Misled by the RYA re ICC?

[peteb]

INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE (ICC)

I have done my dayskipper practical, qualified, applied for and received my ICC. My intention was to use this certification to charter boats abroad BUT, it is NOT worth the paper it is written on, this is CONFIRMED by the RYA. EU countires are obliged to accept a certificate issued by other EU states, BUT it is a key condition that the certificate are issued for visitor status in another country BUT the visitor MUST be under the flag of the issuing state e.g. it IS NOT permitted to be used for charter or using ANY OTHER vessel, so no borrowing or chartering RIBS abroad thinking you are covered.

In PLAIN ENGLISH the RYA confirm that the ICC they issue is only valid on a BRITISH flagged boat, something they claim to have only just realised, so what clowns are running that organisation? I have been totally misled into thinking I could charter a boat abroad, conned into doing a course to be certified and NOW find out it is totally USELESS (if not in a british flagged boat).

The RYA state now that if you operate a 'foreign registered' vessel, you accept the full rules, and need to 'HOLD QUALIFICATIONS' from the country of registration. I wonder if we will now be offered French/Dutch/Spanish e.t.c. dayskipper courses

SO BE WARNED, it is no good if you have an accident at sea in a chartered or borrowed boat abroad, YOU WILL be held accountable and may be eating a lot of porridge

Perhaps they should refund all the costs of courses they have 'conned' people into doing in belief they would be qualified to charter abroad!

Oh! and sack the pratt that is in charge of that department

[gingercoastie]

The RYA only run the courses on behalf of the MCA. It is them you should be mad at.

[peteb]

My certificate is issued by the RYA, I was told I could charter a boat abroad with it, the buck stops with them as far as I am concerned. The RYA should ensure that they are giving correct advice, no good nicking my money off me and then passing the buck, they sold me the course it is down to them

A blatant breach of selling something 'not fit' for the purpose, and that is just for starters

[peteb]

sailing.ie, giving wrong advice?

http://www.sailing.ie/dynamic/pdf/IC...Qs(july04).pdf

I hope that the RYA are going to write to all the people that they have issued the ICC to in the last 5 years to warn them that unless they are using it on a British registered vessel, then it is a useless piece of paper, and that all holders are required to undergo training in the country they wish to charter or use a non UK registered boat in.

This is very important as all ICC holders must be made aware of their responsibilities, no good waiting for an incident to happen.

So really, what we are saying is that an ICC IS ONLY for use on British registered vessels, NOT charter (unless you have of course done training in that countries marine law). USELESS otherwise!!

How many useless pieces of paper are lying around in Britain then, and how many joined the RYA just to get them loads I would reckon!

[jwalker]

It looks as though received your copy of the RYA newsletter too.

Pete, you may well be able to charter a boat abroad using your ICC as evidence of competence. Many charterers will be happy to accept the ICC. Some may insist on a wee familiarity session (which they are using to assess your skills) before letting you loose.

This is bang on coincidence because last evening I was with a pal who has just bought a sports boat in spain and it is going to be chartered by a company out there on his behalf. He recently did his RYA qualification with the same company and they accept the ICC as proof of competence when folk charter from them. Apparently, so do most of the companies in that area.

Worth enquiring before getting too wound up about it.

[peteb]

I agree, no problem with getting the Charter, BUT you must be trained in the law of that land, no good trying to hide behind an ICC it's not worth anything, if you have an accident and not trained in their law, then only porridge coming your way

So, ICC totally USELESS if not in a British registered vessel.

[peteb]

JW, I would think that RYA certifications (or previous experience, however produced) should be able to prove your level of competence to a Charter company, my gripe is that they tell you that you require an ICC when you clearly don't, just another way to extort money out if us and create a bigger paper chase and jobs for the boys.

I want an explanation as to why we have all been misled, and conned into getting photo's for it and told if we join the RYA you get one free. Now these ICC's are useless pieces of paper for those that don't use a British registered boat abroad, perhaps we will see the RYA memberships fall, it seems they have been falsley bumped up by people getting their ICC.

They now need to apologise for misleading us, make it clear in their literature that an ICC is ONLY for British registered vessels used abroad, that it DOES NOT cover foreign vessels chartered, and sack the joker who has responsibility for conning us all. They should start to warn people of what laws they are required to learn, and what qualifications they require for each country.

I hope that helps

[Phil]

Pete , I think your mixing up the issues here;I hired a Bayliner on Lake Garda last year -it was a boat that "required a licence" Most of the other hirers were German -they also have their own certification.

The ICC was accepted as proof of competency and it was clear that without it those boats would not have been available.The insurance was of course the hiring company's not mine.

Of course you are right that the ICC in itself does not entitle you to be "qualified" in another jurisdiction but as you can see above it will help you as evidence of ability

It is certainly not useless

[David Hickman]

I agree that the ICC is not a useless piece of paper, but it does need to be clarified by RYA Training centres when clients wish to obtain the ICC that it is aimed at skippers of British Registered Vessels.
Do Med charter companies like Mark Warner, Sun Sail, Neilson etc use British Registered Yachts?
The majority of my clients who want their ICC it is because they have purchased a boat for use in Spain but it is purchased in the UK!
If you want to be able to charter a vessel I believe that the RYA practical qualifications are still the desired "pieces of paper" to hold in addition to the ICC. Doing local qualifications in which ever country could prove impossible due to language barriers.
In Spain I have been asked for my ICC even though I had my MCA/RYA Yachtmaster Certificate with me!!

[The Jackeens]

guess it would be a definite for a trip to France by RIB


Us