkidiki.
Each of them has a slightly different character and specificity, which makes sailing on local waters pleasant, but also more demanding than, for example, in Croatia. For this reason, local regulations also impose appropriate requirements on water sportsmen. Yacht charter in Greece without a sailing license is prohibited - at least when it comes to sailing vessels. To drive such a boat, you must have at least a yacht helmsman license and a radio station certificate. What's more, the law requires that the crew also includes the so-called. co-skipper, i.e. the deputy captain. He does not need to be licensed, but should be able to get the yacht to the nearest port in case the captain is unable to do so.
An interesting fact, however, is that the local law treats people traveling in a motor boat much more leniently. If it will be a unit with an engine power not exceeding 30 horsepower, no license is necessary.
Yacht rental without a license in Italy
Italy, due to its geographical location and very long coastline (it is as much as 7,600 km), offers extremely diverse sailing conditions. There are mountains, lowlands, rocky capes, islands, bays of various sizes, and all this is covered by the waters of four seas: Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Adriatic. Safe swimming in these waters therefore requires an appropriate level of knowledge and skills.
No wonder that chartering a yacht in Italy without a license is not allowed. To sail in Italy, it is necessary to have at least a yacht helmsman license and a radio operator certificate.
No Permissions - Now What?
As you can see, chartering a yacht without a sailing license in other countries can be difficult, and sometimes even impossible. This does not mean, however, that without the appropriate documents, we have to give up sailing holidays. It is worth remembering that there is always an alternative solution, i.e. renting a yacht with a skipper.
This is a slightly more expensive option than self-guiding the boat, but it gives you some advantages: a professional skipper is often also an experienced local waters expert and can take you to places he has visited with previous crews, and which are not necessarily found in every guidebook . He also often has up-to-date knowledge of local customs, attractions, and even prices in ports, so you can see more and make significant savings in the yacht office.
Yet another solution that allows you to spend your holidays on the water is barge charter . You don't need a patent or a skipper to rent this type of vessel.
