What should be paid attention to when driving and sailing a yacht?

For most people, driving a yacht is a pleasure. Modern yacht control systems are advanced and agile, so international restrictions on yacht driving qualifications are relatively relaxed. Driving a yacht is actually very simple, even easier than driving a car. However, because driving a yacht requires basic nautical knowledge and electromechanical common sense, and the safety of the driver and other vessels needs to be considered, the law still stipulates that a powerboat driving license must be obtained before driving a yacht. This legal provision is made to ensure basic safety protection for marine navigation.
The skill of driving a yacht is not simply the technique of driving a vessel, but also requires understanding of the situation on the water, possessing basic knowledge of nautical chart reading, ship stability, shipbuilding technology and machinery, as well as theoretical knowledge of astronomy, geography, and oceanography. For a qualified yacht captain, their boat driving skills only account for 10% of their driving ability. The remaining 90% is nautical comprehensive knowledge and experience beyond driving skills.

Water navigation is different from land road driving. The conditions of car driving roads are relatively clear, but the waterways for yacht navigation are much more complex. Sometimes, although the waterway is wide, there may be problems such as reefs and shoals on the underwater riverbed or seabed, which are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Land roads have road signs and markings, and intersections have traffic lights for guidance. Car drivers can clearly see the road conditions with their naked eyes. Water traffic has no road signs, no markings, no indication of depth, and no traffic lights. Boat drivers often cannot rely on their eyes to judge the way ahead and must use compasses, depth sounders, satellite positioning systems, radar, and autopilot systems and other electronic instruments for navigation. Often, a single oversight or a minor mistake can lead to a maritime accident.

The technical operation of yacht driving is simple and easy, but the ability to navigate is much more complex. As the saying goes, the real skill lies in the details!

Let's talk about the issue of driving and licenses. The pure driving technique of a yacht is very simple and easy to learn. Of course, this refers to small and medium-sized yachts; driving large yachts requires more effort. In Western countries, yacht driving is generally divided into two levels: primary and advanced. Captains and engineers are also divided into two levels.

Training and license acquisition are generally operated by government-designated private commercial institutions. As long as you are over sixteen years old and pass a physical examination, these driving training institutions can help you obtain a powerboat driving license. However, unless you have previous boating experience, most people, even after obtaining a license, are still unable to go to sea independently. Therefore, I suggest that those who are preparing to obtain a yacht driving qualification should participate in various practical courses provided by experienced captains before enjoying the unrestrained thrill of speed. Generally, the yacht agency chosen by the boat owner also has the obligation to provide such services.

Some maritime bureaus in China provide training for captains and engineers themselves, and local maritime bureaus also have designated maritime agencies to act as training agents. To obtain a yacht license, it is best to participate in training provided by professional maritime boat commercial institutions.

Water traffic is different from land traffic. The training programs are numerous and complex, and the examination requirements are strict. Hainan, Guangzhou, Dalian, Shanghai, and Zhejiang provinces and cities in mainland China have already introduced independent relevant yacht maritime regulations. These regulations have taken the first step towards yacht maritime affairs, and will certainly be upgraded to the fields of sea areas and maritime rights in the future.

Taking Shanghai as an example, the Shanghai Maritime Bureau has formulated and promulgated the "Regulations on the Training, Examination, and Certification Management of Yacht Drivers," stipulating that the yacht driver's license examination is divided into theoretical and practical parts (referred to as written and practical examinations). Individuals must receive specialized training before participating in the examination of the maritime department. The training time is at least half a month, and it takes another two months to actually obtain a private yacht license. Moreover, due to the different waterway conditions in various places, the yacht licenses currently issued are often limited to local use. The realization of license mutual recognition and nationwide use will still take some time.

In addition to the problem of the standardization of driver's license training and assessment, yacht buyers also face a series of difficulties such as waterway opening, port construction, standardized inspection, and water rescue. It will still take time for private yachts to sail freely, which involves the issue of yacht sailing areas.

From a natural geographical perspective:

As long as the water area is wide enough, recreational yacht activities are suitable for rivers, lakes, reservoirs, coastal areas, or near-shore areas. Except for some military waters, protected reservoirs and water sources, nuclear power plants, and oil terminals, other waters can fully enjoy the fun brought by yacht activities.

In addition to being affected by natural geographical and political geographical environmental factors, the activity area of a yacht is also affected by the yacht's own internal factors. Generally speaking, the larger the yacht, the larger the activity area.

The activity area of a small speedboat is within a radius of about 10 nautical miles from the shore.

The activity area of a luxury yacht is generally within 8 hours from the shore.

The activity area of a super luxury yacht is within three days and nights from the shore.

The activity area of a sailboat is in the ocean area with a unit of hundreds of nautical miles.

In Western countries where marine sports are popularized, the distribution of coastal supply stations (fuel, water, electricity, and food) is reasonable, and there are many yacht bays and yacht harbors for mooring boats, as well as a complete and powerful coastal ship patrol agency and air service agency. These factors greatly extend the cruising ability and activity radius of yachts.

Yachts in Hong Kong and Macau can only "sail" the world, not the coast of mainland China.

At present, due to the long-term unresolved issue of the Taiwan Strait, the sailing areas of private yachts along the coast of China are still restricted to temporarily divided local waters. For sailing beyond the local waters, boat owners need to go through complicated and time-consuming reporting procedures.