For cruising in France, you need to have the standard ship's and personal papers.
The skippers of British Registered
boats – motor or sail - do not require an ICC or any other certificate of
competence when sailing in French coastal waters. If
you plan to go inland, you will need an International Certificate of Competence
(ICC) with a current endorsement for CEVNI (Code Europeen de Voies de la Navigation
Interieure).
If you are chartering or using
a French registered boat, you may need a certificate of competence. and you
should check with the Charter Company prior to hiring the boat.
The
new International Certificate of Competence (ICC) has been in use since April
1999.
Prior to this, the RYA issued the Helmsman's Overseas Certificate (HOC) and latterly the 'old' International Certificate of Competence. The main difference with the new ICC is that competence in boat handling, navigation and knowledge of the collision regulations must be proven by test or previous qualification and also the CEVNI test must be taken if the inland waters endorsement is required.
The RYA is the UK issuing authority
for the ICC. You can obtain an ICC form from the RYA
website or by telephoning them on 0845 345 0370.
CEVNI stands for Code Européen des Voies de la Navigation Intérieure, and is basically the French acronym for the rules, or collision regulations, for European Inland Waterways.
Anyone requiring an ICC with an inland endorsement must pass the CEVNI test at a RYA Training Centre. The test consists of 14 questions on the lights, shapes and sound signals on the inland waterways of Europe.
