What's on the Croatian boat licence exam, and how to study

The format: an oral exam, face to face

You take the exam in person before an examination commission (an ispitna komisija, usually three members) at a Lučka kapetanija — a harbour master's office — or at the Ministry in Zagreb. It is an oral and theoretical exam, not a multiple-choice quiz and not an on-water boat-handling test. The examiners take turns asking questions and moving across the syllabus; two short practical tasks happen right there at the desk, on a paper chart and a length of rope.

A sitting typically runs 20 to 40 minutes, and the result — passed or failed — is given at the end, usually subject by subject and then overall. Most candidates describe a purely spoken exam, though a few offices are said to add a short written element, so treat the oral exam as the core and confirm the exact shape with your office.

What you'll be asked about

The official programme is usually grouped into five areas: navigation, engines, seamanship, regulations and meteorology, manoeuvring and safety of navigation, and radiotelephony. In practice the questions cluster around a familiar set of topics:

• The rules of the road (COLREG). Who gives way and who stands on in crossing, overtaking and head-on situations, and the general principle of avoiding collision. This is the heart of the exam — examiners often place small model boats on the chart and ask which one has right of way and what each should do.
• Navigation lights and shapes. Recognising vessels by their lights at night — a power-driven vessel, a vessel at anchor, one not under command, a vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre — and the day shapes (balls, cones, cylinders) that carry the same meaning.
• Sound and distress signals. The short and prolonged blasts for manoeuvring and for restricted visibility, and the recognised signals of distress.
• IALA buoyage. What the marks mean and which side to pass them. Croatia and the whole Adriatic are in IALA Region A (see the note below).
• The phonetic alphabet. The NATO/ITU spelling alphabet — Alpha, Bravo, Charlie — used to spell names and call signs clearly over the radio.
• Chart work. On a paper Adriatic chart you'll plot a position from coordinates, lay off a course, and measure a distance and a bearing — a handful of short constructions with parallel rules and dividers.
• Knots. Tying a few working knots by hand — typically a figure-eight, a bowline, a reef knot, a cleat hitch and a couple of others — neatly and securely.
• Basic meteorology. The local Adriatic winds and what they mean for a small boat — the cold, gusty bura from the north-east, the wet southerly jugo, and the gentle summer maestral — plus reading a simple forecast.
• Basic engine checks. Sensible pre-departure and running checks on an outboard or inboard — fuel, oil, cooling water, the basics of what to look at before you start and while you run.
• Marine VHF radiotelephony. Using the boat's radio: calling on channel 16, the difference between distress, urgency and safety calls, and your call sign. The B syllabus covers this for use in Croatia; the standalone radio certificate is a separate exam (see below).

One thing worth memorising: Region A buoyage

Buoyage is the one area where the world is split in two, so it pays to be sure which half you're in. Croatia, like the rest of Europe, follows IALA Region A. Following the direction of buoyage (broadly, coming in from seaward), you keep red marks to port — on your left — and green marks to starboard, on your right. A useful contrast for anyone who has sailed in the Americas: that is the opposite hand to Region B's "red, right, returning".

Cardinal marks (north, east, south, west) and the isolated-danger mark are the same in both regions, so only the red-and-green lateral marks flip. Croatia's aids to navigation are maintained by Plovput, the national authority, so the buoyage you'll meet on the water matches exactly what you study for the exam.

How to study for it

There is no mandatory course for category B, so you have a genuine choice: study on your own, or take an optional preparation course (tečaj) at a sailing school. Both routes lead to the same exam. A lot of the material is international — COLREG, the phonetic alphabet and chart work are the same the world over — which means you can learn the concepts first in a language you're comfortable in, then attach the Croatian terms you'll actually hear in the room.

• Work from the official programme. Whichever school's script or book you use, check it against the syllabus subjects above so nothing is missing. The breadth matters more than depth — examiners test a little of everything.
• Drill COLREG, lights and buoyage until they're automatic. These are the most-asked topics and the easiest to lose marks on through hesitation. Flashcards for lights and shapes work well.
• Practise chart work with real tools. Borrow or buy parallel rules and dividers and run the standard constructions — position, course, distance, bearing — a dozen times until they feel routine.
• Tie the knots with your hands, not your eyes. Knowing what a bowline looks like is not the same as tying one under mild pressure. Keep a short rope by your desk.
• Learn the Croatian terms even if you study in English. The questions and the chart labels will be in Croatian, so a small glossary — kurs (course), pramac (bow), krma (stern), desni/lijevi bok (starboard/port side) — saves you in the room.
• Read up on the local winds. Adriatic weather is its own small topic; understanding the bura, jugo and maestral covers most of what's asked and is genuinely useful once you're chartering — see our guide to the Adriatic winds.

Most people prepare comfortably over a few weeks of light study, or compress it into a focused few days if they already have some boating background — which is what makes the licence realistic to earn on a Croatian holiday.

Language, the radio certificate, and what it costs

The official syllabus and exam are in Croatian. Some sailing schools say they can arrange the exam in English, German or Italian on request, but this is not an officially guaranteed option and may depend on the examiners available at your chosen office — so if you need another language, confirm it directly with that harbour master's office before you book.

On the radio side, basic marine VHF is part of the B syllabus, so a Croatian B holder is covered to use the boat's radio in Croatia. The standalone Short Range Certificate (SRC) — the full VHF/DSC radio operator's certificate that many charter bases ask to see — is a separate supplementary radio exam (RTF) with its own small fee, not part of category B itself.

Common questions