Those who sail without an Amateur Seaman's Certificate will be fined a penalty of 2,500 Lira (£700) in Turkey, IBI Magazine reports.New regulations for private boats and yachtsmen in Turkey have been published in the Turkish Official Journal.The same penalty will be issued to those who do have an Amateur Seaman's Certificate but are sailing for commercial purposes.Turkish citizens wanting to obtain the certificate have to complete an online learning program and pass an online exam provided by the state.The state can authorise some institutes or organisations to give training for this exam or to organise the exams themselves.The exam includes at least 50 questions about sailing, meteorology, safety, technical issues, marine communication, marine law and international regulations. ...

Latest News Crew of Austrian catamaran Malisi spotted plank of wood and plastic board 'We are treating it very seriously' - U.S Coast Guard spokeswoman U.S authorities caved to pressure to continue searching on Tuesday Yachts from around the world vowed to help out with search  James Loy, former head of U.S. Coast Guard doesn't believe crew is alive The crew of the Cheeki Rafiki were returning from Antigua Sailing Week They ran into difficulties on Thursday but lost contact with land on Friday Missing are Andrew Bridge, Paul Goslin, Steve Warren and James Male     Debris has reportedly been found in the Atlantic Ocean in the area where UK yacht the Cheeki Rafiki went missing.   The crew of an Austrian catamaran named the Malisi spotted a ...

First season? Here are 50 nifty tips for day workers and deckhand newbies. 1. Do your homework before the season, including writing your sailing CV, registering online with crew recruitment agencies and storing electronic copies of CVs, certificates, references and passports on a USB stick.2. Get your banking and financial affairs in order and consider giving your parents or someone you trust power of attorney to oversee your financial affairs on your behalf.3. Superyachts allow you to live and work with virtually zero living costs. Grab the chance to save or pay off debt.4. Buy a good pair of sunglasses (plus strap) and a Leatherman.5. Buy a laptop before the season and Skype family and friends back home. 6. Drink loads of water and wear sun cream.7. Wear in your deck shoes ...

Yotspot is changing in 2014.   Members of the site will see some changes over the coming months. We have a new layout and search facility on the horizon. We have also been running our Bespoke Service for over six months and it has proven to be extremely successful. There will always be a need for a Captain/Head of Department to use a trusted company to find them crew.   Where as Captains, owners, and their representatives will still be able to use the same great facilities we offer to find crew, they are now encouraged to use Yotspot in a more "traditional" agency sense.   Yotspot now provides a bespoke headhunting and CV service. We offer a personalised, hands on approach, that can only be provided by a boutique agency, and will supply the best candidates in the ...

If you could capture the energy and ingenuity of the Mini Transat race I'm sure you'd have a panacea for the troubles of our times. Many sailors in this big race in 21ft little boats, which runs from Douarnenez in Brittany to Guadeloupe, are engineer-inventor-builders. They are brimming with ideas for how to make their boats go faster, and the spirit of camadarie and friendliness among the 84 entries is palpable. If ever we need to restart a civilisation, you could just take a group of Mini sailors - they would make it work and it would be a nice place.The Mini Transat is the legendary solo transatlantic race in supercharged 21ft boats, which has run every two years since 1977. The boats have evolved to become sailing's ultimate hot hatches, limited to a tiny package 6.5m long and 3m w...

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. As Maria Robinson once said, "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back. Here are some ideas to get you started: Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they'll make room for you.  You shouldn't have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your...

REGULATIONS for the use of Personal Watercraft (PW). Maritime authorities throughout the Mediterranean have become more stringent with PW use. There have been a number of reported instances where PW's drivers using PW's belonging to the yacht, have been party to a random check and heavily fined when unable to provide an appropriate licence. It is important that Captains / Officers are aware of local by laws and regulations, and clearly inform the Owners, guests and crew who are using the PW's. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) offers both the 1-day RYA Personal Watercraft Certificate at various RYA Training Centres, as well as the provision for Yachts to become RYA Training Centre, offering the PW Safety Certificates onboard to guests or crew after appr...

    Its 21:28 on Day 3 of the crossing. You join me while I am aboard a 56m Feadship heading for Falmouth UK. We set off from Fort Lauderdale on the 11th after what can be described as "one of those days". Nothing seemed to be going to plan. ------------------------We woke early on the morning of the 11th to move on to the fuel dock.. oh no.... scrap that, someone has come in during the night and taken our spot. A lot of faffing later and the captain has been woken up and we are now at 8am on our way. During the maneuver a thoughtful chap needing ice.. yes ICE.. decided to pop in front of us. Thanks for that. So. There we are... waiting. Waiting in the channel like the girl who no one wants to dance with, awkwardly, waiting for the man... in his boat.. to pick up ice. What ...

Yotspot is starting to gather pace in the industry people. Last week we had over 300 new members join the site and we are getting more paid jobs. With 300 new members in a week, we need you to help us help you! Simply put.. we need more jobs, more links, and more exposure.    We ask all of you to spread the word. This website has the potential to be an incredible tool for all in our industry.   Captains can now Post a job for free, receive unlimited CVs for free, if s/he likes the quality of the applicants? s/he can pay just £99 to unlock the contact details of every one of the applicants for that job.   There are some exciting changes we want to make to the site this year, and change doesnt come for free ;) We need to spread the word about YOTSPOT!! We w...

  Tuesday, November 6, 2012   By Captain Peter Squicciarini, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Master Merchant Mariner   Yet another tragedy at sea. The October "superstorm" known as Hurricane Sandy claimed another vessel, this time the unique and historic HMS Bounty. She was lost October 29th off the coast of North Carolina in some of the Atlantic's most treacherous waters. She isn't the first or the last ship in the graveyard of the Atlantic. One crewmember has died and the Captain is missing, presumed lost.    How? Why? The investigations (plural) have already begun. The Coast Guard has some of its best investigators looking into it now. All of the answers will never be fully known as it appears the Captain went down with his ship. Bu...