The questions people actually ask.

With Competent Crew: five days aboard, no prerequisites. It runs on the same boat as the Day Skipper, so beginners sail alongside people one step ahead. To see where you stand, try “Where do I start”: enter your days and miles and we’ll suggest the right course.

No. You can take the Day Skipper without a licence or previous certificates. They are separate paths: the patente nautica is Italian, RYA certificates are British and known worldwide. If you also need the Italian licence, it’s run with Accademia Nautica Camform in Olbia.

RYA courses and exams are in English, but the instructors are Italian and help you when needed. For Yachtmaster you need good English, because the examiner is external. The study app trains you for the oral in English too.

Not many: the boats have three cabins and six berths. You sleep aboard, in harbour or at anchor in a cove; bed linen is included. Bring a light sleeping bag and foul-weather gear, as students recommend. Provisioning is done together on day one.

It depends on the flag. With commercial endorsement, the Yachtmaster is accepted by flags that approve it (UK and Red Ensign, Malta, San Marino and others), not the Italian flag. The MCA Master 200 GT, which we prepare you for, is recognised by more flags. Italian rules for professional yachting changed in 2024: ask us about your case before enrolling.

Distance offshore and required experience. Coastal: up to 60 miles, 800 miles logged. Offshore: up to 150 miles, 2,500 miles logged. Ocean: unlimited, with an ocean passage behind you and a celestial navigation exam.

Many charter companies accept it, but each country and company has its own rules: check with the charter company before booking.

No: Yachtmaster needs GMDSS SRC or higher; the Italian RTF doesn’t count. It takes one day, and you can do it during theory week in Olbia.

From €800 for 5 days, October to March, up to €1,050 for 7 days in July and August. Boat, fuel, moorings, linen and certificate included; provisions and travel excluded.

The exam fee paid to the RYA, in pounds, and prerequisite courses: first aid, GMDSS SRC, medical. The examiner’s fee is already included.

It depends on your miles: you need 2,500, with 50 days at sea and 5 long passages, half of them in tidal waters, i.e. outside the Med. Sailing one week every two or three months, roughly one to two and a half years. Coastal Skipper and mile-building weeks in Sardinia also count towards your miles.

Aboard, over two days, with an external English-speaking RYA examiner: boat handling, navigation, collision rules, safety, oral questions. The study app has an examiner that quizzes you exam-style, so you arrive used to it.

To start as deckhand or stew: STCW basic training, ENG1 medical and English. To skipper: a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster. For command up to 200 GT: Master 200 GT. “Working at sea” lays it all out.

The certificate opens the door; experience does the rest. Our students include industry professionals who over the years went as far as Master 500 GT. Nobody can promise a job: we can tell you which path fits you.