English boating course

[Naugahyde 0]

Hey all, I am looking to get a Sportbootführerschein (SBF) Binnen license, but my German is not good enough to sit through a course. Anyone know of a center in the Frankfurt/Wiesbaden/Mainz area that offers lessons in English?

 

TIA!

[engelchen 12,592]

Do you already know how to sail and just need a German license?  Or are you also looking for sailing lessons?

[yesterday 1,252]

I looked at getting the same license 2 years ago, I just googled  Sportbootführerschein (SBF) Binnen license  and Munich.

Got the results and phone several people up who offer the schein. Some offered .to do the course in English.

 

I decided not to do it in the end, because while yes you have a licence, I was told it would be virtually impossible to rent a boat in Grecce for a week, because the license is very easy to get and does not cover much, which means boat owners would be reluctant to rent a boat to me, also insurance companies would not want to insure me, with such a limited schein.

 

I am from the UK, the UK  does a comprehensive schein, from organizations like RTA ( royal yacht association ), - they organize courses covering all the needed aspects  - and hence I would be able to rent a boat in Malta, Greece etc - you can book these courses in places like Greece - which means you get the training and have a  holiday at the same time.  But it costs a lot more

[engelchen 12,592]

 

 

42 minutes ago, yesterday said:

I decided not to do it in the end, because while yes you have a licence, I was told it would be virtually impossible to rent a boat in Grecce for a week, because the license is very easy to get and does not cover much, which means boat owners would be reluctant to rent a boat to me, also insurance companies would not want to insure me, with such a limited schein.

 

I am from the UK, the UK  does a comprehensive schein,

 

This is Germany, there is a Schein for everything.  SBF Binnen is not the only one, there is also SBF See, SKS, SSS, SHS, etc.

 

It depends on where the OP wants to sail.

 

 

[fraufruit 35,713]

50 minutes ago, yesterday said:

you get the training and have a  holiday at the same time

 

I don't know about motorboat courses but sailing courses are not holidays. There are a couple of Segelschule boats on our pier in Slovenia. They head out early in the morning and train the full day. But, if you consider living in a boat with 5 or 6 strangers, doing your own cooking and cleaning, cleaning the boat, etc. for a week or more a holiday then that is OK. A tester comes on the last day and usually 1 or 2 people fail and don't get their license.

 

As I said, I'm not sure what it looks like for motorboat license and you can always extend your stay in a hotel and have a real holiday after the course.

 

Many moons ago when Himself made his sailing license, the skipper didn't allow any alcohol on board. 

[Acton 805]

1 hour ago, fraufruit said:

Many moons ago when Himself made his sailing license, the skipper didn't allow any alcohol on board

If you can make a licence. Fraufruit, you don't need to do a course. do you?

[yesterday 1,252]

3 hours ago, fraufruit said:

 

I don't know about motorboat courses but sailing courses are not holidays. There are a couple of Segelschule boats on our pier in Slovenia. They head out early in the morning and train the full day. But, if you consider living in a boat with 5 or 6 strangers, doing your own cooking and cleaning, cleaning the boat, etc. for a week or more a holiday then that is OK. A tester comes on the last day and usually 1 or 2 people fail and don't get their license.

 

As I said, I'm not sure what it looks like for motorboat license and you can always extend your stay in a hotel and have a real holiday after the course.

 

Many moons ago when Himself made his sailing license, the skipper didn't allow any alcohol on board. 

 

Check out 

https://aegeansailingschool.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpsaa87He6QIV1vhRCh3YMwGWEAAYASAAEgJ4y_D_BwE

 

I know its kinda strange, but a lot of people do it - even with your own cooking and cleaning, suppose a bit like going camping, except when you go with these people you can end up with a day-skipper licence at the end of it.

 

A lot of people also go on a Flotilla Sailing Holidays, where without a licence, you get your own boat ( or with others), you sail on a daily basis in big ( small ) groups of boats, so if a boat gets into trouble, someone can come over and help, then you dock and go for  a nice meal at a local Greek restaurant or cook by your self. Thus making a holiday where you can choose how much you want to spend on food, I guess you can even go to a hotel over night.

I did one a couple of years ago, they are great fun, and can lead to you wanting to get your own license, like me 

They do them in many counties

https://www.sailingholidays.com/flotillas

 

[AnswerToLife42 2,457]

The OP wrote " Sportbootführerschein (SBF) Binnen " meaning he wants to use a motor boat on German lakes and rivers.

The SBF Binnen and See are not valid on Lake Constance. It's international waters. Here you need the Bodenseepatent.

 

[HH_Sailor 2,368]

20 hours ago, Naugahyde said:

Hey all, I am looking to get a Sportbootführerschein (SBF) Binnen license, but my German is not good enough to sit through a course. Anyone know of a center in the Frankfurt/Mainz area that offers lessons in English?

 

TIA!

 

Well, here my 2c worth...

 

The test for SBF has to be in German and you'll need to learn the answers by heart. Some, occasionally don't make sense. But it's the German way to get the official permission to operate a power driven vessel. 

 

You'd learn a great deal more taking RYA courses. But these will never be allowed to convert to a German qualification.

 

The reason for this is the mandatory requirement for a license in Germany compared with the absence of such a requirement in the UK. Germany (the DSV) just won't convert the UK qualification.

 

So what do you want to do?

Drive a boat in Germany? 

For most lakes, rivers and canals you'll need an SBF for Binnen. Check for a particular waterway however as the Rhine has its own rules.

 

Hire a boat in the Med?

Then a course in the Med finishing up with a qualification would work.

 

Charter a boat in the German Baltic?

You'll need more than SBF . I'd say SKS (next level up)

 

Charter a boat in tidal waters (German or Holland) - also SKS. 

 

Foreign charter is more likely to accept RYA exams. 

 

My experience with both systems is that you have to get a long way into the German courses to learn anything practically useful. Tests have to be learnt by heart.

 

My best example: needed VHF licence updating in Germany (the test is in English!). Was almost failed as I said 'fire on upper deck' when the examiner expected 'fire in the superstructure'.

 

I had learnt by then to bite my tongue and not argue with such people...