Power and sailGetting started
Introduction to Sailing (Power and Sail)
First steps
A practical first taste of life on board, from steering under power to handling ropes and sails.
IMSO International
Train for the water ahead.
Practical maritime training for people taking their first steps, building their skills or working towards greater responsibility on the water.
Already hold a certificate? Find certificate support.
Start here
What would you like to do?
Pick the option closest to what you need. Each one leads to the right information and a way to reach our team.
Learn to handle a boat
New to boating or sailing? Start with courses that build the fundamentals one step at a time.
See starter coursesDevelop as a skipper
Build on the experience you already have with courses that add planning, judgement and responsibility.
Compare skipper coursesArrange professional training
Discuss training for your role, your crew or your organisation, shaped around the work involved.
Discuss commercial trainingGet help with a certificate
Ask our certificate team to verify, renew or replace an IMSO, ITS or IWCT certificate.
Find certificate support
Our approach
Skills that make sense on the water.
IMSO brings practical experience and a clear learning structure together. We help you understand the skills you are building, what to practise next and how to keep progressing.
Practical learning
Skills are taught and practised on the water, with the theory that explains them.
Clear progression
You can see what each course covers and what a sensible next step looks like.
Support from first enquiry onward
We help you choose a course and stay in touch as your plans develop.
Recreational courses
Find your next course.
Start with the fundamentals or build on experience you already have. Explore our power and sail courses, then speak to us about the best fit.
PowerDeveloping
Small Boat Skipper (Power)
Developing
Develop safe powerboat handling and the seamanship behind every manoeuvre.
PowerAdvanced
Small Boat Master (Power)
Advanced
Take on more demanding trips with stronger boat handling, passage planning and judgement.
Power and sailAdvanced
Master Offshore (Power and Sail)
Advanced offshore
Refine advanced skippering and yacht management skills for offshore passages.
Training pathway
A clear way to progress
Your experience, any assessment and each course's prerequisites decide where you start and when you move on. Use these stages as a guide, then ask us about your next step.
- Stage 1
Start
Learn the basics of boat handling, safety and seamanship.
- Stage 2
Build your skills
Gain confidence as crew and helm in a wider range of situations.
- Stage 3
Take command
Take responsibility for the boat, the crew and the plan.
- Stage 4
Advance further
Develop navigation and passage planning for longer, more demanding trips.
Commercial marine
Commercial marine training
Develop the skills your role or team needs, with training shaped around the work ahead.
Discuss commercial training
ITS / IWCT
Oil, gas and well control
Find the specialist ITS and IWCT training route for your team.
Explore specialist trainingTraining centres
Bring IMSO training to your centre.
If your organisation is interested in delivering IMSO courses, tell us about your facilities, instructors and experience. We will explain the current requirements and next steps.
Certificates
Get help with a certificate
Certificate checks, renewals and replacements are handled by people, not an automated search. Choose the service you need.
Verify
Ask the certificate team to confirm whether a certificate is genuine. Every check is carried out by a person.
Verify a certificateRenew
Tell us about your certificate and we will explain whether it can be renewed and what we need.
Request a renewalReplace
Request a replacement for a lost or damaged certificate. We check the original record first.
Request a replacement
Let's find the right training for you.
Tell us what you want to achieve and what experience you have. We will help you identify a sensible next step.