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What licence does Greece want for a bareboat charter?
Short answer
A bareboat charter in Greece needs a certificate of competence the base accepts for that boat, plus a radio certificate. Most bases also want a second experienced person on board who signs on at check in as co-skipper.
Bareboat means you take the yacht without a professional skipper and run it yourself. Greece allows that, but the base has to be satisfied that the person at the helm is qualified for the boat and the area. In practice this means a certificate of competence that is recognised there, together with a radio operator certificate for the VHF set on board. An RYA Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper certificate, or an ICC issued against it, is familiar to Greek bases, yet the only answer that counts is the one the base gives in writing for the boat you have booked.
One requirement catches out many first timers in the Aegean. Bases normally expect a second person on board with genuine sailing experience, who signs the paperwork at check in alongside the skipper. The reasoning is simple: if the skipper is taken ill or injured, somebody else has to be able to bring the boat into shelter. Whether that person needs a certificate of their own or credible logged experience varies from base to base, so decide early who in the crew that will be and ask before the booking is confirmed.
Sort the paperwork into two piles. Everything belonging to the yacht is the base's job and will be on board at handover; look through it at check in and satisfy yourself that it is there. Everything belonging to the people is yours: certificates of competence, the radio certificate, passport details for every person on the crew list, and the charter contract with proof of payment. Send the crew details as soon as they are settled rather than on the day you travel. One more document appears in no regulation and matters all the same: proof of a skipper liability policy in your own name, because damage you cause to other people's property with a chartered boat follows you personally.
Worth remembering
Skipper
Certificate of competence the base accepts, plus a radio certificate
Second
An experienced crew member who signs on at check in
Get the base to confirm in writing which certificate it accepts, long before you fly out.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is an ICC enough for a bareboat charter in Greece?
An ICC is widely recognised, but the base decides what it accepts for the particular boat and area. Ask for that confirmation in writing before the booking is fixed, so nobody is arguing about it on the pontoon at handover.
Why does the base want a second qualified person?
So that somebody can bring the yacht into shelter if the skipper is taken ill or injured. That person is named and signs on at check in. How much experience they must show varies between bases, so ask early.
Do I need a radio certificate if I never intend to call?
If there is a VHF set on board, a matching radio operator certificate belongs with the skipper whether or not you plan to use it. In an emergency it is the fastest route to help, and bases ask for it at check in.
What if a crew member drops out at the last minute?
Tell the base before you leave the berth. The declared crew list should match the people actually on board. A change notified in good time is routine, a list that does not match is a problem in a coastguard check.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “What licence does Greece want for a bareboat charter?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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