Discover the essential steps for conducting a successful yacht sea trials with our comprehensive guide. Learn about trial sails for new and used boats, choosing a base, and understanding the necessary paperwork, including ship’s papers, personal documents, and European inland waterways regulations.
Perfect for yacht buyers and owners preparing for a sea trial.
The Trial Sail
Once you have drawn up a shortlist of yachts, book a trial sail on each and take detailed notes of what you like and dislike about each yacht.
New boats
Taking pictures of salient features will also act as an aide-memoire.
Under power
Try her under power. How does she steer when going astern? Modern designs are expected to steer just as precisely going astern as they do in forward gear. Once in open water, see how manoeuvrable she is going forward. Will she turn in her own length? Do this clockwise and anticlockwise: she is likely to turn tighter one way or the other depending on the Boat Propellers – Types and Technical Characteristicsaction of the propeller.
Boats with twin rudders, and those fitted with a saildrive well forward of the rudder, tend to be slower to respond until either the wash from the prop, or water flow across the blades, gives the rudders something to “bite” on.
Under sail
Try her under mainsail first to see how well she will tack, what speed she can attain on a reach and how much weather helm she exerts. This will give you a good idea, not just on performance, but how much work the headsail does in balancing the boat.
Then set the headsail and test how close-winded she is on both tacks. If possible, do this in slack water and take bearings on each tack. If she sails higher on one tack than the other, either rig tension or sheeting angle is not the same on each side, or the keel geometry is out of kilter.
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You can check the rig by siting up the mast and seeing if the section bends over more on one side than the other, and seeing if the jib fairlead positions are equidistant.
Below decks
These are the questions to ask yourself:
- Do you like the layout?
- Are the berths comfortable?
- Is the galley workable?
- How practical is the nav station? Is it equipped with repeating sailing instruments?
- Are there plenty of handholds throughout the boat?
- Is there plenty of storage space?
- How easy is it to access the engine compartment? Are the engine belts and fuel, oil and water filters all within easy reach?
Taking delivery
Commissioning a new yacht requires a detailed inspection of the boat, rig, engineering and electronics to ensure that everything is just as you ordered – and working satisfactorily.
If you lack experience, then call in a knowledgeable friend or surveyor to go through the boat with you. It could save you a lot of hassle and lost sailing time later while warrently work is completed.
Sea trial
A trial sail is imperative to check that everything works satisfactorily, to check the inventory against your order and ensure that you get a full tour of the yacht. This should take in everything from sails to seacocks. Only when everything on your order sheet is ticked off should you hand over the final payment and sign the acceptance papers.
The builder or agent will then present you with a builder’s certificate, VAT receipt, an RCD compliance certificate, registration and warranty documents, and all the operating and service manuals for the yacht and its equipment.
Used boats
Testing a Buying a Used Boat: What to Look for, Tips for the Buyerused yacht is very similar to trialing a new vessel except that you are also looking for potential problems and wear and tear. Start by checking the engine exhaust. A lot of black smoke emitted at start up is a sure sign that fuel is not being burnt and indicate at best that, the engine needs a service, or worst, blocked injectors or worn piston rings.
And while you are looking, is there a good flow of cooling water coming out, or is it down to a trickle? The latter indicates a blockage, worn water pump or impeller.
Go through the survey engineering check list on page 96***.
Under sail
Check for chafe on halyards, batten pockets and leech of headsails, especially where they may rub against the spreaders and running backstays.
How well do the sails set? The tell-tale sign of badly stretched sail is a loose leech or baggy luff.
Go through the rig checklist on page 92***.
Inside
This is where wear and tear really shows. What are the state of the cushions and companionway floors? If the interior has a “tired” look about it, factor in the cost of having new cushions and headliners, and giving paint and varnish work a facelift.
Go through the inside and general checklists on page 100***.
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Consider any survey report that the owner might offer on face value, because it is all too easy to remove any adverse comments. Insurance surveys are no better because these serve only to provide a valuation rather than a condition report on the boat.
Making an offer
Always condition your offer with the term “subject to survey”. Then, if problems are uncovered during closer inspection, the cost of repairs can be offset against the price you pay.
If the yacht is out of the water when you make an offer, make it conditional that you pay the final 10 % balance after she has been launched and the engine has been run and tested satisfactorily.
Where to base her?
What are the options?
If you live near the water, this question is academic, but if you are based more than an hour away, then you are likely to have a choice of harbours in which to base the yacht. Spend a weekend or two scouting round by car to find a base that suits you.
