nl
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deIn the Netherlands
To give you the short answer straight away: no, you do not always need a navigation licence to sail in the Netherlands. In fact, none of our boats require a navigation licence.
Depending on the type of boat
Whether or not a navigation licence is required, firstly depends on the type of boat you will be sailing. A (small) navigation licence is required for boats that can sail faster than 20 kilometres (~ 12 miles) per hour (a jet ski, for example) and/or boats that are longer than 15 metres (~ 50 feet).
All our boats sail less than 20 kilometers per hour and are smaller than 15 meters. Beginner? Our Doerak is around 8,5 meters (28 feet) and sails calmly: about 6 to 10 kilometers per hour (4 to 6 miles). Even with our other boats, going faster is not necessary: on most waters, you can not go faster than 6,9 or 12 kilometers (4,6 or 7,5 miles) per hour.
Depending on the waters you sail on
We do ask for a navigation licence and sufficient demonstrable experience if you want to sail particular waters. These large waters have their own unique character and therefore require quite some sailing experience. Examples of these are the Wadden Sea, Oosterschelde and IJsselmeer.
To prevent you from (accidentally) sailing on a water where a licence if permitted (when you don’t have one) we always give you instructions upon check-in and route advice before you start sailing. This instruction is based on your personal sailing experience.
In Germany
In Germany we rent boats in Brandenburg a.d. Havel. This sailing area offers many options to sail without a boating license. Underneath you will find ut more about renting a boat without a boating license in Germany.
Rent a boat in Germany without a boating license
What you do need for renting a boat in the boating area Brandenburg-Berlin, is a so-called Charterschein: a temporary license for water sports enthusiasts without a navigation license. You can get a Charterschein after completing a short practical and theoretical training with us, prior to your rental period.
Brandenburg a.d. Havel
The Chaterschein allows you to sail our motorboats along the river from Brandenburg to Havelberg; we have worked out this sailing route for you here.
Did you rent a Campi 300 houseboat with a 9,9 hp outboard engine in Brandenburg? Then in addition to the river from Brandenburg to Havelberg, you may also sail to Potsdam and even Berlin without a license. We have worked out the complete route for you here. Before departure, you will receive detailed information from us, so you can set off in confidence. You can find more information on the Charterschein for our Campi 300 Houseboat here.
Skipper training: well prepared on the water
Do you not have a license and do you want to – before renting a boot – gain some more experience? Take a look at our skipper training. You can follow a skipper training before departure in Woudsend, Drachten and Brandenburg.
A skipper training is an experience-based course of at least one hour. You attend this training prior to your rental period on the rented boat. During this training, you will learn how to sail, special maneuvers and traffic rules. You can find more information about the skipper training here.