Surely you have often thought how much fun it would be to be able to steer a pleasure boat and enjoy a day at sea with your family or friends. Take a dip or have a refreshment on deck, away from the crowded beaches in summer. Enjoy the sea breeze while sailing. Connect with nature....Well we have good news, it is much simpler than it may seem, because among the Nautical Titles in Spain there are a variety of possibilities and in some of them it is not necessary to take a theoretical exam.
Unlicensed vessels
The simplest option is to rent boats for which no title or license is required. Obviously these are very small boats. They must be less than 5 meters and a maximum of 15 hp. This means that you can move very little away from the place where you rent the boat and therefore offers little autonomy.
This possibility may disappear, since at the date of publication of this article (February 2023) a regulatory amendment is planned that will no longer allow any type of motorboat to be operated without a license.
The reason for this modification? Because the fact that no nautical training is required, has caused that the accidents at sea in the last years have increased a lot.
So our recommendation is that although there is still the possibility of renting without any type of license, to enjoy the sea with responsibility we consider that it is better to get a license, even if it is the simplest, and thus have minimal nautical knowledge and be able to enjoy with greater assurance.
License or titles that you can obtain directly starting from scratch
The Navigation LicenseThis is the most basic option, in which you do not have to take any theoretical exams, only a 4-hour training course in which basic notions will be explained to you so that you can steer a boat with a minimum guarantee of safety. With the navigation license you will be able to govern boats of less than 6 meters and you will not be able to distance yourself from the port more than 2 miles.
If you are starting from scratch and don't mind taking a theoretical exam, you have two options. It depends on the autonomy you wish to obtain:
The Basic Navigation Skipper (PNB)The PNB is a certificate that allows the navigation of boats up to 8 meters in length and at a maximum distance of 5 miles from an accessible shelter or beach, including night navigation. To obtain the title of PNB in addition to the theoretical exam, you have to perform:
- 8-hour motor practice
- Radio communications training course of 4 hours (2 hours of simulator and two hours of theory).
- Optionally, you can take a 16-hour sailing course, so that in addition to being able to steer motorboats up to 8 meters, you will also be able to steer sailboats.
The Recreational Boats Skipper (PER) is the most recommended title due to its attributions, since it allows coastal navigation up to 12 miles (parallel to the coast) and the length increases up to 15 meters. It also allows inter-island navigation in both the Balearic and Canary archipelago.
To obtain the PER you will have to take a theoretical exam that is not much more complicated than the PNB, so most nautical academies recommend to take the PER directly and have more attributes. The practices to make to obtain the PER are:
- 16 hours of motor training (navigation and safety)
- 12-hour short-range radio operator course (8 hours in simulator and 4 hours of theory).
- Optionally, you can take a 16-hour sailing course, so that in addition to being able to steer motorboats up to 15 meters, you will also be able to steer sailboats.
Also optionally, if what you want is to be able to go from the peninsular coast to the Balearic Islands, an option is to obtain the extended PER, making some simple additional practices of 24 hours. This extended PER also allows you to extend the length from 15 to 24 meters.
Titles once you have obtained the PER
If you already have the PER Title and your nautical interests are greater, you can obtain more attributions and thus be able to make more distant voyages. The next step is the Yacht Skipper.
With this certificate you can sail 150 miles parallel to the coast. To obtain the title, in addition to the theoretical exam, you have to do a 48-hour internship, of which 8 hours must be at night. If you have not done optional sailing practices in the PER, now you have the option to do them in order to be able to steer sailboats as well as motorboats. If you have already done the optional sailing practices in the PER, they are also useful for the Yacht Skipper.
And if this is not enough for you, the highest recreational craft title that can be obtained is that of Yacht Captain. With this option the limit in miles ..... is the world. You can sail wherever you want. So if you are looking for adventure and to set unlimited course to your dreams, the steps to follow are PER, Yacht Skipper and culminate with Yacht Captain. To obtain the title of Yacht Captain, in addition to the theoretical exam, you have to do a 48 hours navigation and motor safety practice in a crossing, of which 8 hours must be in night navigation.
If you have not done the optional sailing practices in the PER or in the Yacht Skipper, now you have the option to do them in order to be able to steer sailboats as well as motorboats. If in the PER or in the Yacht Skipper you have already done the optional sailing practices, they are also useful for the Yacht Captain.
All these titles that we have explained to you, are recreational nautical titles.
If what you want is to dedicate yourself professionally to the nautical sector, we also summarize the professional titles you can access to
Professional titles of recreational boats
To dedicate yourself professionally to recreational boating you have two options.
You can add to your Yacht Skipper and Yacht Captain qualifications a Basic Safety Training course and obtain the professional training in Merchant Marine. This will allow you to professionally make trips or outings for up to 6 passengers without separating more than 5 miles from the home port.
To be able to carry up to 12 people, the best option is to access the PPER professional certification, for which, once you have the PER, Yacht Skipper and Yacht Captain titles, you must take a PPER theoretical exam and perform some certifications through courses of:
Basic security training.
General or restricted S.S.M.M.S.M. operator.
Basic health training.
Conclusion
In order to enjoy the sea, the more nautical training you have, the more self-confidence you will have and the more fun and exciting your outings or voyages will be:
You have a great variety of options according to your tastes and concerns, here you have a summary of the Nautical Titles in Spain and options of navigation.
Without license, boats up to 5 meters and 15 hp.
Navigation License, up to 6 meters and 2 miles from an accessible shelter or beach.
Basic Navigation Skipper (PNB), up to 8 meters and 5 miles offshore from an accessible shelter or beach.
Recreational Boats Skipper (PER), up to 15 meters and 12 miles parallel to the coast.
PER extension, enables you to sail from the coast of the mainland to the Balearic Islands up to 24 meters of boat.
Yacht Skipper up to 24 meters and 150 miles parallel to the coast.
Yacht Captain up to 24 meters and no mileage limit.
PPER professional qualification.
For the preparation of the theoretical exams, you have many options of online courses and also academies with face-to-face classes. Depending on your tastes and your budget, one option or the other may suit you better.
For the realization of internships ask us and we will send you personalized options according to your area.
Get trained and get sailing!
