Legal frame Pravilnik o brodicama i jahtama NN 27/05 as amended (NN 57/06), arts 49–50, 54–55, 61–62, 83–84.a, 88 and Dodaci 9–10; NN 13/20 art. 48 (metre bands).
Two titles, two bands
| Zapovjednik jahte A | Zapovjednik jahte B | |
|---|---|---|
| Old name | yacht master "up to 100 BT" | yacht master "up to 500 BT" |
| Commands | yachts 18–24 m of any use (art. 82); also boats | yachts 24 m to 500 BT (art. 83), plus everything A covers |
| Minimum age | 18 | 20 |
| Medical | sight and hearing | sight and hearing |
| Training | Dodatak 9: 33 h lectures + 17 h exercises (50 h) + 25 h practical sailing | Dodatak 10: 88 h lectures + 86 h exercises = 174 h |
| Syllabus | navigation (incl. radar/ARPA, GPS); manoeuvring and COLREGs; ship knowledge and machinery; weather; maritime law; maritime English | navigation; construction and stability; manoeuvring and COLREGs; safety; weather; law; English |
| Validity | 5 years, renewed on medical | 5 years, renewed on medical |
A bachelor's degree in maritime transport (yacht and marina technology) replaces the course, but not the exam (arts 54–55). A holders are excused the practical-sailing part of the B course (art. 55(2)). Oddly, the consolidated Dodatak 10 shows no separate practical line, so ask the school what it actually runs.
The exam
The board and rules are those for C: a president and four members, oral and/or written plus a practical afloat with sailing, 70 % on the written part, and two subjects resat within 6 months (arts 61–62). Exams that need equipment are held at the authorised school (art. 60). No rule on exam language was found. Maritime English is a subject, not a language option.
Add-on certificates
From 24 m, the master also needs three STCW-style supplementary certificates (arts 83(2), 84(2)):
- Basic Safety (temeljna sigurnost);
- fire-fighting management (upravljanje gašenjem požara);
- medical first aid (pružanje medicinske prve pomoći).
Every yacht master also needs a radio certificate matched to the yacht's station (art. 84.a):
- sea area A1: a restricted operator's certificate or VHF DSC operator's certificate, which is the SRC level;
- areas A2–A4: a GOC.
Merchant officers: the conversion route
Art. 88 (transitional, NN 57/06) lets merchant CoC holders obtain the yacht titles:
- B: masters and chief mates of any size, OOW ≥500 GT, and master <500 GT coastal;
- A: additionally master <200 GT national and OOW <500 GT coastal.
The text does not mention an exam. Confirm the current procedure with the Ministry before you count on it.
TIP — Old requirements in school copy If a course page asks for 24 months' watchkeeping or age 25 for B, it is quoting the 2005 original. The text in force (NN 57/06) asks for age, medical, course and exam.
Exam preparation sits in Zapovjednik Jahte A & B — Yacht Master Exam Prep. For the MCA comparison, see Master (Yachts).