Things to consider:
- Are there places within easy cruising distance to sail to? It can become tedious sailing out to sea each time, and then having nowhere to head for other than one or two ports either side of your home port.
- What are the local facilities: fuel, lift-out, servicing, sailmaker?
- What does the local yacht club offer: club racing, organised cruises, mooring facilities, social activities?
- Is the harbour within easy travelling distance from home? Is the route troubled by long queues during the season?
Trailer/sailer
If you have space in the front garden, the cheapest option is to How to Load Boat on Trailer and How to Unload It?keep the boat on its trailer at home. It is also often the most convenient, because if you have a spare hour or two you can easily tackle small maintenance jobs, or make some progress on a larger project.
The less time you spend getting to the water and setting up the boat, the more you will use her. Some marinas operate dry storage in a secure area, and will even launch the boat prior to your arrival, but think about the maintenance. If the boat is stored a long way from home, it simply won’t get done, or only during good sailing time.
Launching/recovery
The big advantage of a trailer/sailer is that it gives you the opportunity to trail the boat to explore different cruising grounds and take her with you on family holidays both at home and abroad. But is she easy to launch and recover?
The first task is to locate a good slipway that you can launch and recover from at any state of the tide. The second is to have a good trailer preferably with a swinging cradle at the back end, which takes up the natural line of travel when the boat is launched and recovered.
Read also: Technical Recommendations for Inspecting Your Boat
These are a quantum leap forward from early spine trailers and are designed so that the trailer wheel hubs and brakes need never be immersed in water. They not only simplify the whole process, but cut down on the maintenance and inevitable corrosion that leads to brake and hub failures.
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The swing cradle reduces single-handed recovery to a simple routine. The trailer wheels need be immersed no deeper than the tyre rims, and with the boat’s centre point close to the pivot point of the cradle, this rocks backwards, its rollers acting as a guide for the boat to slide off.
During recovery, the same rollers receive the bow and centre the boat, and as you winch in, the cradle tilts and these rollers than take up the line of the bilge as the keel is brought in line with the rollers set along the forward spine of the trailer. There is no risk of the boat moving off line and grazing the finish on the rollers. The wheel bearings are kept dry and the trauma of recovery becomes a thing of the past.
Pile mooring
Pile moorings have been introduced in crowded anchorages to maximise the number of boats that can be accommodated in a small area. They are more secure than swinging from a buoy because the boats are attached fore and aft to the piles. They are invariably more expensive than a swinging mooring.
Some harbours operate a water taxi, which can simplify getting to and from the yacht, but does it operate during weekdays and out of season? There is nothing more boring for friends and family than standing around for an hour or so waiting idly for one person to put the yacht back on its mooring and row ashore – especially after a long day of sailing.
Marina berth
A marina berth can be 2-3 times the cost of a swinging mooring, but does allow 24 hour access, free parking, electricity and water, together with a greater degree of security. There are invariably a restaurant, toilets and showers nearby and it it much easier to entertain guests onboard. If time is limited, then the extra cost may well be worth considering.
Things to consider:
- What are the tidal restrictions to getting in and out of the basin?
- Is the water polluted?
- Is there plenty of parking space?
- How noisy are the neighbours?
Swinging mooring
The swinging mooring is the cheapest option for keeping your yacht afloat.
Things to consider:
- How long will it take you to launch the dinghy and get out to your yacht?
- Does the mooring dry out?
- If so, is your yacht designed to take to the ground?
- Is the area sheltered from the prevailing winds?
- Is the ground tackle strong enough to anchor the weight of your yacht?
Low tide in the Thames estuary reveals the ability bilge keeled yachts have to stand upright on quite rough ground. If you are planning to keep your yacht on a drying mooring, do check the surrounding ground for large stones and debris. The anchor ground tackle also needs to be looked at once a year to check for corrosion with a view to replacing the chain.
Paperwork
What paperwork do I need to carry? Ship’s papers
These must all be Comprehensive Boat Sale Agreement: Essential Clauses, Documents, and Samplesoriginal documents (photocopies are not acceptable), and comprise:
Registration document. This is compulsory if you intend to take a non-commercial pleasure craft outside UK territorial waters. This applies both to boats that are sailed or driven to a foreign port, or trailered on the road by train or ferry.
