These are the official qualifications for sailing in Spain

If you are thinking of living the experience of being able to drive the boat you rent the next time you sail, here we briefly explain what qualification you need to do so in Spain.

The basic difference is the maximum length or width of the boat and the maximum number of nautical miles that you can travel away from the coast. It must be taken into account that 1 nautical mile (nm) is equivalent to 1852 meters (m).

Taking this into account, we present below the 5 qualifications that currently exist in Spain and that are recognized by Spanish nautical laws to navigate on your own, ordered from most to least qualified:

- YACHT CAPTAIN -

- YACHT SKIPPER -

-MASTER RECREATIONAL BOATS -

- BASIC SAILING MASTER -

-SAILING LICENSE -

("TITULÍN")

To obtain any of these official qualifications you have to pass the theoretical exam and also do practical classes. In addition, you should know that, currently, theoretical classes can be attended online, remotely, and you can study freely from your own home.

The exam dates for all these qualifications, except for the Navigation License, known colloquially in Spain as "Titulín", depends on the Spanish Autonomous Communities.

To obtain more detailed information about the differences between them and which one best suits you, and also about the syllabus, prices and other topics related to each of these degrees, we recommend that you contact one of the Spanish nautical schools.

Finally, it is very important that you know that only the 2 professional sailing qualifications, the most qualified, which are the Yacht Captain and the Yacht Skipper, have legal recognition outside of Spain. Although, on the other hand, you could sail with the Master Recreational Boats qualification through another country out of Spain, specifically, up to 12mn of its coast at most, but you would need to meet certain requirements.

And, of course, you cannot forget, under any circumstances, to have adequate sailing insurance. The most important thing is not to forget that each country has regulations, with more or less restrictions, that must be respected.