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Sailing guides
The questions that sit either side of choosing a course: what the law requires, what it costs, how long it takes, and what changes if you want to be paid for it.
Planning a course
Boat licences, state by state
A recreational boat licence has nothing to do with a sailing certificate. Whether you need one depends on the engine, the state and, in New South Wales, the speed. Most cruising yachts carry an auxiliary well above the power thresholds used in Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia — so a sailor who needs no licence under sail may still need one to motor out of the marina.
Commercial certification
Recreational schemes and Australian commercial certification are separate systems — with exactly one connection between them, which runs the opposite way to most people’s assumption. These pages were checked against AMSA in September 2026.
AMSA certificates vs recreational qualifications
Two systems, one connection point — and almost everybody misunderstands which way round it runs.
AMSA certificates of competency explained
Nine deck certificates, four engineer certificates and two for sail. The job picks the certificate, not the other way round.
Sailing Master Coastal and Sailing Master Offshore
The only two AMSA certificates written for sailing vessels — and the only place a Yachtmaster is a formal prerequisite.
Sea service for AMSA certificates
The commonest reason an application stalls is not a shortage of sea time. It is sea time that was never recorded in a form AMSA will accept.
Ready to pick a course?
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.