Drumbeat in the note dispute: RYA Yachtmaster rewritten for the first time
Fabian Boerger
· 26.09.2025
Roland Thiemann's story could actually be told quickly: Whilst living in Australia for a while on business, he wanted to improve his sailing skills. He already has a recreational boating licence (SBF) as well as a recreational coaster licence. Down Under, however, the British sailing licence system is widespread. This is why Thiemann is now gradually studying for the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore and Ocean licences. Back home, he wants to have his qualifications recognised and converted into a German licence. But his application remains unprocessed.
After months of waiting, Thiemann could have let the matter rest. To date, a British Yachtmaster certificate has never been converted into a German sailing licence. But Thiemann is not prepared to accept this. He investigates further, delves deep into the matter and battles bureaucratic windmills. Only a court case finally gets things moving, and Roland Thiemann's story ends with a surprising decision from the highest authority. But first things first.
Rewriting licences instead of making new ones
Anyone wishing to have a foreign boat licence converted in Germany must demonstrate why it is equivalent to a local licence. The Central Administration Centre of the German Sailing Association (DSV) is responsible for checking equivalence on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV). The DSV prepares a corresponding report and then forwards it to the BMV. The final decision is then made there. This is how it is in the Sport Maritime Licence Ordinance (SportSeeSchV) which applies to the recreational coastal, recreational sea and recreational offshore navigation licences, abbreviated to SKS, SSS and SHS.
On 30 June 2023, Thiemann submits the application together with his British licences. This also includes a special licence for commercial sailing, which complements his Yachtmaster Ocean. He is still living in Australia at the time of the application, but his journey home is already on the horizon. "I didn't want to have to do all my licences again in Germany," he says. He also hopes that the German licence system will be more in line with international standards in future.
If you want to work as a skipper in the Caribbean, for example, you can hardly do anything with German licences. They almost always ask for the Yachtmaster Ocean or Offshore licence.
RYA Yachtmaster with an international reputation
The British notes enjoy a good reputation internationally. According to the RYA, around 3,500 Yachtmasters are graduated every year, spread across Coastal, Offshore and Ocean. And the trend is rising. They are recognised worldwide in sailing circles as an expression of competence, not least because of their high practical component. The examinations are extensive and emphasise practical experience rather than theoretical knowledge. The examination voyage lasts two full days. Navigation is carried out without electronic aids and under challenging conditions - for example due to heavy shipping traffic, strong tidal currents and an area peppered with shallows.
The comparable German sailing licences are on a par in terms of numbers. According to the DSV, 3,522 were issued last year. The SKS accounts for around 90 per cent of these. The SHS has the smallest share with 53 graduates (1.5 per cent). The latter is the German equivalent of the Yachtmaster Ocean. The licence is voluntary for private trips on the high seas. However, anyone sailing commercially on a yacht flying the German flag, for example on charter or training voyages or on a traditional ship up to 25 metres in length, needs the SHS. Compared to the British Yachtmaster Ocean, the German SHS is more theoretical. There is no practical examination.
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First the waiting loop, then the lawsuit
Back to Roland Thiemann's application. After sending it to the DSV's central administration office, he receives confirmation of receipt shortly afterwards. The steering committee, which is examining the application, will deal with it at its next meeting, he is told. Then he hears nothing more for a long time. In the 16 months that followed, he followed up eight times (correspondence is available to YACHT). Again and again he is put off. The reasons range from postponed committee meetings to delayed feedback from the ministry. In short: after 17 months, the expert opinion is still missing and with it an answer as to whether his licence will be recognised.
In November 2024, Thiemann calls on the DSV one last time to take up his cause, but again without success. He then sues the administrative court in Cologne for inaction. This has an effect. The "administrative dispute between Roland Thiemann and the German Sailing Association" gets rolling. A written exchange of blows ensues: the DSV asks for an extension of the deadline, which is granted. A short time later, the association refutes the complaint.
"Insubstantial excuses"
Reason: Thiemann had addressed the application incorrectly. Instead of "Deutscher Segler-Verband (Zentrale Verwaltungsstelle)", it should have been "Zentrale Verwaltungsstelle für Sportsee- und Sporthochseeschifferschein im DSV", according to the DSV. In addition, the workload is very high, as the documents submitted are only available in English and the examiners work on a voluntary basis and meet irregularly. Thiemann, for his part, disagrees. He considers the DSV's arguments to be without substance.
Rather, the impression arises that a substantive debate has been deliberately avoided for almost 20 months now by asserting various reasons for delay.
