IYT International Bareboat Skipper (Sail)

International Bareboat Skipper is IYT Worldwide's qualification for sailors who want to charter a yacht and run it themselves, with no lead boat and no professional skipper aboard. "Bareboat" simply means the boat comes without crew: you're the skipper, navigator and decision-maker. IYT is clear that this isn't a beginner course. It's a five-day certificate for sailors who already have real time on the water.

Who it suits

• Sailors with a crew qualification and a good number of days at sea who want to charter independently
• Flotilla skippers ready to go it alone
• Australians planning charters overseas who want a certificate charter companies recognise, plus eligibility for an ICC
• Anyone wanting a solid base before working towards Yachtmaster Coastal

What you'll actually do

The week is spent living aboard and skippering in rotation. You'll check the boat before departure: hull, rigging, engine, bilge, gas, steering and safety gear. Then you'll plan and sail coastal passages, work out tides and weather, and bring the boat into marinas, anchorages and moorings. The instructor will set exercises that build confidence in close-quarters handling, which is where most charter stress happens, along with tender (dinghy) handling and crew briefings.

The theory covers the skipper's responsibilities, weather patterns, pilotage, passage planning, tides and currents, and collision rules. IYT offers it as eLearning with an exam before the practical at a partner school.

Key ideas explained

• Passage planning — deciding before you leave where you're going, the hazards on the way, the tides and weather, bolt-holes if things change, and when you need to arrive to get in safely.
• Pilotage — navigating close to land by eye using landmarks, leading lines, transits and clearing bearings, rather than by plotting positions on a chart.
• Rule of twelfths — a quick estimate of tide height between low and high water. Over roughly six hours the tide rises about 1/12 of its range in the first hour, 2/12 in the second, 3/12 in the third and fourth, 2/12 in the fifth and 1/12 in the sixth. It assumes a regular tide curve, so treat it as an estimate.
• Close-quarters handling — using the prop walk, the wind and warps (mooring lines) to control a yacht at low speed when berthing or turning in a tight marina.
• Anchoring — choosing holding ground and swing room, letting out enough scope (the length of chain relative to depth), and checking the anchor holds before relaxing.

Where it fits

• Before: IYT International Crew or an equivalent, a VHF radio operator's certificate, and 200 nautical miles and 10 days at sea by the end of the course (IYT defines a day at sea as 8 hours). Many people do IYT Flotilla Skipper first.
• This course: command of a yacht up to 24 metres in coastal waters up to 20 miles offshore, in fair, moderate conditions.
• ICC: holders can obtain an International Certificate of Competence.
• Next: IYT Yachtmaster Coastal. It sits alongside ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising and RYA Day Skipper Practical as a common charter qualification, though none is formally equivalent to another.

Getting ready

• Keep a logbook of your sea miles and days, signed by skippers, so you can show the entry requirement.
• Practise tidal and chart exercises beforehand; the eLearning is the place to do it.
• Revise the collision rules, especially lights and sound signals.
• Bring deck shoes, wet-weather gear, sun protection, a head torch and a soft bag.
• Ask the school about the sailing area, the boat and how assessment works.

Good to know in Australia

Check that your Australian marine radio qualification, such as the SROCP, is accepted as the VHF prerequisite. Tides vary a lot around Australia, from small ranges in some southern waters to very large ranges in the north-west, so tidal skills learned here carry over well. This certificate isn't a state boat licence; check your state's maritime authority if you want to skipper a powered boat at home.