What kind of license can I get?
There are two types of recreational skipper licenses that a citizen of the Czech Republic can obtain. They differ primarily in the waters they are intended for.
SMALL VESSEL LEADER
Popularly known as "véempéčko" (small boat) is a captain's license intended primarily for inland waters. A "small" vessel is just an administrative designation for any pleasure craft. Motorboats, rubber boats, houseboats, punts, sailboats, jet skis. However, they definitely don't have to be small in size. With this license, you can drive boats up to twenty meters long!
One variant of this license also allows for very limited sailing at sea . With the extension marked “C” you are allowed to sail around the coast at sea, but only during the day, if there is only a light wind and up to a maximum distance of one nautical mile. But that is almost two kilometers. It is an ideal choice for a family on vacation who wants to see the beaches “from the other side” or go to a secret cove.
Do you only want to ride on rivers? Do you have a jet ski and plan to occasionally travel to the sea with it? This is the captain's license for you.
NAVAL YACHT COMMANDER
The so-called "ministerial" papers are issued by the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic. This type of captain's license is intended only for seafaring. You may have sailed thousands of nautical miles, but you cannot sail on the Orlík with this license. As a sea captain, however, your path to obtaining a license for inland waters will be significantly easier. Just present your "ministerial C-card", pass a differential test on the regulations of inland navigation and you will receive a VMP license for unlimited engines and sails without the need to complete an internship.
The license has several levels. It starts with the MDČR C license, with which you can sail day and night at sea even in strong winds up to a maximum distance of 20 nautical miles from the coastline. That is, from a kind of imaginary line connecting the outer islands of a coastal state. The size of the ship is limited to a length of 16 m. It can gradually be expanded to include ocean sailing, i.e. sailing without any restrictions on a ship up to 24 m long.
It doesn't matter whether it's a sailboat, a motorboat, or a motor yacht.
Do you want to spend your vacation on a yacht, travel between islands, maybe even at night? This license will allow you to do just that.