Proof of ownership. A bill of sale is required for vessels registered on the UK Small Ships Register (SSR) because this register only indicates the vessel’s nationality, and not ownership of the vessel. If the owner is not onboard, the skipper is required to carry a letter authorising use of the vessel to prove that the loan is not an illegal charter arrangement.
Proof of VAT status. Residents of the EU can only use vessels within Community waters if VAT has been paid or “deemed” to have been paid. Proof of the VAT status of a vessel is not part of the ship’s papers, so it is required in order to prove that the boat is entitled to free movement throughout the EU. If documentary evidence is not readily available in the form of a receipted invoice or similar, customs officials have the power to impound your boat, so be warned.
Recreational Craft Compliant. If your vessel was built or imported into the EU, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland after 16th June 1998, you are required to carry proof that your boat is Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) Compliant. This requirement is satisfied by the builder’s CE mark, shown on the manufacturer’s plate, which certifies that a product has met EU consumer safety, health and environmental requirements.
Ship Radio Licence. Under the International Radio Regulations, vessels with any kind of radio transmitter, even a hand-held VHF, must have a licence. Ofcom issues the licence in the UK, and applications can be made online. The licence details the equipment onboard, and covers:
Ship Radio Licence should include:
- Fixed or portable VHF or VHF/DSC radio.
- MF/HF radio equipment.
- AIS transponder.
- Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).
- Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).
- Radar.
- Satellite communications.
- Search and Rescue Transponder (SART).
- Ship Earth Station (SES) equipment.
Check if your set has an Active Radar Target Enhancer or is ATIS capable, since these are not available to select on the list of licensable equipment and you need to request a variation to your Ship Radio Licence. The licence has to be updated whenever changes are made to the equipment onboard.
Call signs and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) numbers are allocated when the first application is made. This call sign remains valid for the lifetime of the vessel regardless of changes in ownership or name, unless the boat is sold outside the UK.
MMSI numbers are only issued when Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and/or Ship Earth Station (SES) equipment is fitted.
Remember that EPIRBs must be registered both on the Ship Radio Licence and with the MCA EPIRB Registry to ensure that all Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCC) have the necessary information should your EPIRB be activated.
European inland waterways
Under the Regional Arrangement Concerning the Radiotelephone Service on Inland Waterways (RAINWAT), all vessels navigating the inland waterways of central Europe must be equipped with a VHF radio with an active ATIS transmission facility. An ATIS number is issued by Ofcom as a Notice of Variation to the Ship Radio Licence.
For the moment, Ofcom does this manually, and applicants must allow up to a month for details of the vessel to be activated by the European regulator, the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT).
Hand-held radio
The Ship Portable Radio Licence is only valid in UK waters. Licences voyaging within RAINWAT countries must apply for a full Ship Radio Licence. If your vessel does not have an MMSI number, then you can obtain one by e-mailing to licensing centre.
Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF radio transmitters are not yet mandatory aboard small pleasure craft in UK waters, but new small craft VHF sets are now Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) compatible, though with some, the DSC element has to be purchased separately.
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DSC is a tone signalling system similar to the tone dialling on your phone, operating on VHF Channel 70. It has the ability to include other information such as the vessel’s identification number, the purpose of the call, your position, the channel you want to speak on – and when necessary, the nature of distress.
The distress message is repeated automatically every 4 minutes until acknowledged either by a Coastguard station or ship within radio range.
The minimum standard for small craft DSC-equipped radios for fixed use in Europe is EN 301 025. Check that the equipment is marked in accordance with the EU Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE).
Radio Operator’s Certificate
A VHF radio may be used by anyone in emergency situations, but can only be used for general transmissions by a licensed operator or person under the direct supervision of someone with a Maritime Radio Operator’s Certificate.
The Short Range Certificate (SRC) covering the use of VHF/DSC equipment is the common operator’s certificate for cruising vessels. You must attend a day-long course at a sailing school or club to gain the certificate.
A Long Range Certificate (LRC) is required for MF, HF and satellite communications equipment. The LRC is administered by the Association of Marine Electronic and Radio Colleges (AMERC). Courses range from 3-4 days and include an examination, which you must pass to gain the certificate.
Marine insurance
Your home insurance policy may include coverage for low value boats, but the coverage is often very limited. Typically, a home insurance policy will pay up to £1 000 if something happens to your boat while it is at your house and may even offer some liability coverage while you are using the boat, but the coverage is likely to be less than ideal.
