We receive many questions regarding the what, where, why, when and how to charter when talking to clients. This section will discuss chartering including terminology, procedures, regulations, etc. This month we will discuss some of the licensing aspects of chartering.
 
Licensing, Certification and Resumes - There is much confusion concerning the requirements for bareboat chartering. Each operator has their own requirements and due to insurance, some charter areas may have more stringent requirements.
In the U.S., the licensing agency is the United States Coast Guard. These licenses called Merchant Mariners licenses come with a variety of requirements and stipulations and are required to operate commercial vessels.
Certificates are offered by sailing schools around the world and are a great way to learn and sharpen your sailing skills. These certificates are widely accepted as proof of competency depending on the level achieved.
Sailing Resumes are also required by charter companies, especially if no license or certificate has been obtained. This resume will describe your sailing experience and sailing competency so charter companies can allow you to charter their boat without a captain. It is beneficial to keep a log of all your sails, so you can compile a complete resume of your time on the water.

Sailing Schools - Many charter companies rank sailing areas due to the weather, currents, sailing distances, availability of anchorages, etc. Level 1 is the easiest and Level 3 the hardest. You will need to provide additional sailing experience or certification to sail in the higher level areas. There are two organizations that offer sailing certification in the United.States.
One is ASA, the American Sailing Association. They offer ten different levels ranging from Basic Sailing to Offshore Passage Making. The first three levels, ASA 101 (Basic Keelboat), ASA 103 (Coastal Cruising) and ASA 104 (Bareboat Chartering) are the certificates generally accepted by most chartering companies. ASA also offers some endorsements including docking, radar and weather that may come in handy. ASA is offering a new International Proficiency Certificate for those who charter in the Mediterranean.
The second organization is U.S. Sailing. They offer Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising and Basic Bareboat courses also. U.S. Sailing offers many advanced courses in addition to the basic courses listed above.

NOTE: In Croatia, a VHF Radio License is required and there are numerous organizations listed on the web that can assist you in obtaining one. A course in basic coastal navigation, offered by both organizations above, is great addition to your sailing resume and should be considered by all sailors.
 
If you have any questions or have suggestions to what information should be included in this section, please drop us an email. If you have any experiences or comments that could be useful, such as the Salerno experience in our earlier newsletter, please send them to us and we will include them if space permits. We want everyone to feel part of our sailing family, so we hope you will pass on any comments and ideas that we can share with everyone.