The miles have been sailed — but afterwards nobody can prove them. How many you need, who may confirm them and how to record them while you still can.
In short
Many licensing bodies require documented sea miles before you can take the next qualification. The German SKS, for example, requires at least 300 nautical miles in coastal waters, the SSS 1,000 nautical miles after the SBF-See or 700 after the SKS — as watch leader or their deputy. RYA qualifications also have sea-time prerequisites; check the current requirements with the body that issues your licence. The miles are confirmed by the skipper responsible for each trip. Germany has no official form; an informal certificate stating the person, boat, dates, cruising area and number of miles is usual. Get it signed on the last evening on board, not months later by email.
The trip was two years ago. Croatia, ten days, good winds, a night passage from Vis to Hvar. You remember exactly what it was like — but not how many sea miles it was. And the skipper from back then? You remember the name, but not the email address.
That is the norm. Not missing miles, but missing proof. Almost everyone has sailed enough; very few can document it.
This article explains how many miles you need for what, who may confirm them and — above all — how to record them while that is still possible.
Many licensing bodies require documented sea miles or sea time before you can move up to the next qualification — whether that's a German licence, an RYA course or the experience you want to show for an ICC. The requirements differ, so check the current rules with the body that issues your licence. The German licences show how concrete these thresholds can be:
For the SKS you need to prove at least 300 nautical miles in coastal waters, on yachts with the relevant type of propulsion. On top of that you need to be at least 16 and hold the Sportbootführerschein See (SBF-See).
For the SSS it's 1,000 nautical miles after gaining the SBF-See — or 700 nautical miles if you already hold the SKS. The important difference: these miles must have been sailed as watch leader or their deputy, not as an ordinary crew member. Someone who has spent ten years sailing along as a guest won't have collected any SSS miles that way.
You submit the proof when you register for the exam, not on the day of the exam itself.
What counts is the distance actually covered over the ground, not the straight line between harbours. A day with lots of tacking therefore adds considerably more miles than the chart suggests at first glance.
Days when the boat is in harbour or at anchor don't count — even though they're undeniably part of the trip and sometimes the nicer part.
For miles under engine, the distance covered is what counts on yachts. What matters for crediting the miles is the yacht's type of propulsion rather than how it was being driven at the time. If you're unsure whether a particular passage counts, clarify it with the examining body before you register — finding out afterwards is the less pleasant order.
The skipper responsible for the trip. They confirm the dates, cruising area, number of miles and the role you had on board. On training trips the sailing school usually takes care of this, often with the paperwork already prepared.
On private trips among friends, this is exactly where things go wrong: nobody thinks about paperwork on the last evening. And getting a signature six months later ranges from tedious to hopeless.
This surprises many people: for the German licences, there is no officially prescribed form for a sea miles certificate. An informal certificate is usual, containing the relevant details and signed by the skipper:
Because requirements can differ between examining and licensing bodies, it's worth checking in advance with whoever you plan to take the exam with. It's one email, and it can save you a whole season.
Our template covers exactly these details — as a certificate for each trip and as a mileage log for everything that adds up over the years.
Download the sea miles log as a PDF — three pages: a sea miles certificate to sign and two mileage log pages with 50 lines and carry-forward. No sign-up, no email address.
Print the certificate before the trip and put it in the boat's paperwork folder. It sounds excessive — but it's the difference between "I've got it" and "I used to have it".
First: asking too late. The signature belongs to the last evening on board, when everyone is still together and the figures are in the logbook. After that, it gets harder every time.
Second: noting only the total. "Croatia 2024, about 250 nm" is not proof. Without dates, boat and skipper, exactly what the certificate is supposed to prove is missing.
Third: not separating night hours. Higher licence levels and some advanced courses require separate proof of night passages. Afterwards it's almost impossible to reconstruct which part of a leg was sailed in the dark. That's why night time belongs on the same line as the miles — when you enter them, not when you add them up.
Ask the skipper from back then anyway. With logbook data, old photos or even just harbour receipts as a reminder, many will confirm retrospectively. Two trips can often still be rescued this way.
If nobody can be reached any more, the only option is usually to sail the miles again. Annoying, but at least you get to go sailing.
The real reason miles get lost is mundane: they're never recorded anywhere you'll find them again later.
In Sailto the crew keeps the logbook together — legs with date, route and the day's sea miles, plus weather and notes. The distance sailed appears as a track on the map. At the end of the trip the total is right there, instead of having to be reconstructed from memory.
Exporting the logbook as a PDF requires the Trip Pass; keeping the logbook itself and recording your miles is part of the free plan.
It doesn't replace the skipper's signature — you still need that on paper. But you no longer have to guess the number that goes on it.
At least 300 in coastal waters, plus the SBF-See and a minimum age of 16.
1,000 nautical miles after the SBF-See or 700 after the SKS — as watch leader or their deputy.
No. What counts is the distance covered over the ground, not the length of the trip.
For the German licences there is no officially prescribed one. It should, however, contain all the relevant details and be signed by the skipper.
You collect sea miles by sailing. You collect proof on the last evening, with a sheet of paper and a pen. Make that a habit and you won't be left wondering, when you register for your exam, how many miles that one summer of 2023 actually added up to.
And if you're organising your next trip with your crew anyway: in Sailto the logbook runs alongside. Start for free — for unlimited trips.
Related: the charter check-in checklist explains why the engine hours belong in the check-in report right from the start — and the sailing trip packing list covers what else you need on a training trip.
At least 300 nautical miles in coastal waters on yachts with the relevant type of propulsion. On top of that you need to be at least 16 years old and hold the Sportbootführerschein See (SBF-See). You submit the proof when you register for the exam.
1,000 nautical miles on yachts in coastal waters after gaining the SBF-See — or 700 nautical miles after the SKS. Unlike for the SKS, these miles must have been sailed as watch leader or their deputy, not as an ordinary crew member.
The skipper responsible for the trip — that is, the skipper of the sailing or motor yacht on which the miles were covered. They confirm the dates, cruising area, number of miles and the role you had on board. On training trips, the sailing school usually takes care of this.
For the German licences there is no officially prescribed form. An informal certificate is usual, naming the person, boat, dates, cruising area, number of miles and role on board, signed by the skipper. Because requirements can differ between examining and licensing bodies, it's worth a quick check with whoever runs your exam.
What counts is the distance actually covered over the ground, not the straight line between the departure and destination harbours. So every tack counts in full. Days when the boat stays in harbour don't count — even though they are part of the trip.
Ask the skipper from back then whether they will confirm the miles retrospectively — with logbook data or photos as a reminder, this often still works. Without any record and without a skipper you can reach, the only option is usually to sail the miles again. That's exactly why it pays to collect each certificate right at the end of the trip.
Higher licence levels and some advanced courses require separate proof of night passages. Afterwards it's hard to tell which part of a leg was sailed at night — so the night time belongs on the same line as the sea miles, entered straight away.
On yachts, the distance covered counts regardless of whether you sailed or motored — but the yacht's type of propulsion determines which licence the miles can count towards. If you're unsure whether a particular passage counts, clarify it with the examining body before you register.