Taking My Sailing Exam by Carl Farrell

Taking My Sailing Exam by Carl Farrell

This year heralds a new beginning for my wife Ginny and I as we are about to embark on a long term cruise in our yacht, across the Channel to France and through the French canals via Paris to the Mediterranean.

As it transpires one of the key requirements for this trip is the skipper (me) must be able to prove some boating capability when visiting European waters including inland waters.  

In order to show this ability skippers must possess an International Certificate of Competence.  This can either be added to an existing equivalent or higher qualification or sailors can achieve an ICC assessment through a RYA recognised training centre.

To navigate the European inland waterways, a Code Européen des Voies de Navigation Intérieure, or CEVNI as it is better known, is also needed.

 I have been messing about on the water since 1977 when I was a military boat coxswain.  Since then I have helped friends deliver yachts, crewed on some amazing boats and spent the past seven years cruising around the South Coast in our own vessels.  

More recently I have driven the Dart Harbour yacht taxi and worked on one of the castle ferries.

I felt my past sailing experience has given me a broad practical knowledge so I decided to opt for the ICC assessment on our own yacht, Leonie.

Having already gained my Day Skipper Theory qualification through the Brixham-based South West Marine Training, it was logical to contact them to carry out the ICC assessment.

Having booked the course last winter, I had time to swot up and release the knowledge locked away somewhere in my grey matter.  

As I also wanted fit in some practical days on our yacht, a Yachtmaster qualified friend and former sailing instructor agreed to put me through the ICC syllabus.

As the assessment day loomed closer the weather worsened.  I buried my head in swotting up the meaning behind the lights and signs of Europe’s inland waterways for the multiple-choice CEVNI test.

When the assessment day finally dawned I woke early to catch the weather forecast on Leonie’s VHF radio.  As expected it was pretty foul with gales due later in the day - and not a single fishing boat left Dart Harbour, which is always a bad sign.

Undaunted I decided the bad weather would test Leonie and I in conditions we would probably get caught up in at some point anyway.

I had often seen my assessor Simon Cater, nicknamed Tank, on the river in South West Marine Training yachts bringing an air of experienced calm to pensive crews and wide-eyed skippers.

After getting the paperwork formalities out of the way (and discovering I went to school with Tank’s father) I found out Tank has a huge number of sea miles under his belt.  Sailing is his career and his passion and I felt confident and assured by him.

Tank explained the day would consist of continual assessment of my yacht handling and sailing skills along with questions from him as assessor and posing as crew.

The day would also include navigation in the form of passage planning to Teignmouth, blind navigation where I would be tasked to instruct Tank on the helm using just charts, depth measurement and speed, and finally the CEVNI test.

After I carried out the engine checks and gave a safety briefing, we put two reefs in the mainsail and set off for the rough and windy open sea.  

Once there I carried out man-over-board exercises, sailed in different directions tacking and gybing as I went and answered continual questions from Tank.

Two hours later we returned to the calmer Dart, tied up to a buoy near the river entrance and stopped for a brief lunch break.

Then it was time to start the blind navigation section of the assessment.

I was sent below decks to ponder the chart before navigating the boat to Dittisham as if we were in thick fog.

During this exercise I had to remain below, refrain from looking out of the windows and give steerage directions to Tank, who was helming, using just information from the depth log and chart.

I did this by measuring speed and distance travelled and plotting a course on the depth contours of the river.  At the same time I explained to Tank what could be seen 50 yards either side and ahead of us.

This is a useful exercise as it assesses your ability to plot a course and relay detailed information from a paper chart.  

Never having navigated ‘blind’ before it was a strange experience at first, but once you become attuned to it you gradually start to visualise your progress in your head.   

Afterwards we returned to Dartmouth, moored up alongside the pontoon and put the kettle on for a brew.  

I then prepared a hypothetical passage plan to Teignmouth using a chart, tidal flow atlas and the nautical almanac which contains important information such as tidal heights and navigational hazards.  

The assessment rounded off with the multiple-choice CEVNI test, consisting of 14 questions to test your knowledge of the the rules and signs of Europe’s inland waterways code.

I admit the assessment did make my brain ache a bit as a lot is packed into one day and you face more scenarios than you generally expect to experience in one hit.

But surprisingly, given the weather and general pre-assessment nerves, the day was also enjoyable.  I felt I had been refreshed as well as assessed and enjoyed sailing with a highly competent crew member.  Tank also passed on some helpful tips for our forthcoming trip to France and the Med.

If Tank is setting the standard, then South West Marine Training have an excellent team of trainers and assessors.   My experience was a positive one which instilled me with confidence and a keenness to learn more.

Although the ICC requirement varies from country to country, in general terms it is required for the inland waterways of Europe (but not the UK) and for inland and coastal waters of Mediterranean countries.

If you can’t produce it you do run the risk of having your boat impounded or incurring significant fines.

I cannot see any reason for taking a boat through the European waterways without the CEVNI endorsement as not only will it help you understand the rules and regulations in place, it is also likely to tick the box for insurance purposes and will cover the bases with officialdom.    

The company charges £175 per day for a direct ICC assessment in your own boat.  The ICC certificate costs an extra £40 and the CEVNI test is £25.

You can also achieve the ICC via South West Marine Training RYA courses as the Powerboat Level 2 and Day Skipper certificates (or above) will provide evidence of your competence to qualify you for the ICC. Or you can book a full ICC course on a bespoke basis.

As well as the ICC and CEVNI assessments, South West Marine Training offer a wide range of sailing and motorboat theory and practical courses to suit all levels, from Competent Crew to Yachtmaster.

For more information phone 01803 853843, email info@southwestmarinetraining.co.uk or visit www.southwestmarinetraining.co.uk

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