Sportküstenschifferschein (SKS)
Proof of 300 sea miles is part of the documents for the practical exam, due at the examination board at least 14 days before the date. The SKS covers coastal waters up to 12 nm from the mainland coast.
Sea miles confirmation: example, template and what counts
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The German SKS needs 300 sea miles, the SSS 700 or 1,000. Each of them is backed by a confirmation signed by the skipper of the trip, also called a sea miles certificate or sailing miles log. Here is what goes on it, a filled-in week from Split as an example and a blank template to print.
- 300 nm
- for the Sportküstenschifferschein (coastal skipper), on yachts in coastal waters
- 700 nm
- for the Sportseeschifferschein after the SKS. Without an SKS it is 1,000 nm.
- 100 nm
- is what a week in central Dalmatia brings, as in the example below. For the SKS that is three such weeks.
What you need the confirmation for
Sportseeschifferschein (SSS)
The miles go in with the application for admission, at least one month before the exam. The official form has a separate block for each trip, signed by the skipper.
Sporthochseeschifferschein (SHS)
Another 1,000 nm after the SSS, 500 of them before the theory exam, all as watch leader. If you aim that far, collect the confirmations from the start.
Charter and a berth on board
Some charter companies and skippers ask about your experience before they give you a boat or a berth. A list with sailing area, yacht and miles per trip answers that in a minute.
How many miles each licence requires
This is what section 6 of the German Sportseeschifferscheinverordnung says. Miles count on yachts with the propulsion of the licence: for the sailing licence you need miles on sailing yachts. Miles on inland waters count for none of the three.
| Licence | Sea miles | Waters | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKS | 300 | Coastal area | No requirement for your role on board. The proof goes with the documents for the practical exam. |
| SSS with SKS | 700 after the SKS | Sea area | No requirement for your role on board. |
| SSS without SKS | 1,000 after the SBF See | Sea area | At least 500 nm of them before the theory exam as watch leader or deputy. |
| SHS | 1,000 after the SSS | Sea area | As watch leader, at least 500 nm of them before the theory exam. Minimum age 18. |
Sources: sections 1 and 6 of the Sportseeschifferscheinverordnung and the admission documents of the DSV and DMYV examination boards on sportbootfuehrerscheine.org, as of October 2026. The regulation does not define exactly what counts as coastal area. If you are unsure about a sailing area, ask the examination board before you register.
What goes on the confirmation
The examination boards' form for the SSS and SHS asks for these details, in block capitals. For the SKS the application asks for “proof of at least 300 sea miles”; the same fields make it complete.
About you
- Surname and first name
- Date and place of birth
- Street and town
- Licences you already hold: SBF See, SKS
Per trip
- Yacht name and type, ticked: sailing or motor yacht
- Flag and owner. On a charter yacht both are in the boat papers on board.
- Dates of the trip, from and to
- Sailing area, for example Adriatic, central Dalmatia
- Route: the harbours and bays in their order
- Number of sea miles
- Your role on board: crew, watch leader, co-skipper
From the skipper
- Name and address
- Their certificate of competence, meaning which licence they hold
- Signature with place and date
Example: a week of Split, Vis, Hvar, Brač
A charter week in June from Split, filled in as on the official form. The legs below are not a required field, but they make the total checkable: whoever reads 102.0 nm sees where it comes from.
Confirmation of sea miles
Holder
- Surname, first name
- Brandt, Lea
- Date and place of birth
- 14/03/1994, Hamburg
- Address
- Musterweg 3, 20095 Hamburg
- Licences held
- SBF See
Trip
- Yacht name
- Galeb
- Yacht type
- Bavaria Cruiser 41
- Kind
- Sailing yacht ✓Motor yacht
- Flag
- Croatia
- Owner
- Muster Charter d.o.o., Split
- Dates of the trip
- 20/06/2026 – 27/06/2026
- Sailing area
- Adriatic, central Dalmatia
- Role on board
- Crew
- Route
- Split – Maslinica – Vis – Hvar – Bol – Milna – Split
- Number of sea miles
- 102.0 nm
Legs
| Day | Leg | nm | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 20/06 | Split | – | Check-in in the afternoon, shopping, safety briefing |
| Sun 21/06 | Split – Maslinica | 13.4 | Lunch at anchor in Nečujam bay |
| Mon 22/06 | Maslinica – Vis | 21.8 | Longest leg, across open water |
| Tue 23/06 | Vis – Hvar | 16.4 | Night on a mooring buoy off the town |
| Wed 24/06 | Hvar – Bol | 20.3 | Round the west cape of Hvar, then through the Hvar channel |
| Thu 25/06 | Bol – Milna | 17.9 | Lunch at anchor off the south coast of Brač |
| Fri 26/06 | Milna – Split | 12.2 | Refuel, return to the marina in the evening |
| Sat 27/06 | Split | – | Check-out by 9 am |
| Total | 102.0 | ||
Distance over ground from the skipper's GPS track, without the time at anchor. Arrival and departure days without miles.
