How To Register Your Boat For World Sailing?

The Sailor Services (SaS) system is a self-service online tool offered by the Offshore Racing Congress for boat owners, skippers, and other interested parties. It provides information about sailors, international regattas, events, boat classes, member federations, and rankings across fleet racing. Owners who intend to charter in popular destinations like the Mediterranean can register their boats in countries like Poland, Holland, Cayman Islands, and British Virgin Islands (BVI).

The single most important decision a buyer must make before closing on a yacht is where the yacht will be registered. They should understand the benefits and drawbacks of each registry before making the decision. While sailing around the world, sailors need to carry various documents with them, including personal information and a sail number associated with a boat they own. At all USODA events, sailors are required to register using a sail number associated with a boat they own.

Mexico is the best place to gain citizenship while cruising on a sailboat due to its lenient regulations. If you use the boat in the USA, state registration is not required for USCG documented vessels, but paying the appropriate state use taxes is necessary. Before setting sail, you need boat registration papers, proof of ownership of the boat, or documents proving you have the boat’s ownership.

The only documents required are an ID card or passport and proof of ownership of your boat. The boat must be registered to show its nationality, which in most cases is the nationality of the owner, although it does not need to be as the owner’s nationality.

Can I sail my boat to another country?

Entering a country by boat in some ways is like entering by aircraft. You still require the appropriate visas and a passport and must go through an immigration process and perhaps bio-security. Unlike flying, however, the process of entering and leaving a port is not handled by the airline. The skipper herself must complete it.

The boat makes entry complicated. Customs is more complex than filling out some duty-free allowance forms because you arrive with a large and expensive asset — the boat! The boat requires its own set of paperwork.

In general, you need to enter at an official Port of Entry. Not every port is set up to clear a foreign boat. The harbor master handles the entry and exit, while the crew goes through immigration and the boat through a customs process.

Do you need a license to sail a boat around the world?

Technically speaking, for your own boat, you do not need a license to sail the world.

A couple of howevers are attached to the “technically speaking” phrase.

Port authorities worldwide are port authorities. They have lots of power because you can’t defend yourself. They can request that you prove competence to sail in their waters. Having a License will go towards that proof. Additionally, you’re more likely to have a port authority issue if there is an accident of some sort (perhaps even not your fault) and you can’t prove competence. On top of all that, you are not exempt anywhere from the laws of that country when in their country so if you are lacking in their government-required amount of fire extinguishers, for example, then without a license you are essentially proving that you don’t know what you’re doing (even if you do). Wisely speaking – you don’t want to get in trouble with a port authority.

In addition, more recently on Facebook groups, there is chatter about certain port authorities enforcing a license requirement on everyone. Some boat owners have been fined and asked to leave. We recommend that when traveling to various locations unfamiliar to you that you join a local sailing Facebook group. There you will get real-time live information.

Going through the proper procedure to gain a proper license like the NauticEd SLCor even the RYA Yacht Master program means you’re going to be properly prepared and documented as such. If you’re sailing across vast oceans you’re better off going up a Rank to the NauticEd Captain’s Rank which deals much more with offshore sailing. The old saying of “you don’t know what you don’t know” applies here.

How do I get a world sailing ID?

Sign up for a new Sailor profile / ID using your email address.Step 1: Click the Sailor Dashboard button on this page.Step 2: Click Sign Up.Step 3: Enter your email address and enter a new password.Your password must contain:

Get more involved. A World Sailing ID and profile is a gateway for a elite level competition, ranking, becoming an official and for Sailor Categorization.

A World Sailing profile brings Sailors and Officials into the heart of the World Sailing family.

The profile provides a range of online services to benefit the sport. It is aimed at all sailors, from professional athletes to local club sailors. Sailors must register during which they will be allocated a unique World Sailing ID.

What certifications do I need to sail around the world?

Do You Need a License to Sail Around the World?. Generally speaking, no, you do not need a license to sail around the world. While there is no doubt that there are some countries in which boating licenses are a legal requirement, it’s not a given.

Even on sailing boats, these rules generally only apply to those living in that country, and not to those visiting.

That being said, many charter companies require proof of a boating license before you can actually take helm of the boat.

Understandably, this ensures that the boats they loan out are in relatively good hands and, therefore, less likely to run into trouble.

What paperwork do you need to sail around the world?

You are nowhere near ready to head out to see if you don’t know this. As a Vessel Assist captain, I used to rescue would-be cruisers who never should have been offshore. But, legally you will need ship’s papers and a valid passport. Also a Q flag.

Can you sail around the world with your own boat?

The short answer is yes; however you can adapt your voyage to your budget. You can save money by doing your own boat work, anchoring out a lot, eating on board most of the time, keeping your equipment simple, and more.

Do you need boat insurance to sail around the world?

Why We Need Insurance. Our catamaran is our home, transportation, and everything we own. To us, it’s just not worth risking. In the past, sailors talked about cruising without insurance and how it wasn’t necessary. But the rules are changing. Even in the 5 years, we’ve been sailing we’ve noticed more and more places where sailboat insurance is a requirement. If you plan to sail around the world, here are some of the reasons why you may need yacht insurance.