The administrative court finally ruled in favour of Thiemann. But even before a judgement is handed down, the DSV gets involved: at the end of July 2025, two years after the application was submitted, the association presents an expert opinion after all: "No equivalence in the specific application case." In addition to the administrative court, the Federal Ministry of Transport is also presented with the result.
Again and again
Thiemann does not admit defeat. He lodges another objection, now with the BMV, and disagrees with most of the points in the report. One of the objections is that no German nautical terminology is taught. But he had already demonstrated this with the SBF and SKS. These licences, which he had already obtained before his time abroad, were enclosed with his application. To understand: The recreational craft licence for sea is mandatory for the transfer of higher licences.
He refutes another criticism levelled by the DSV, according to which theoretical examinations are missing, by referring to British certificates which prove the opposite and which were also enclosed with the application. He also refutes the claim that the practical examination is incomplete because competences in radar navigation are missing. According to Thiemann, the required radar navigation was already part of the Yachtmaster Offshore training and examination.
A bang and a significant precedent
Now the ball is in the court of the Federal Ministry of Transport - and it has decided against the DSV's vote. In response to an enquiry from YACHT, a spokesperson writes that it has come to the conclusion that the Yachtmaster licence submitted is equivalent to the German SHS. A few days later, Thiemann receives his yachtmaster's licence in his letterbox.
It's a bombshell, because this is the first time that an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean has been converted into an SHS. Even more importantly, it sets a precedent that other sailors with the Yachtmaster Ocean, which includes a commercial licence, can refer to. A new equivalence certificate is then no longer required, as confirmed by the ministry spokesperson. The German Sailing Association did not wish to comment on this case when asked by YACHT. Instead, it referred to the responsibility of the BMV. An interview appointment with the editorial team that had already been arranged was cancelled by the DSV at short notice.
A decision with far-reaching consequences
In the UK, the news from Germany has been well received, says Richard Falk. He is responsible for training and qualifications at the Royal Yachting Association. Falk believes that it will make life a lot easier for anyone who wants to earn money from sailing if the necessary qualifications are internationally transferable.
More than 20 countries now recognise the Yachtmaster certificates as proof for commercial voyages. This is an important point because, according to the RYA, around 80 per cent of RYA graduates plan to work in the maritime sector. For Richard Falk, the German ministry's decision is therefore a step in the right direction.
Advantages especially for commercial skippers
Bernd Reese is also following the case with interest. He is the owner of the Yacht Skipper Academy based in Essen and has been preparing German sailors for Yachtmaster examinations for over 20 years. Reese says that the case is of course important for all those skippers who sail commercially. In contrast to Falk, however, he has found that around 90 per cent of his students want to do the Yachtmaster primarily because of the practical skills - especially for sailing in tidal conditions.
The certificate as an authorisation to skipper commercially is not so much the focus. "I also take a rather critical view of a transfer in the other direction, i.e. from SHS to Yachtmaster Ocean," adds Reese. "Someone could claim to have practical training that they haven't received in the course of a pure transfer."
"A sense of injustice motivated me"
For Roland Thiemann, the Federal Ministry of Transport's decision is a success. He says: "It was a sense of injustice that motivated me." The DSV represents the economic interests of its members, such as those of sailing schools. At the same time, the association plays an important role in the recognition of alternative licences. "That can only work with difficulty - a conflict of interest," he says.
The case also raises further questions: Firstly, why the ministry decided against the DSV's assessment. But also what impact this will now have on the rewriting of comparable licences. The ministry explains that there have only been a few such applications to date. Therefore, no fixed administrative practice has yet been established between the ministry and the association. "Against this background, it is not unusual for different legal opinions to clash during internal coordination." According to the BMV spokesperson, the procedure has to be repeated for other licences.
More on the topic of training:
Consequences also for lower RYA certificates
However, Roland Thiemann assumes that this will no longer be a problem - for example, if a Yachtmaster Offshore is to be converted into an SSS. "The higher Yachtmaster Ocean requires the Offshore and its examination components. As the Ocean has now been recognised, it would be inconsistent on the part of the ministry not to approve the transfer of lower certificates."
However, someone would first have to be found who would voluntarily go through the complex procedure. This means submitting an application, having the equivalence checked, awaiting a DSV expert opinion and finally waiting for the BMV's decision. If no one is found, says Roland Thiemann, he is already thinking about trying again himself and having his other RYA licences rewritten. In any case, it would be a further step towards aligning the German sailing licence system with the globally recognised British standards.
