Clear to Sail: the captain's system for yacht certificates, crew documents and renewals

A yacht can be fully compliant and still get stuck. The insurance was renewed, but the new certificate went to an inbox nobody on board reads. A crew medical was valid on joining and ran out mid-season. A renewal was due, and nobody started it.

Clear to Sail is the system that stops this. Five steps put every certificate, every crew document and every deadline in one place. It's written by a working captain.

What you get

• The guide (PDF, 18 pages). The CLEAR method step by step, each step with a "done when" test. Worked examples on a sample yacht. Eight mistakes to avoid. A one-page checklist to print for your inspection folder.
• The CLEAR Register & Renewal Calendar (Excel). One line per document. The start-renewal date and the status work themselves out, and a 12-month calendar shows what to start each month. A filled-in example is included.

The CLEAR method

• C: Collect. Every document in one place, scanned and named.
• L: List. One register, checked against what your flag, class and insurer require.
• E: Expiries. Plan by the date you have to start, not the date it expires.
• A: Assemble. An inspection folder anyone on board can hand over.
• R: Routine. A monthly review that keeps it all current.

It's for you if

• You run a private motor yacht in Europe.
• No management company handles your compliance, or one does and the paperwork still lands on your desk.
• You want the boat ready to leave the moment the owner decides.

It's not for you if

• A management company already runs your compliance and you trust it completely.
• You need legal advice for a specific flag. The guide gives you the system to track requirements. The requirements themselves come from your flag administration, class and insurer.

About the author

Captain Nikolai Vasnev has spent nine years on motor yachts from 37 to 142 metres and holds a Maltese Certificate of Competency as Master <500 GT. He runs NV Yacht Management: flag and registration, crew documentation, operational compliance and reporting for private and commercial motor yachts across Europe.

Questions

• Which software do I need? Any PDF reader for the guide. The spreadsheet is made for Microsoft Excel and also opens in LibreOffice and Google Sheets.
• Does it work for my flag? Yes. CLEAR is a way of tracking documents, whatever the flag. It doesn't list the requirements of any one flag.
• Is my yacht's data shared with anyone? No. The spreadsheet is a file on your own computer.
• How do I get it? You download both files straight after payment, and you get an email with a link to download them again.