• Many countries are mandating insurance for entering yachts (Australia, Portugal, and others). And some countries like Panama and Ecuador have required proof of insurance from us when checking into the country.
• Marina’s, Mooring Balls, and Haul Out Yards will require proof of insurance.
• If you have a loan on your vessel, the bank will most likely require insurance.
• Hit and Run Boaters are also a thing. Insurance is expensive and many boaters choose to go without. Imagine when that person accidentally bashes into your boat while you’re on a provision run…it’s not likely they’re going to drop the hook, dinghy over and leave a note on your boat with their contact info. Shoot, even if you see them do it what are the chance you’re going to get money out of them? If you have ‘hit and run’ coverage your insurance company will pay for the repairs.
• Liability! There are a lot of scenarios we could talk about here (dragging anchor, busting off a mooring, hitting a $10,000,000 mega yacht at a fancy marina) and it’s all about what else we could damage that isn’t our boat. If we were to run up a reef, we become responsible for not only the removal and repair of our vessel but any damage to the reef, the property we’re on, and even the government agencies that maintain the oceans/fisheries. Talk about going bankrupt in a hot second!

3 Important Questions To Ask. There is a lot of industry jargon to interpret when it comes to boat insurance. It’s important to do your homework, read the policies, research anything you don’t understand, and ask a lot of questions. Here are some of our standard inquires.

• Is this an ACTUAL CASH value or AGREED AMOUNT value policy? We want Agreed Amount. If the insurance company has agreed to insure our vessel at $300k, then we should receive a payout near that agreed value (not whatever some random computer says the generic value is. We have a lot of upgrades on our boat that the average coastal cruiser or charter boat wouldn’t have).
• Salvage: Who picks up the bill if the boat needs to be salvaged? (from sinking, hurricane damage, etc) When we have a claim, how much help will the insurance company give us? For example, if the boat is damaged in a storm: Who handles the Salvage claims and repair process (find salver, crane, trucking, towing, repair facility, angry property owners, govt. official/agencies). To handle all of this on your own can be EXTREMELY STRESSFUL.
• Consequential Damage: Does the policy have consequential damage coverage: For example what if a corroded through-hull causes the boat to sink (thinking of our single-hulled friends), or a fire breaks out and we don’t have automatic fire suppression in the engine locker (because we don’t)…If we don’t have consequential damage coverage, then a total loss claim could be chalked up to wear and tear.

Can you travel the world on your own boat?

It is important to be aware that regulations may “kick-in” before you even enter Territorial Waters. Some countries require you to notify your intentions to the authorities by VHF before you proceed to a designated port of entry. You may need to have arranged a visa in advance and you may have to buy a permit for the boat. An inventory of the items onboard may be needed, as may a crew list. It may be necessary to present the passports and ships papers in every port you visit, just at the ports of entry and departure or only if requested.

Even in countries where yacht tourism is commonplace, the rules for yachts can be difficult to establish. For the less frequented countries, someone who has been there before can be an invaluable source of information and may be able to offer contacts within the country to help with customs and immigration procedures, either informally with translating or as a formal agent, which can be required.

Knowledge. There are numerous cruising forums and websites which offer information and can be used to make contact with other cruisers, to allow you to build a picture of what may be expected before your arrival. Some of these are detailed under “Related Links”. If you find other ones to be particularly useful, please email us so we can spread the word.

Do you need a passport to sail around the world?

If there is a passport requirement, each person needs to have one, including infants and toddlers.

All cruises everywhere else in the world that sail in destinations outside the United States require a passport.

What I.D. you’ll need instead of a passport. If you are on a closed-loop cruise that begins and ends in the U.S. and visits Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, all you need to do is prove you are a U.S. citizen, and this applies to everyone in your party. Options here, in lieu of a passport, include an Enhanced Driver’s License, which is a state-issued driver’s license that provides proof of U.S. citizenship (currently available only to residents of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington); a government-issued birth certificate; or an official Certificate of Naturalization. Note that the birth certificate can’t be the cute one with the baby’s footprints issued by the hospital; it needs to be issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where the child was born.

If you are age 16 and up, and without a passport, you will also need to present a photo I.D. such as a state-issued I.D. or driver’s license. The photo I.D. must include your photo, name, and date of birth.

Do you need permission to sail around the world?

Do You Need a License to Sail Around the World?. Generally speaking, no, you do not need a license to sail around the world. While there is no doubt that there are some countries in which boating licenses are a legal requirement, it’s not a given.

Even on sailing boats, these rules generally only apply to those living in that country, and not to those visiting.

That being said, many charter companies require proof of a boating license before you can actually take helm of the boat.

Understandably, this ensures that the boats they loan out are in relatively good hands and, therefore, less likely to run into trouble.

Is it legal to live on a boat in international waters?

Yes! Living on a boat in the ocean is possible. You can reside in international waters or opt for somewhere closer to shore. If you do stay in international waters, you must follow international water laws.

Some marinas allow you to live on your boat. However, they often limit the number of liveaboards and require you to fill out an application before allowing you to stay.

Living on a boat full-time can be a learning curve for even the most experienced sailors. Life on the water is a huge responsibility and can become dangerous quickly.