Hi greav89,

if all you want a qual for is to charter a bareboat, a Competent Crew is all you'll need. The few bareboat operators Imhave used didnt even require that. They just took you out for half an hour to assess your skills.

As for a Yacht Masters certificate, I would start at the day skipper and work up (I've been looking at doing the same and this is the decision I have come up with). Not being a novice either I have not sailed in nearly 10 years (power boats in that time), so I would use it as a refresher.

the third option is what someone else said on another post recently. Just go to a club on a weekend and ask to crew for races. Or buy a boat and just do it....

If you buy a Top Hat, you cannot go wrong.

She will look after you and they are [wrongly I might add] cheap at the moment.

I've been through the RYA day and coastal skipper courses. When finishing my day skipper I was given the ICC paperwork to apply which I've been told is required for most European bare boat charters.

I enjoyed both courses with the emphasis on navigation and berthing maneuvers. Gave me the confidence from basic sailing skills to skippering. I would imagine it could make for a more enjoyable less stressful holiday

I think competent crew is more for people who haven't set foot on a sailing vessel what so ever.