SeaMemo
Proving 300 sea miles for the German SKS
The German coastal skipper licence (Sportküstenschifferschein, SKS) requires 300 sea miles of experience before you may sit the exam. Here is which miles and waters are accepted, the smartest ways to collect them, and how to document them so the exam board has nothing to object to.
How many sea miles does the SKS require?
The Sportküstenschifferschein (SKS) is the official German licence for yachts in coastal waters. To be admitted to the exam you must prove 300 sea miles on yachts in coastal waters, covered with the propulsion of the licence you want. If you aim for the SKS under sail, the miles must be sailed; for motor, under engine. Dinghy miles or ferry crossings do not count; it has to be a yacht.
The SBF See is also required for the SKS exam. The good news: your sea miles may date from before you got the SBF See. If you have crewed for years, you bring your miles with you. Official information is available at elwis.de and on the joint exam portal of DSV and DMYV, sportbootfuehrerscheine.org.
Which waters count as coastal waters?
Coastal waters are all seas up to 12 nautical miles from the mainland coast. That includes the classic training areas: the Baltic and North Sea as well as the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Atlantic coast and the Canaries. Inland waters such as lakes, rivers and canals are not accepted.
The best known pitfall: the IJsselmeer does not count for the SKS. It is not coastal water, however popular it is for sailing. If you book your mile building trip there, you collect zero miles for the German SKS, while they would count for the Swiss offshore licence. So check where a trip really takes place before you book.
How to collect the 300 miles
The 300 sea miles do not have to be sailed in one go; you can add up as many trips as you like. Proven ways:
- Mile building trips: trips designed to cover distance, with long legs and night passages. With typical daily legs of 40 to 60 nm, a week easily adds up to 250 to 350 nm, so the SKS miles are doable in one holiday.
- Charter trips as crew: every holiday trip counts if the skipper confirms your miles. Even a relaxed week with 150 nm fills the account.
- Club trips: sailing clubs and university groups offer affordable crewing opportunities with experienced skippers.
- Training trips: SKS practical courses at sailing schools combine manoeuvre training with miles, ideal if you are a few short.
Important: get the sea miles confirmation at the end of every trip. Months later the charter skipper is hard to reach, and the ship's logbook that proves your miles stays with the boat.
What must the confirmation contain?
For the SKS there is no prescribed form; the confirmation can be informal. It must include: vessel name and type, sailing area or route, dates, your role on board, the distance in sea miles and the name, address and signature of the skipper. If you were the skipper yourself, self certification is accepted: your properly kept logbook proves the miles, and the exam board can ask to see it. All required details are in the guide sea miles certificate.
Deadlines: do the miles expire?
No. Collected sea miles do not expire; you can gather them over years, with long breaks in between. The only deadline concerns the exam itself: all parts (theory and practice) must be passed within 24 months. Once you pass the theory, do not put off the practical exam forever.
With SeaMemo: 300 GPS backed miles instead of paperwork
Instead of reconstructing routes and estimating distances after every trip, let SeaMemo run:
- Track the trip: SeaMemo records route, legs and distance by GPS, offline and in the background.
- Watch your total: the sea mile counter in your sailor profile shows how far you are from 300 miles.
- Choose SKS as exam type: SeaMemo transfers sailing area, dates and sea miles into the right form.
- Skipper confirms in the app: they confirm the legs while you are still in harbour, and their stored signature appears in the PDF.
Get SeaMemo for free
Logbook, travel journal and crew in one app. For iPhone and Android, works offline at sea.
Frequently asked questions
Do miles under engine count for the SKS?
Only if you are going for the SKS for motor propulsion. The 300 sea miles must be covered with the propulsion of the licence you want, so for the SKS under sail they must be sailed. Engine hours do not fill the sailing account.
Does the IJsselmeer count for the SKS?
No. For the German SKS the IJsselmeer is not considered coastal water, so miles sailed there are not accepted. Curiously, they do count for the Swiss offshore licence.
Do the 300 sea miles have to be sailed in one go?
No. You can spread them over as many trips as you like and submit a separate certificate for each. Different areas can be combined too, as long as they are coastal waters and the propulsion is right.
Can I collect miles before the SBF See?
Yes. The SBF See is required for the SKS exam, but your sea miles may also date from before. What matters is that they were sailed on yachts in coastal waters and are properly confirmed.