Sailing Licenses – Requirements, Qualifications, Everything You Need to Know

When is a sailing license required? What rights does it grant and what are the requirements? We answer all these questions in the first part of our article series on sailing licenses. In the following articles, you will also find information on British, Croatian, and German qualifications. Content by Piotr Misiak

When is a sailing license required? What rights does it grant and what are the requirements? How can an old license be exchanged? We answer all these questions in the first part of our article series on sailing licenses. In the following texts, you will also find information about, among others, British, Croatian, and German qualifications.

In our country, anyone may practice sailing and operate a sailing yacht, provided they have the appropriate sailing knowledge and skills. This requirement is set out in Article 37a, section 1, point 1 of the Act on Inland Navigation of December 21, 2000 (as amended). In section 3 of this article, an additional requirement was introduced to hold a qualification document issued by the relevant Polish sports association if the hull length of the operated sailing yacht exceeds 7.5 meters. These are the two basic conditions that a candidate sailor must meet.

The Regulation of the Minister of Sport and Tourism of April 16, 2013, on practicing water tourism, specifies in detail the requirements and the procedure for obtaining qualification documents that should be held by persons practicing sailing. These qualification documents, as referred to in the Act (commonly called licenses), are obtained after meeting the conditions specified in the regulation.

Sailing license: which level?
According to the above-mentioned regulation of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, three sailing licenses operate within our legal system.

Yacht Sailor

Authorizes the holder to operate sailing yachts on inland waters. In addition, it authorizes the operation of sailing yachts with a hull length of up to 12 meters on internal marine waters and other marine waters within 2 nautical miles from the shore, during daylight hours.

To obtain the Yacht Sailor license, one must be at least 14 years old and pass an exam covering the required knowledge and skills.

Sea Yachtmaster

Authorizes the holder to operate sailing yachts on inland waters. In addition, it authorizes the operation of sailing yachts with a hull length of up to 18 meters on marine waters.

To obtain the Sea Yachtmaster license, one must be at least 18 years old and complete at least two sea voyages with a total duration of at least 200 hours. In addition, passing an exam covering the required knowledge and skills is mandatory.

Yacht Captain

Authorizes the holder to operate sailing yachts on inland and marine waters.

To obtain the Yacht Captain license, one must hold the Sea Yachtmaster license. Furthermore, after obtaining the Sea Yachtmaster license, one must complete at least six sea voyages with a total sailing time of at least 1,200 hours, including at least 400 hours of independent command of a yacht with a hull length exceeding 7.5 meters, as well as at least one voyage of over 100 hours on a yacht with a hull length exceeding 20 meters and one voyage of over 100 hours on tidal waters with calls at at least two tidal ports.

According to the requirements cited above, the necessary condition that must be met before independently operating a sailing yacht is acquiring the appropriate knowledge and skills, while the obtained license is only a document confirming that these requirements have been fulfilled. This can be achieved in several ways. Naturally, such knowledge and skills are passed on by sailing parents or grandparents who take their children or grandchildren on voyages. This is the most valuable knowledge, gained over many years, supported by extensive experience and excellent familiarity with conditions on the water and on board.

Starting from scratch? How to obtain a sailing license?
However, not everyone is fortunate enough to be part of a sailing family tradition, and such individuals must start from scratch. For them, many sailing schools organize courses of varying levels and durations. It is worth noting that the requirements for candidates for a given license do not include an obligation to complete formal training, as was the case before the regulation currently in force since 2013 came into effect. Nevertheless, we strongly encourage those whose contact with sailing has been minimal or nonexistent to take advantage of the offer of one of these schools. Training systems vary—from weekend courses conducted over several weeks on Saturdays and Sundays, through two-week residential courses, to multi-week sailing voyages.

It is also worth noting that candidates for the Sea Yachtmaster license are not required to previously hold the Yacht Sailor license. This means that a person with very limited sailing experience (only 200 hours of sea time are required) gains quite significant privileges: independent operation of a yacht up to 18 meters on any body of water. This does not necessarily mean that such a person will not manage, but in my opinion, skills are largely determined by the number of miles or hours spent sailing. Therefore, despite holding such a serious license as Sea Yachtmaster, I would recommend gaining experience in independent yacht handling first on inland waters. However, this is only a recommendation.

Sailing licenses are issued by the Polish Sailing Association in accordance with the Act. However, the same Inland Navigation Act abolished the monopoly of the Polish Sailing Association on examining sailing candidates. For years, so-called authorized entities—those accredited by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism—have been allowed to conduct examinations. These are often sailing schools, meaning that training and examination can be completed in one place.