SisterShip Training and Boat Licencing

New course

Buying a Cruising Sailboat Without the Expensive Mistakes

Helping you buy the cruising sailboat you actually want

Looking at cruising sailboats, older yachts or liveaboard-style boats? This practical course helps you slow down, ask better questions, spot red flags and understand the real cost before you commit.

  • Built from Jackie and Noel’s decades of boating, training and cruising experience
  • Short video lessons and practical buyer checklists
  • Real costs, red flags, survey, paperwork and insurance checks
View the Course
$59 One-time course access Start here

Free SisterShip community + optional Premium support available

Everyone wants to tell boat buyers which boat to buy

Jackie and Noel ask what you want your boat to do first

Because the right cruising boat isn't the one everyone else recommends

It's the one that fits the life you want to live

NSW Boat Licence

Get Your NSW Boat Licence — And Feel Prepared On The Water

Clear, practical training that helps you pass the test and feel more confident once you’re actually out on the water.

Already boating but still unsure?

If you already hold your licence, or don’t legally need one, but still feel nervous making decisions on the water, this course will help you feel calmer and more capable out there.

Practical boating education built for real-world confidence

Designed for recreational boaters, cruisers, and maritime students who want calmer, more practical confidence - not just theory.

20+ years training experience

Over 20 years helping boaters and maritime students build practical, real-world confidence.

1,000+ students taught

Online and face-to-face training designed to make boating easier to understand and apply.

Real boating experience

Training built around the real decisions boaters face on the water - not just textbook scenarios.

Step-by-step teaching

Clear explanations that help you understand what to do, when to do it, and why it matters.

Proud BIA Member

Supporting safer, more practical boating education for Australian boaters and marine students.

Motorboat on calm water used for SisterShip Training boating confidence and licence courses

Local training for the Sapphire Coast
Bega Valley • Merimbula • Eden • Bermagui

NSW Boat & Jet Ski Licence Training in Bega Valley & the Sapphire Coast

Friendly, face-to-face NSW boat licence and PWC (jet ski) licence training for people from Bega, Merimbula, Eden, Bermagui, Pambula, Tathra, Narooma and surrounding South Coast communities.

Regular public courses in Bega • Private group options available across the region

NSW Boat Licence

$224

Theory training and knowledge assessment.

PWC / Jet Ski Licence

$109

PWC theory and knowledge assessment.

Boat + PWC

$288

Complete both knowledge components together.

A Local Course Without the Big-City Trip

SisterShip Training is based in the Bega Valley and provides NSW boat licence and PWC licence training for the wider Sapphire Coast and South Coast.

Our regular public course is held in Bega. We welcome students travelling from Merimbula, Eden, Bermagui, Pambula, Tathra, Narooma and surrounding communities.

Have a group? We may also be able to arrange training in another local area, subject to minimum numbers and availability.

Need a course at short notice?
Contact us. Because we are locally based, we can sometimes help with additional dates or private groups.
NSW boat safety equipment checklist and boating safety tips from SisterShip Training

Choose the Licence Training You Need

General Boat Licence

$224

Attend the face-to-face theory training and complete the NSW general boat licence knowledge assessment.

You will also need evidence of practical boating experience. If you are using the logbook pathway, this means completing the required trips with an experienced skipper.

PWC / Jet Ski Licence

$109

Complete the PWC theory and knowledge assessment required for your NSW PWC licence.

You need a general boat licence first, but there is no separate PWC practical-experience requirement.

Boat + PWC

$288

Complete the general boat and PWC theory and knowledge components together.

General boat practical-experience requirements still apply before your boat licence can be issued.

What Happens on the Course?

  1. Learn the rules and essential boating knowledge. Jackie guides you through the material in plain language and gives you time to ask questions.
  2. Revise before the assessment. We work through assessment-style questions and make sure you understand the important safety points.
  3. Sit the required knowledge assessment. Complete the general boat licence assessment, PWC assessment, or both, depending on what you booked.
  4. Complete your remaining licence requirements. For a general boat licence, this includes providing the required evidence of practical boating experience, such as the NSW practical boating logbook.
  5. Apply for your licence through Service NSW. Take your required documentation to Service NSW.

