I have been thinking about getting a Yachting Permit as I want to rent a boat and know what I am doing so I was going to do the RYA Yachtmaster Course but apparently should I want to rent a French boat I need an ICC as well as the RYA YC so I was wondering what course I should take in French unless I am mistaken in the rules.

Also out of curiosity, what permit would I need for a Jet Ski if any?

Cheers

Don't know about anything special for the jet ski but if you have the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) issued by the RYA, that's all the French will need.

If you take the RYA course you can get the ICC as part of that - not sure if there is an extra fee but it wouldn't be very much. I did the powered boat one.

So I should go with the Yachtmaster course then get the ICC?

What about the Hauturière? I have just been looking it over and it looks good (plus it is hell of a lot cheaper) but I am unsure of whether it is as good as the RYA courses?

Cheers guys

I'm not sure which grade of RYA course is necessary to get the ICC. I only had the Day Skipper level when I sailed away and a lot may have changed since then. If you can cope with the French language well enough to take their exam then that may get you the necessary documents cheaper and quicker. Good luck.

For a jet ski you need the permis cotier. Around here the Cotier/Fluvial costs about 400 - 600euros, but it depends on the school you go to. Its easy - a multiple choice exam top take and then you have a couple of hours training doing a figure eight... You can do it in a couple of days. The Cotier allows you to navigate a boat >6cv and you can go up to 6miles from a nautical base. There is often confusion as most people think its 6 miles from land, but its '6 miles d'un abris'.

With the hauturier you can go where ever you like, but its a more intensive exam, which wil require map reading and VHF skills - but you're right, its not that expensive, and if you have the time its well worth doing if you're interested in 'proper' sailing.

Talking of boats, and messing about on the river, the following appealed to my dark sense of humour.

Looks like DelBoy's uncle Arthur has been reincarnated and is still sailing the high seas.......HERE