HOSA - Hellenic Offshore Sailing Academy

International Bareboat Skipper

The International Bareboat Skipper course is a five day course. It is not for beginners and the recommended entry level requirements are a VHF maritime radio operators certificate, and to have logged over 200 nautical miles and 10 days at sea before advancing to this level. The recommended minimum age to obtain this certification is 18.

Certificate Limitations

Command of a vessel up to a maximum length of 78 ft /24 metres
In coastal waters up to 20 miles offshore
In daylight hours and in fair conditions with moderate wind and sea conditions
This certificate is the level of competence that one needs when chartering a boat in the Mediterranean or West Indies where there are restrictions in terms of cruising area and distance from the base and the vessel has to be safely moored in a marina or anchored before dark

Course Outline

Responsibilities of a bareboat skipper
Crew safety checks
Hull and rig checks
Machinery and systems checks
Fuel and water capacity and range
Menus and quantities
Float plan
Sources of meteorological information
Weather patterns
Sea and land breezes
Cloud types and formations
Pilotage and passage planning
Considerations when planning a passage
Routine for navigating a coastal passage
Passage strategy
Port regulations, customs, immigration
Pilotage plans
Vessel handling in confined quarters
Mooring, anchoring, coming alongside
Ropes, knots, care and use of lines
General deck work
Tides and currents theory
Tidal heights, springs and neaps
Rule of “twelfths”
Position fixing, running fixes
Plotting the effect of tides and currents
Collision regulations
Lights, shapes and sounds
Application of the regulations
Advanced dingy handling

HOSA’s by Atlas Marine Ltd. International Bareboat Skipper Sail Certificate covers command of a sailing vessel with a sail area of greater than 80 square metres/861 square feet.

Note: Τhe courses can be taught in Greek, English, Russian and Turkish languages.