Which sailing course should you take?

1. 01
   Discover Sailing DayFree

   Affiliated clubs run free taster days. Turn up, go for a sail, decide whether you like it before paying anyone.

2. 02
   Start Crewing~12 hrs$400–600

   Australian Sailing's keelboat entry course. Winch work, sail trim, safety, how not to be in the way. This alone makes you useful crew on a Wednesday twilight.

3. 03
   Join the club and crew regularly

   Most clubs run a crew-matching board or a “sailing concierge” on race nights. Turning up every week for a season teaches more than any course.

4. 04
   Start Helming, then Start RacingOptional

   When you want the tiller rather than the sheet.

You do not need: a boat licence, a radio certificate, or any international qualification.

1. 01
   Little TackersAges 4–6

   Games and water confidence rather than sailing technique. Optional.

2. 02
   Tackers 1 · Having FunAges 7–12

   The national junior program, run through clubs as school-holiday intensives or after-school terms. Non-competitive by design.

3. 03
   Tackers 2 · Tricks & Techniques → Tackers 3 · Sailing Fast!

   Progression into real boat handling, then speed and early racing skills.

4. 04
   Green Fleet → club junior racing

   Optimist, Sabot (especially in WA), Flying 11 (especially in NSW), then ILCA/Laser, 420 or 29er for teenagers who catch the bug.

5. 05
   OutThere SailingAges 12–17

   The social, low-pressure teen stream for kids who want to sail but not race.

1. 01
   State boat licenceLegally required

   Required in every state except the NT for a yacht with an auxiliary above the local threshold. See the licensing table for your state's rules.

2. 02
   Marine radio qualificationLegally required to use VHF

   Minimum an Australian Waters Qualification (AWQ); SROCP if you want the full short-range certificate; LROCP if you'll carry HF.

3. 03
   Start Crewing → Start Helming → Start Skippering

   Australian Sailing's keelboat ladder, or RYA Competent Crew → Day Skipper if you want an internationally portable certificate.

4. 04
   Coastal navigation and a diesel course

   The two things new owners most often wish they'd done first. RYA Diesel Engines is one day and roughly $395.

5. 05
   First aidHLTAID011

   Not legally mandatory for a private yacht, but the single most useful day you will spend.

1. 01
   Chartering in Australia

   Build genuine experience — a Start Skippering or RYA Day Skipper course plus a season of club sailing — and be honest on the operator's skills form. A certificate speeds up the briefing; it rarely replaces it.

2. 02
   Chartering overseasDifferent rules

   Mediterranean and some Caribbean operators want an ICC, RYA Day Skipper or above, IYT International Bareboat Skipper, ASA 104 or a NauticEd SLC. Greece and Turkey are the strictest.

3. 03
   The efficient combination

   RYA Day Skipper practical gets you the certificate and qualifies you for an ICC without a separate assessment. IYT's International Bareboat Skipper (about four days, roughly $1,750) is the other common route.

4. 04
   Catamaran endorsement if you're chartering a cat

   Twin engines, no keel, a very different docking technique. A monohull ticket does not transfer cleanly.

1. 01
   Safety and Sea Survival CertificateMandatory for Cat 1

   16 hours, valid five years, roughly $450–$550. At least half the crew on a Sydney Hobart must hold it.

2. 02
   LROCP marine radio certificate

   Category 1 races require at least two crew to hold it. Also what you want on an HF-equipped cruising boat.

3. 03
   First aid — HLTAID011, or HLTAID013 for remote

   Cat 1 races require at least two qualified crew or a doctor aboard.

4. 04
   Coastal / offshore navigation theory

   RYA Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased. Celestial navigation lives in Yachtmaster Ocean theory.

5. 05
   Miles — and a logbook that proves them

   Offshore races, deliveries and rallies. RYA Yachtmaster Offshore wants 2,500 nm, 50 days, five passages over 60 nm.

6. 06
   Yachtmaster OffshoreExam, not a course

   The recognised summit of the recreational ladder, and the entry point to commercial work.

1. 01
   Decide which side of the line you're on

   Being paid to crew or deliver someone's private yacht, or to teach an owner on their own boat, does not by itself make it commercial. Charter, hire-and-drive and carrying paying passengers do.

2. 02
   Certificate II in Maritime Operations (Coxswain Grade 1 NC)

   Four weeks full-time or a few terms part-time. The standard first commercial ticket.

3. 03
   SROCP or LROCP marine radio

   A prerequisite for most Certificates of Competency.

4. 04
   Sailing Master Coastal / Offshore NC, or Master <24m NC

   Note that AMSA Exemption 33 — which used to let people run a commercial sailing vessel's auxiliary without an engine ticket — expired 30 June 2025.

5. 05
   Or the international route: RYA Yachtmaster + commercial endorsement

   Yachtmaster Offshore with ENG1 medical, STCW basic safety and PPR is the superyacht industry's currency worldwide.