Last Thursday I left the freeways, conference center, and Funkturm of Messe Nord by bus and was swiftly whisked back into nature. Buildings gave away to tree lined roads and before long you could glimpse the water. Stepping off the bus I wandered by several residences, a closed restaurant, and then spotted my address at the marina. It was a confusing complex of buildings, many boats, and even a lawn with a small train and swing for children. We found the boat school near the water and stepped inside to learn the basics of boat right of way, knots, and more. In short, this was not my typical Thursday.

So, how did I find myself here? I work for a Berlin startup and along with the usual fine line-up of perks like free drinks and snacks in our sleek office, flexible hours and option to work fully remote from practically anywhere, funds for transportation, gym, as well as an education benefit, we have great events – some of which take place on the company boats. As an added bonus, you can even take the boats out yourself, provided you have been approved as a captain with some basic training. It is a great perk.

For that reason, I had joined our latest round of boat training. Good thing as I had already scheduled my first boat trip a little more than a week away and there was a lot to learn! While a license isn’t necessary for many boats it is always best to understand the rules of the water before taking a boat out for a spin. Here is some of the information I learned over our two-day session on how to drive a boat in Germany.

Boat School in Berlin PHOTO: Erin Porter

Who Needs a Boat License?

First of all, you should know that you don’t need a license to drive many boats in Germany. Our company boats are more like overgrown rafts and top speed has us puttering along far slower than most other boats on the water. The rule is that motorboats (or “Mobo” as our instructor affectionately refer to them) with an engine of less than 15 hp (11.03 KW) do not require a boating licence to operate. Other rules:

• The boat is no longer than 20 meters
• Skipper is at least 16 years old and of sound body mind, and soul (gesunder Körper, Geist und Seele)
• Legal drinking limit of .05% (same as with cars, and violation of this with alcohol or other drugs can result in losing your boat and driving license)

To get an Inland sport boating pilot’s licence (Sportbootführerschein SBF Binnen), you need to pass a written exam (Sportbootführerschein Binnen) as well as a practical (Motorbootführerschein praktische Prüfungen). The written exam is only 30 multiple choice questions, but is taken from around 300 questions that can be asked. This exam is only in German and though some people have passed with minimal German (and the help of apps and study guides), it is difficult. Our boat school provided a handy list of the requirements to take the German boat exam. Also note that sailing boats and open waters require a different license.

Once you have the license, it is good for life (unless you get it taken away). Another huge benefit is that is recognized throughout Europe – except for Lake Constance (der Bodensee) where a special licence is required.

For a country with so many rules, the boating rules frequently struck me as entirely finicky in some areas and incredibly lax in others.

Boat Knots + German Names

A portion of our theoretical study over these two days was spent tying knots (Knoten). We learned how to do:

• Achtknoten – figure 8 knot
• Kreuzknoten – reef knot
• Palstek -bowline
• Webeleinstek + Webeleinstek auf slip – clove hitch
• Stopperstek – rolling hitch
• Schotstek – sheet bend
• 1 1/2 Rundtörn mit zwei halben schlägen – Round turn and two half-hitches
• Klampe – cleat

Each of these knots have a specific purpose and we practiced them carefully with ropes which we were able to take home and keep practicing on. These knots will appear on the practical exam and you are expected to know their German name. I used this site to translate the terms, but if we have any salty mariners out there that see a needed correction, let me know in the comments.

Practicing my knots PHOTO: Erin Porter

Right of Way

Boats have a hierarchy on the water and we discovered we as Mobos (again – small motorboats) are the lowest ranking. The list goes:

1. Police/Ambulance/Behorde im Einsatz – Basically anything with a siren takes priority
2. Commercial Work Boats – Boats that are hauling, moving, working
3. Wind – Vehicles powered by wind are more unpredictable and get a high priority
4. Muscle – Boats like paddle or kayak or anything powered by muscle come next
5. Mobos – Boats under 20 meter powered by motors take last slot

This means that if you see you are on a collision course with another boat, you keep an eye on that boat for a moment, see if your paths continue to intersect, and if you are in the lower priority, it is up to you to adjust. Our instructor made it perfectly clear that if you are the captain everything is your responsibility…which means if something goes wrong it is always your fault.

German Boat Vocabulary

There was a lot of information to take into during this course and what I covered here really only skims the surface. While you don’t need a license to drive a boat in Germany, I highly recommend you take a similar course to prepare. I’ll leave you with some German boat vocabulary and thoughts of a summer on the water.

• das Boot – boat
• der Bug – Bow
• das Steuerbord/steuerbord (adv) – the right/starboard side / on the starboard side
• das Backbord/backbord (adv) – the left/port side / on the port side
• das Heck – Stern
• Achteraus – behind/aft
• der Anker – anchor
• die Breitseite – broadside
• das Deck – deck
• das Fender – fender
• das Ruder/das Steuer – rudder
• der Knoten – knot
• der Kompass – compass
• der Propeller – propeller
• der Kapitän – captain
• Leinen los – cast off
• Mann über Bord! – Man overboard!

Much more German boat vocab here.