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IYT Catamaran Sailing Qualifications
The clearest multihull pathway of any scheme: a catamaran version at every skipper level.
IYT provides dedicated catamaran versions of several skipper qualifications.
Current courses include:
IYT specifically requires catamaran candidates seeking a catamaran certificate to undertake appropriate multihull training.
- Who it suits
- Anyone heading for a cruising catamaran, especially with monohull experience to unlearn.
- What it is not
- A monohull certificate does not transfer. Twin engines and no heeling feedback change the boat entirely.
Primary source: IYT course catalogue. Course structures and prerequisites can change; confirm the current version with the training body and school.
The course in context
IYT lists catamaran-specific recreational qualifications at several levels. This page is a guide to that branch of the pathway, not one universal catamaran certificate. Choose the level according to your experience and cruising plans, and make sure the course is actually taught on the kind of vessel you intend to operate.
Before you start
Ask an approved school which catamaran award is appropriate and what prior qualifications or logged experience it requires. A monohull certificate may show useful background, but it does not mean you have practised twin-engine manoeuvring or managing a cruising catamaran’s wide platform.
Skills you will develop
Handling a wider vessel
Build a clear picture of the boat’s size, visibility and response before close-quarters manoeuvres. Ask for repeated helm time rather than assuming space aboard means more individual practice.
Catamaran sailing judgement
Discuss sail-power management and the behaviour of the training boat. Different feedback from a multihull requires more than transferring habits unchanged from a heeling monohull.
Cruising routines
Explore anchoring arrangements, deck communication and the systems relevant to the actual yacht. These details are especially useful when preparing for a charter handover.
Training and assessment
The IYT catalogue includes flotilla, bareboat and advanced catamaran options. Confirm the exact award name and the school’s approval to deliver it. A short familiarisation session and a full assessed qualification solve different problems; ask which one you are booking.
Questions to ask the school
- Which catamaran certificate will this course award?
- What practical conversion is needed from my existing experience?
- How much individual docking and anchoring practice is included?
Related learning
Other IYT courses
IYT Sailing Course Pathway
The IYT route in order, with a catamaran variant at every skipper level.
IYT International Crew
IYT’s entry-level yacht course, and its closest equivalent to RYA Competent Crew.
IYT International Flotilla Skipper
Command of your own yacht, but within a flotilla with a lead boat in reach.
IYT International Bareboat Skipper
The charter qualification — and emphatically not a beginner course.
IYT Yachtmaster Coastal
IYT’s first Yachtmaster level, in sail, power and catamaran versions.
IYT Yachtmaster Offshore
The offshore level, for passages well beyond sight of land.
IYT Yachtmaster Ocean
The top of the IYT recreational pathway, celestial navigation included.
IYT ICC
Recognised in a number of countries, mainly European. Not a worldwide sailing licence.
Australian schools using IYT
These schools advertise training under the IYT system. This does not confirm that every school currently runs IYT Catamaran Sailing Qualifications; check the current course list directly.
Which course should you actually book?
Three questions — your experience, the boat you want to sail, and your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it near you.