YCC Surprise/J80/J70 (SU) Test

Eligibility

Any active YCC member who:

Procedure

The YCC Surprise test comprises a practical and, according to your situation, a theoretical part. In addition, obtaining a Swiss sailing permit is required for members living in Switzerland. Members living in France (or any other country) may be requested to take the YCC theory test (see below).

Practical Test

For the practical part, the candidate contacts the test coordinator responsible for the SU licence. There are then two ways of doing:

  1. the test coordinator appoints an examiner (if the test follows a Surprise course, the examiner cannot be the course instructor) and candidate and examiner agree on a date and time for the test. After the test, the examiner fills the test report and the test coordinator has the final word in the attribution of the licence;
  2. the candidate receives from the test coordinator a test sheet listing the exercises she has to perform. It is then up to her to sail the SU with authorised skippers and perform the exercises, which are then validated by the various skippers.

Sailing Permit

Surprises have a sail surface exceeding 15m2. This implies that candidates living in Switzerland must hold a Swiss D permit to sail them as skipper. This permit can be obtained by taking the Swiss official test or by exchanging their national license for a Swiss one. The exchange is compulsory after twelve months of residence in Switzerland (see circulaire 54). The Swiss D permit can be obtained either before or after the YCC test is passed. YCC Surprises may be used for the police test provided at least one person on board holds the YCC Surprise licence. The police will further require one person on board to hold a Swiss D permit.

The outboard engines of the Surprises have a motor power of 3.3 kW. A Swiss A permit, or national equivalent, is therefore not required.

Since sails are the main means of propulsion of the Surprises, and since currently no permit is required for sailing boats in France, members resident in France do not need a permit to use the Surprises. The YCC requires however that they pass either the YCC internal theory test or the Swiss official theory test to bring them at par with the Swiss residents in the knowledge of legal regulations.

The internal theory exam can be passed before or after the practical test. To prepare for this test, study the latest edition of the booklet Naviguez sur les eaux suisses! which is a summary of the Swiss legislation in the matter and can be obtained at the office cantonal des automobiles et de la navigation. Other references: the Loi Suisse sur la navigation dans les eaux intérieures (LNI) and the Ordonnance sur la navigation dans les eaux intérieures (ONI).

Members holding a national permit on the basis of which a Swiss D or A permit could be obtained if the member were to change their residence to Switzerland (see circulaire 54) do not have do not have to pass a YCC theory exam.

Members who are neither resident in Switzerland nor in France are required to pass a YCC internal theory exam which covers the same material as the theory part of the Swiss test. Depending on the requirements of their country of residence, they may be required to have an official sailing license.

Practical Test

Practical tests can take place provided:

Contents

The test consists of the following items:

The candidate is invited to delegate tasks to crew members, examiner included, by giving orders explaining accurately and concisely what the crew is expected to do.

Norms

No person should be put into danger because of errors of the candidate. Priority rules must be respected. There should be no collisions with other boats as a result of errors of the candidate, nor interventions by the examiner to avoid collisions.

Inside the Harbour:

Buoy Stop:

Man-overboard:

Spinnaker:

The remaining items have to be correct on the first try.


Last modified, November 2022 by AP.