Everything sailors ask about the SkipperCheck VHF course, Skipper Refresher, daily maritime quiz and global leaderboard.
The VHF Short Range Certificate (SRC) is a qualification that proves you have the knowledge and practical skills to safely and correctly operate a marine VHF radio with DSC (Digital Selective Calling) on a pleasure vessel. It also covers a basic understanding of GMDSS equipment.
There are two main types of SRC certificates:
The most important thing is that any SRC certificate confirms you have properly learned the material and are prepared to use the radio responsibly.
For pleasure craft sailors, the requirements are more flexible because everyday use is simpler — mainly calling marinas and handling emergency situations correctly. National courses are always classroom-based and never fully online, but the content is essentially the same since they follow the same international standards.
Important note on mandatory requirements:
In many (but not all) European countries, an SRC is mandatory for anyone using a DSC-capable VHF radio on a pleasure vessel. However, every country requires a Ship Station Licence. In many cases, authorities only ask for the licence itself, but when issuing it they often want proof that you have completed proper VHF training.
The situation varies significantly from country to country. Sometimes an SRC is accepted together with a valid skipper licence (for example, the ICC often includes VHF rights, but some countries still require separate proof). There is also a difference between certificates for inland waters and coastal waters.
We have observed that many of our students successfully use the SkipperCheck SRC for yacht charters and when applying for radio licences (Ship Station Licence). However, because the rules differ from country to country, we strongly recommend checking the specific requirements with the relevant authority in advance. This way you will know whether our certificate is sufficient or if you need to fulfil additional requirements or take classroom exams to obtain a nationally issued certificate.
The goal of every certificate — whether national or private — is the same: to show that you have mastered the subject. At SkipperCheck we focus strongly on this. You can be confident that the material you learn with us is correct, up-to-date, necessary, and of high quality.
The SkipperCheck VHF SRC course has been developed in official cooperation with the Latvian national maritime authorities and follows the key ITU standards as well as the CEPT/ERC/REC 31-04 recommendations.
Most students complete the VHF course in 6 to 10 hours of study, split across several sessions. The course is fully online, self-paced, and includes practical radio scenarios, distress, urgency and safety call procedures, and realistic DSC simulator exercises.
The SkipperCheck SRC certificate is not automatically valid in every country. It is issued by a private training provider and designed for non-commercial use on pleasure craft only. The course follows CEPT/ERC/REC 31-04 recommendations and ITU standards, which are widely accepted across most CEPT member states and many flag states worldwide. In practice, it is often more than enough for yacht chartering, boat registration, and radio authorisations. However, some countries or authorities may require their own national certificate or an additional endorsement, especially for their citizens. We strongly recommend checking the exact requirements with the relevant maritime authority, charter company, or flag state beforehand — the best way is to show them a sample of our certificate. Our main goal is to provide high-quality, practical VHF radio training. The course is officially respected by national authorities, and while the certificate is a nice bonus, it is frequently sufficient for pleasure craft use.
The Skipper Refresher Course is designed for sailors who want to refresh their theoretical knowledge before the new sailing season. It covers all the essential topics: COLREGs (navigation rules), buoyage, weather, safety equipment, emergency procedures, and electronic navigation. The course keeps theory light and practical — focusing only on what you really need — making it an ideal first step for newcomers or a perfect refresher after a long break. Share it with your crew too, especially the safety sections. It will help prepare everyone for a safe and confident voyage.
The Refresher Course does not assume that you already hold a skipper licence or have equivalent experience. If you are new to sailing, this can be a very good first step.
The daily quiz is a free game where sailors answer one randomly selected maritime question per day. Questions cover COLREGs, navigation, VHF radio, seamanship, knots, weather and yacht systems. Correct answers earn points and move you up the global leaderboard.
You earn points for correct answers and lose points for incorrect ones. Inviting other sailors to play also awards points. Separate leaderboards track the best players over the last 7 days, 30 days, 365 days and all-time, plus a country ranking showing which nations have the most active maritime quiz community.
No — you can try the demo question immediately without creating an account. Please note that the demo questions are static. Once you create a free account, you'll receive new questions every day, save your progress, build streaks, earn badges, and appear on the global leaderboard. You'll be learning so much almost without noticing — having fun while steadily improving your maritime knowledge. It's the small, regular steps that make the biggest difference — this is exactly how your "sea mind" will develop and grow stronger. The global, weekly, monthly, yearly and country leaderboards are public and can be viewed without logging in.
A strike is earned by answering the daily question correctly several days in a row. Weekly and super strikes reward longer streaks and give you a visible badge on the leaderboard. Streaks reset if you miss a day, so consistency matters more than speed.
All questions are handmade and carefully curated by the SkipperCheck team at Nautica.lv — the Baltic's first international sailing school since 2008 — in cooperation with experienced lecturers from the Latvian Maritime Academy.
In most official skipper exams, you are not required to memorise more than 500 questions. What matters is your understanding and your ability to make correct decisions at sea. If you converted the full syllabus into quiz questions, you'd be surprised how manageable the total actually is. SkipperCheck helps you stay sharp by providing fresh, relevant questions daily — including occasional bonus questions to broaden your knowledge. Little by little, you'll become one of the best-informed skippers — almost without realising it. Small steps, taken regularly — that's the secret. Just 5 minutes a day can make a huge difference in a year. Exams will also feel much easier.
Most maritime trivia sites offer static question banks that rarely change. SkipperCheck is the only dedicated daily quiz built specifically for yacht skippers. It features a live global leaderboard, streak mechanics, and a bonus question delivered by email to subscribers. We are constantly adding new questions to keep the quiz fresh and challenging.
The daily maritime quiz, demo question and public leaderboards are free. The VHF Short Range Certificate course and the Skipper Refresher Course are paid programmes, with a one-time fee that includes full access, simulator practice and certification where applicable.
Yes. SkipperCheck.net is fully responsive and works on phones, tablets and desktops. The daily quiz and VHF simulator are optimised for mobile, so you can study and play from anywhere — even offline at anchor, once pages are loaded.
SkipperCheck.net is built by Nautica.lv, the first international sailing school in the Baltic region, operating since 2008. Our instructors have trained over 1,000 yacht captains and motorboat operators and have cooperated with state institutions including the State Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard and Ministry of Transport.
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