Certifications & skipper status
What certifications and endorsements mean, and how Zeil decides who can skipper a boat.
To keep sailing safe, clubs control who can take a given boat out as skipper. Zeil models this with two things: certifications and endorsements.
Certifications
A certification is a credential your club recognizes — for example, an external qualification like "ASA 101" or an internal one like "Club Skipper Level 2". Each certification has a level (a number), and some have an expiry date.
Your club's administrators define which certifications exist and grant them to members. You can see the ones you hold on your profile.
Endorsements
An endorsement is permission to skipper. An endorsement applies to either:
- a specific boat, or
- a whole boat class (every boat of that type).
Like certifications, endorsements are granted by administrators.
How Zeil decides you can skipper a boat
A boat may require a skipper endorsement and a minimum certification level. You are cleared to skipper a given boat when all of these are true:
You have an endorsement that covers it
Either for that exact boat or for its class.
You hold a high-enough certification
Your certification level meets or exceeds the boat's required minimum level.
Your certification hasn't expired
An expired certification doesn't count.
If any of these isn't met, you can still join the sail as crew — you just can't be the skipper of that boat.
See what you're cleared for
Your profile lists the boats you're currently cleared to skipper, based on your endorsements and certifications. If something you expect is missing, it may have expired, or the endorsement hasn't been granted yet.
Getting certified or endorsed
You don't grant these to yourself. If you've completed training or think you should be cleared for a boat, talk to a club administrator — they grant certifications and endorsements. See Certifications & endorsements (admin) for how that's done.
Why my certification stopped counting
The most common reasons a boat you used to skipper is no longer available to you:
- Your certification expired — ask your admin to renew it.
- The boat's required level changed and now exceeds yours.
- Your endorsement was revoked or the boat was moved to a different class.