Boat Licence Training Across the Bega Valley & South Coast

Our regular public NSW boat and PWC licence courses are held in Bega. We also work with students from Merimbula, Pambula, Eden, Bermagui, Tathra, Narooma and surrounding South Coast communities. Choose your area below for local course information.

Want to Take Your Boat Licence Further?

If you need to operate eligible vessels commercially, SisterShip Training also delivers Coxswain Grade 3 Near Coastal training.

There are two pathways we regularly help students with. SisterShip delivers the training for both pathways, including the three maritime-unit pathway through our RTO partnership.

Pathway 1: Three Maritime Units

SisterShip delivers these three units through our RTO partnership:

  • MARI003 Comply with regulations to ensure safe operation of a vessel up to 12 metres
  • MARK007 Handle a vessel up to 12 metres
  • MARN008 Apply seamanship skills aboard a vessel up to 12 metres

Our current delivery is three training days: two days of theory and assessment plus one practical training and assessment day.

No separate sea-service requirement applies to this pathway.

These units may also be eligible for credit towards Coxswain Grade 1, subject to the receiving RTO's credit-transfer requirements.

Pathway 2: NSW Boat Licence

Complete your NSW boat licence theory and assessment through SisterShip Training.

You then complete the additional practical requirements, including:

  • the NSW practical boating requirements
  • the on-water tasks on AMSA Form 1882
  • at least one day of qualifying commercial sea service

The practical logbook, Form 1882 tasks and commercial sea service are completed separately from the classroom training.

SisterShip can also assist with practical components where required, under a separate quotation.

Requirements common to both Coxswain Grade 3 pathways
You will also need a current HLTAID011 Provide First Aid certificate or accepted equivalent, meet AMSA medical requirements, and hold the evidence required for your chosen pathway.

Why Train with SisterShip?

Locally Based

SisterShip Training is based in the Bega Valley, so you are dealing with local trainers rather than a provider travelling into the region only for an occasional course.

Experienced Maritime Trainers

Jackie and Noel bring extensive practical boating, cruising and maritime-training experience to the classroom.

Questions Are Welcome

The aim is not simply to get through a test. We want you to understand what you are learning and leave better prepared for the water.

★★★★★

“Jackie was approachable and friendly and made sure we were all confident by the end of the day. Highly recommended.”

NSW Boat & PWC Licence FAQs

Where is your boat licence course held?

Our regular public course is held in the Bega area and is suitable for students travelling from Merimbula, Eden, Bermagui, Pambula, Tathra, Narooma and surrounding communities. Private group locations may also be possible, subject to minimum numbers and availability.

Do I need practical boating experience for a NSW boat licence?

Yes. A NSW general boat driving licence requires evidence of practical boating experience as well as passing the knowledge test. One option is to complete the NSW practical boating logbook with an experienced skipper.

Do I need practical training for the PWC or jet ski licence?

You need a general boat licence before upgrading to a PWC licence. There is no separate PWC practical-experience requirement.

How old do I need to be?

NSW boat and PWC licences are available from age 12. Licence restrictions apply to people under 16.

Can you run a course for a private group?

Yes, depending on numbers, location and trainer availability. Contact SisterShip Training to discuss what you need.

Can my boat licence lead towards Coxswain Grade 3?

Yes. A current recreational boat licence can be used as one Coxswain Grade 3 pathway when the additional AMSA practical tasks and qualifying commercial sea service are completed. SisterShip also delivers the alternative three-unit pathway through our RTO partnership.

I am nervous about sitting a test. Is the course suitable for me?

Yes. We allow time for questions, explanation and revision before the assessment. Beginners and people who have not sat an exam for many years are welcome.

Read more NSW Boat Licence and PWC Licence FAQs

Ready to Get Your NSW Boat or PWC Licence?

View the next Bega Valley course dates and book your place online.

View Dates & Book

Questions, private group or Coxswain Grade 3 enquiry?
Email support@sistershiptraining.com or call 0458 391 660 .