Marine insurance premiums can vary widely, but on the basis that you pay for what you get, the cheaper policies carry a greater number of exclusions and “extras”. If you have any doubts, use an independent insurance broker to source the best cover. Yachts older than 15 years are usually insured on an “agreed value” basis and, in the event of a total loss, will pay out the full amount.
Uninsured cover will cover you in the event of damage caused by another vessel that is uninsured. Another value clause to look for is legal fees in the event of a dispute. When my yacht sank during its relaunch following a winter refit, while in the hands of the marina operator, the legal team associated with my insurance company secured an £18 000 settlement. The extra cost on the policy was just £11 – money well spent!
If you suffer a partial loss, damaged items are usually replaced on a new-for-old basis. Marine insurance should also cover hurricane and tornado damage, though the policy may stipulate layup during those periods. Liability coverage protects you against 3rd party claims for damage and injury to someone other than you or a family member. In a world where no-win-no-fee lawsuits are now common, it pays to have this coverage.
Geographical issues
If you are cruising extensively check that your policy covers the areas you want to sail to. Yachts based in the UK for instance, often have a latitude restriction limiting you to a cruising area south of the River Elbe and north of La Rochelle. In the Caribbean, insurance companies insist that vessels are laid up or moored in secure achorages during the hurricane season – June 1 to November 30. Pirates operate in many parts of the world and you may have difficulty securing insurance in these waters. Consider crew medical and liability insurance. It may be cheaper to include this in the boat insurance plan.
Personal Papers
Passport. Each crew member must carry a passport. The crew may also require visas if you intend to cruise outside EU waters. Check well ahead of time because visas can take several days to get. If you have a non-EU citizen onboard, they will need to clear through immigration each time you cross from one country to another, even if the vessel is not required to clear customs.
International Certificate of Competence (ICC)
Whilst it is not (yet) a requirement for UK skippers of pleasure craft below 24 m (78,74 ft) or 80 tonnes to have a certificate of competence or licence, this is not the same in all EU countries. The requirements vary from country to country so you need to check out what is required in advance You can do this through the country’s National Sailing Authority or embassy.
If you do not hold a Yachtmaster certificate and are chartering a vessel or cruising in Northern Europe, a letter from a Flag Officer or Club Secretary outlining your experience and competence may suffice. However, skippers of UK flagged vessels are required to hold an ICC when cruising the inland waterways of Europe and inland and coastal waters of Mediterranean countries Certainly, anyone planning to charter abroad should ask the charter company for details of the certification they require to meet local laws and insurance requirements.
The ICC is NOT a qualification. It is simply documentary assurance from one government to another that the holder meets locally accepted levels of competence. It allows UK citizens and residents to navigate pleasure craft in the waters of participating states without the need to comply with national transport laws, in particular, compulsory certification requirements.
European Inland Waterways. In addition to holding an ICC, you must also learn the Code Européen des Voies de la Navigation Intérieure (CEVNI) which governs navigation on the interconnected European inland waterways. You will need to pass a short multiple-choice exam at a recognised sailing school.
How do I apply for an ICC or CEVNI? The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the UK issuing authority for the ICC and CEVN endorsement. To prove your competence to gain an ICC you must have attained an RYA practica training certificate in either the Radio Operation or First Aid categories. Remember that the ICC is valid only for the type of vessel and level that you passed your competence test on. The minimum age is 16.
e-Borders – what new EU legislation could mean to you
The aim of new e-Borders legislation is to collect and analyse information about everyone intending to travel to or from the United Kingdom before they leave in order to provide the Security Services with a comprehensive record of everyone crossing UK borders.
The legislation, requiring all cruising folk to file the equivalent of a “flight plan” listing crew details and intended destination, every time you set out from your marina berth or mooring, was due to come into force at the end of 2010. However, a government report questioned the legality of the e-Borders programme as it would cut across the overriding principle of EU residents having the right to travel freely within the entire EU. So the current leaky border controls will continue until someone comes up with a brighter plan.
| Course certificate requirement | ICC may be issued for | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sail up to 24 m | Inland Waters CEVNI test required | Coastal waters | ||
| 1 | Day Skipper Practical Course Completion Certificate (Sail) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Practical Course Completion Certificate (Sail) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3 | RN, Army or RAF Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
However, you still need to have all your vessel and crew paperwork in order, even though the sole interest for 9 out of 10 harbour officials remains focused on how you are going to pay for the berthing facilities.
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- Street, Donald M., Jr. The Ocean Sailing Yacht, Vols. I and II. New York: W. W. Norton, 1973, 1978.
