Home / IYT / IYT Sailing Course Pathway
IYT Sailing Course Pathway
The IYT route in order, with a catamaran variant at every skipper level.
A simplified yacht pathway is:
Not every student has to complete every course.
Eligibility and prior-experience requirements become increasingly important higher in the pathway.
IYT's current recreational-school course levels include:
Dinghy
Introductory yacht sailing
Crew and skipper
Catamaran
Advanced recreational
Racing
Navigation and weather
Communications
ICC
Multiple ICC endorsements exist for sail, power, coastal and inland operating categories.
- Who it suits
- Anyone deciding which IYT course to book next, particularly with multihulls in mind.
- What it is not
- Not every student takes every course, and eligibility rules bite harder the higher you go.
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
The IYT recreational pathway separates learning to contribute as crew from learning to take command. It also distinguishes operating a monohull, a catamaran and a powerboat. Start with the boat and sailing you actually want to do, then work backwards through the relevant experience and certificate requirements.
Before you start
New sailors can start with crew training; experienced sailors should discuss their logbook with an approved partner school. Do not assume that a similarly named certificate from another organisation gives automatic entry or a direct exchange. Ask for an individual training plan that identifies both strengths and gaps.
Skills you will develop
Crew foundations
Develop boat familiarity, sail handling and communication before adding command decisions. Being useful aboard is a different learning goal from being responsible for the whole voyage.
Skipper development
Flotilla and bareboat training introduce command within different operating scopes. Choose according to the responsibility you intend to take, not simply the shortest course on offer.
Advanced cruising
Coastal, Offshore and Ocean levels develop progressively more demanding passage responsibilities. Relevant experience between courses is part of the preparation, not an inconvenience to skip.
Training and assessment
IYT uses a modular approach delivered through approved schools. A school may combine stages, but ask which certificates are actually included and when experience requirements must be met. Theory learning, practical tuition and final assessment may not all take place in the same booking.
Questions to ask the school
- Which exact certificates does this package award?
- Is the school approved for the sail or catamaran course I want?
- What experience should I build between stages?
Related learning
Other IYT courses
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 Catamaran Sailing Qualifications
The clearest multihull pathway of any scheme: a catamaran version at every skipper level.
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 Sailing Course Pathway; 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.