The Nautical Institute announced an update to its International Sail Endorsement Scheme. The announcement was made at the annual International Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference which took place in Dunkirk, France on the 17 and 18 November. Organised by Sail Training International – a registered charity established to develop and educate young people, regardless of nationality, culture, religion, gender or social background – the International Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference welcomes delegates from around the world who are involved in sail training, including sail training providers, Tall Ship owners,host port organisers of The Tall Ships Races and Regattas, as well as representatives from different sailing and nautical organisations.

The Nautical Institute has long recognised that tall ship sailors require specialist skills and knowledge to operate their vessels safely and efficiently and consequently, in 2014, it developed the comprehensive  ‘International Sail Endorsement Scheme’ (ISES) in collaboration with ‘Sail Training  International’.  Now, almost 10 years later, the ISES scheme has been reviewed and updated, ensuring that it not only remains relevant but also still enables both square rig and fore-and-aft sailors to complete practical tasks and acquire new knowledge before being assessed and endorsed.

Steve Window, Head of The Nautical Institute Academy, said,: ”The NI understands the importance to seafarer career development of having professionally endorsed standards. ISES ensures that all tall ship sailors have access to a standard of proficiency and it has been designed to be a self-driven professional development programme which can be used in conjunction with an appropriate and valid deck certificate of competency (COC).”

No matter what capacity of deck work they are engaged in, candidates complete both practical tasks in addition to acquiring the necessary theory and knowledge that underpin their work.  There is also a fast-track route to certification for more experienced sailors.