Confirmation by the skipper
- Name, address
- Petersen, Jan, Musterstraße 8, 24103 Kiel
- Certificate of competence
- Sportseeschifferschein
- Place and date
- Split, 26/06/2026
- Signature of the skipper
- J. Petersen
Whoever joined on Monday in Maslinica does not get Sunday: 102.0 nm minus 13.4 nm makes 88.6 nm. That person gets a sheet of their own with their own dates, not the same sheet with a different total.
Template to fill in
One sheet per trip, on paper or as a PDF through the print dialog. The legs have eight rows, enough for a week with arrival and departure day. Fill them in every evening while the day's distance is still on the plotter; on the last evening the skipper signs.
Confirmation of sea miles
Holder
- Surname, first name
- Date and place of birth
- Address
- Licences held
Trip
- Yacht name
- Yacht type
- Kind
- Sailing yachtMotor yacht
- Flag
- Owner
- Dates of the trip
- Sailing area
- Role on board
- Route
- Number of sea miles
Legs
| Day | Leg | nm | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | |||
Confirmation by the skipper
- Name, address
- Certificate of competence
- Place and date
- Signature of the skipper
What does not count and where it goes wrong
Swinging at anchor
At anchor the GPS track wanders: the boat swings in the circle of the chain, and the receiver scatters by a few metres. Over a night that adds up to a sea mile nobody sailed. If you read the day's distance off a tracking app, take the time at anchor out.
Log or GPS
The log measures speed through the water, the GPS track distance over ground. With current the two drift apart: hardly in the Adriatic, by miles a day in the Wadden Sea or the English Channel. Enter what you can back up and stick to one method.
Days you were not on board
If you join on Monday or fly home early on Friday, those legs do not belong in your total. The dates on the sheet are yours, not the trip's.
Inland waters
Miles on Lake Constance, the Müritz or the Havel do not count. The regulation requires coastal or sea areas.
Motor yacht for the sailing licence
Miles count on yachts with the propulsion of the licence. A week on a motor yacht brings nothing for the SKS under sail.
Role left empty or too vague
For the SSS without an SKS, 500 nm only count as watch leader or deputy. If the sheet just says “crew”, you are missing them. If you led watches, have that written down.
Getting it signed months later
On the last evening the skipper sits at the same table with the logbook. Half a year later both are gone. Get the confirmation signed before you leave the boat.
How Crewsy counts the miles
In Crewsy the confirmation comes from the tracks the skipper records anyway.
- The skipper uploads the GPX file for each sailing day, from Savvy Navvy, Navionics, Orca, Garmin or OpenCPN. It is read in the browser; only the numbers from it go to Crewsy, not the file.
- The distance is distance over ground. Below just under 0.6 kn no section counts, so swinging at anchor stays out.
- Whoever was not on board on a day does not get that day's miles.
- Every crew member gets their own PDF: name, role, yacht, sailing area, route, map and the legs day by day. Below the legs it says which app recorded them.
- If the skipper has stored their signature, it appears on the line automatically.
- Date of birth, address and the skipper's licence you enter yourself on the examination board's form. Miles, route and legs are in the PDF.
Questions about the sea miles confirmation
Which licence does the signing skipper need?
The regulation names none. The form for the SSS and SHS asks for their certificate of competence, so they enter which licence they hold. The skipper of the trip has to sign, not just anyone on board.
Do miles from before the SBF See count?
For the SKS, section 6 sets no cut-off date: 300 nm in the coastal area count. For the SSS without an SKS only miles after the SBF See count, with an SKS only the 700 after the SKS.
Do I need night passages or a minimum number of days?
Section 6 only names miles: no night passage, no number of trips or days. Three weeks of 100 nm each count as much as one 300 nm delivery trip.
Do miles under engine count?
Section 6 distinguishes by the yacht (“with the respective propulsion”), not by whether sails or engine are pushing at the moment. The sheet has one number per trip, without a split.
One sheet per trip or one for all?
One block per trip: the form has separate fields with a separate signature for each voyage, with more on the follow-up page. Each skipper confirms only their own trip.
The confirmation writes itself along the way
The skipper uploads the tracks, and on the last evening everyone on board picks up their PDF. Free for 14 days, no payment details needed.