Jet Ski License

Most large yachts carry personal watercraft (jet skis and wave runners) and several captains and managers are very concerned about their safety and legal consequences of an accident. All the Mediterranean maritime administrations to require operators to have a certificate. Curiously, the United Kingdom this is not legally required (although laws now often insist on certification of the driver and the insurance companies will no longer provide unskilled riders). This has led some officials and crew members assume they are not need to worry about the personal watercraft operator training since many yachts wearing a British flag. By warning against such a view, I would draw your attention to two issues.

1. National requirements for licenses

It is not at all clear that a jet ski can be considered an "invitation to tender to a large British yacht and therefore exempt from the need for qualifications. A tender is a boat that operates between the mother ship and shore personnel to take and store, not a pleasure boat. It is not even clear in the legislation of the United Kingdom for the moment if a jet-ski can even be considered a "boat" in terms of maritime law. In our opinion, if the laws of a coastal state requires drivers to have a PWC license, then a yacht in violation of these laws if they allow unqualified persons (Charter of the crew or guests) to hunt them. We believe that this also applies to normal vessels, such as ribs and Wave Runners, when used for recreational purposes.

2. Duty of care

The European Directive on "due diligence" has been adopted in the laws of all EU Member States. It follows a very strict obligation on managers of all agencies to ensure that all work is done in the safest possible. Accidents, injuries and deaths caused by a failure of that duty of care can have very serious consequences in civil and criminal. The United Kingdom may not require licenses to operate small boats, the official Governing Body for sailing in the United Kingdom, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has established clear and rigorous standards for the operation of pleasure boats and personal watercraft in particular. The RYA has even bothered to create operating rules specifically for the use of personal watercraft to large yachts. To ignore these yachts clearly expressed and targeted advice would certainly be considered irresponsible by a court of law after an accident.

THE SOLUTION.

At Blue Water several of our instructors have been certified as "trainers" by the RYA. This is the highest rank of professor speedboat allows us not only to train the crew boat engine and advanced licenses and PWC, but also to train other instructors. This means you can have your own instructor on board your yacht. They will be able to certify legally invited Charter to operate personal watercraft. The yacht will be inspected to ensure it meets all safety standards in a school RYA but it can be done easily with the inspectors on site-based. Jet Ski instructor courses are held regularly and can be carried on board the yacht or in our classrooms in Antibes, Palma and Fort Lauderdale.