Sailing School Thailand FAQ

A: IYT Passport and Certificate

IYT Certificates are recognized Internationally, however, we always recommend students contact the charter company and ask them what qualifications are required to charter there (and whether they will accept your certificates).

If you are sailing your own private vessel, you will need to ask this question to the local port captain or harbor master, maritime administration or marine police in the country you are sailing, as there are many global jurisdictions, rules, regulations and laws which may vary between locations for which information we do not have on hand.

If you intend to work onboard a vessel you will need to check with your employer or yacht management company to ask whether they will accept your license. In addition, you may need to also check with the flag state of the vessel as you are required to be certified by the “Flag state “ authorities.

Please review this link for more information in regards to our ICC license and chartering overseas.

Please review this link for more information on IYT Government Approvals. The countries listed on this page have provided IYT with written approval that they will accept the specified licenses listed.

Island Spirit has at its disposal a fleet of 40 sailing and powerboats any of which will be used by the instructors depending on the student numbers and the type of training to be undertaken. You will certainly be sailing on both keelboats and catamarans that can vary in size from 32ft to 90ft.

Island Spirit students come from all over the world but they all speak the English language and are of all ages and backgrounds but are typically between 30 and 50 years old with some sailing experience.

Island Spirit restricts the number of students per boat to no more than a maximum of 6 students but it is not at all unusual to be in a group of 3 or 4 students.

Thailand is justly famous for its wonderful cuisine and we ensure that all students are able to take full advantage of that fact at the restaurants in the Gulf of Thailand. In most locations European menus are available for those with a less adventurous palette. The course fee includes daytime and shipboard meals but you are on your own in the evenings to explore the local restaurants in and around the school. On board the cuisine is easy to prepare, delicious and nutritious.

Shorts and tee shirt are the order of the day but a hat and sunscreen are essential as we are only 12 degrees North of the equator. A rain jacket can be very useful in the event that you are caught out in a tropical squall which come through from time to time and can be windy and full of cold rain that usually lasts about 20 minutes.

If you read the manual and follow the class instruction there is no reason why you should fail. but, if you do come to the end of the course and have not met the required IYT standard then you will not be awarded a certificate. We will be happy to offer you another place on the next suitable school course free of tuition, based on space available.

Once you have decided on the course or package and the dates that you'd like to attend, call or send us an email to confirm availability and book your place. To secure your booking, you'll need to place a 50% booking deposit, and the remaining portion of the course fee is due 40 days before the course start date.
Payment instructions will be sent to you when you make a booking. We provide bank transfer instructions, and we offer online payment for a 4% fee.

If you are flying into Bangkok and the course is at Pattaya then we will send you options for getting to the Sailing School base in our welcome email after you have signed up.

We have had excellent experience with couples on our courses and find that they come away with a good team spirit. It is a great way for one to introduce the world of sailing to another, or for you to both discover a whole new world together.

Yes we are keen that parents share the learning experience with their children so whilst we normally have a minimum age of 14 for solo students we reduce the age limit to 12 if they are coming with a parent or two.