What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Basic Navigation Skipper (RD 875/2014): official theory exam (DGMM or region) + 8 hours of basic safety-and-navigation practice at an approved school.
- Sail endorsement: additional specific sail practice (16 hours) to helm sailing craft within the attributions.
- Age: 18, or 16-17 with consent; psycho-physical medical at an authorised centre.
Basic STCW
Not applicable.
Specific courses
- Exam syllabus: nomenclature, buoyage, essential COLREG, safety and basic weather
- Safety and motor-handling practice (8 h)
- Radio: basic VHF use in practice (the radio certificate is obtained separately — indicative)
Indicative experience
No prior-experience requirement; a passed PNB theory exam is also credited toward the PER syllabus (indicative, per exam call).
Observations
A recreational title with no professional validity. Ladder: Navigation Licence → PNB → PER → Yacht Skipper → Yacht Captain; to work commercially the gateway is the PPER (see the explorer's professional Spain framework).
What this role does
The recreational ladder's first examined title: licenses motor craft up to 8 metres within 5 miles in any direction of a shelter, and personal watercraft within their class limits. It is the natural step between the Navigation Licence and the PER, sharing part of the latter's syllabus.
Typical watches
- Day and night navigation (up to the limit of attributions)
Key responsibilities
- Government of motor boats up to 8 m in length.
- Navigation up to 5 nautical miles from the port or shelter.
- Sailing up to 8 m (supplementary attribution).
Operational scope
- Motor boat ≤ 8 m
- Area ≤ 5 nm from the port
Profile reviewed by HydroAbyss (2026). Cited rules and timeframes are indicative: the final requirement is set by the flag State, the Administration and each company.