For a sailing boat with a auxillary motor over 5 HP you need a certificate for skippers on pleasure crafts with motor on internal waters. If you want to sail in Berlin, too, you have to get a certificate for boat drivers on pleasure crafts with motor and under sails for internal waters (SBS Binnen)

For SBS Binnen schedule a free weekend and 2 til 3 further evenings for theoretical training, about 5 free forenoons at weekends for practical sailing training, some time for learning theories by yourself, a friday afternoon and a saturday forenoon for the theoretical and practical examination and a budget of about 400 €.

But perhaps the lake gets too small for you. You want to explore the sea.

To sail with a opti near the coast you don´t need any driving licence. But we assume that you want to charter a yacht at the Baltc or the Mediterranian Sea. For that you need at first a certificate for boat drivers on pleasure crafts at sea (SBS See)

Schedule for that 2 further 2 weekends, 2 til 3 further evenings for theoretical training, 2 til 3 hours for practical training, time for learing theories by yourself, a friday afternoon and a saturday forenoon for the examination and a budget of about 300 €.

Now you may not use the radio equipment aboard yet.

All along this was dangerous and from this year it is penally. So you need a radio certificate SRC (Short Range Certificate), too. Depending your knowledge in English and German languages schedule a further evening or a weekend for theoretical and practical trainings, time for learning theories by yourself and a budget of about 250 €.

From most of the charter companies you now can charter wothout any problem. But don´t forget: you trained docking with a small motor boat on calm internal waters and you charter for going with a yacht at sea. You would not only be overwhelmed by overtaking and checking the yacht. All aboard is much bigger. The forces at sea are much stronger. You nor know what is swell and rough sea, nor how a yacht in the wind behaves in a harbour, nor how finding the port entrance from sea for return (too, if you had answered all theoretical questions in the nautical examination). In the examination you challenged the docking maneuvres with the small boat but on the yacht all looks differently. May be now you can not even remember the docking maneuvres. Maybe you will lucky return if you behave very carefully.

But this adventure will not be recommended. As a skipper you are fully responsible for your all your doing as well for the life of the crew. And in case of insurance the insurance company will ask for your qualification and your experiance.
So it would be more wise and secure joining a sailing cruise or a skipper training at sea for some days before charting the first yacht yourself.

Therefore some charter companies demand not only the SBS See but the certificate for coastal mariners at pleasure crafts (Sportbootküstenschifferschein - SKS). For this purpose at first you have to join a sailing cuise at sea for minimum 300 nautical miles. 2 weeksends you enlage upon theories from SBS See and you exercise tidal navigation. The theoretical training is about 300 €. You close it with an theoretical examination. Then you join a practical training at sea of 1 week and a close with a practical examination. You can join the practical training at a yacht starting from Warnemünde for 399 €.

If now you wouldn´t have enough from learning and examinations or you want to go on great cuise or practise professional sailing you can do the certificate for mariners on pleasure crafts at sea (Sportbootseeschifferschein - SSS) or the certificate for mariners on pleasure crafts at high sea (Sportboothochseeschifferschein - SHS)

For driving pleasure crafts obtain the following gidelines:
SBS Binnen - internal waters (exeptions on Bodensee)
SBS See - til 3 nm from coast
SKS - til 12 nm from coast
SSS - til 30 nm from coast, hole North and Baltic Sea, Channel, Bristol Channel, Shottich Sea,
Mediterranean and Black Sea
SHS - Atlantic and further oceans

The costs can regional differ. Fees for examinations and teaching material should be added.

To be admitted for examination you have to be minimum 16 years old, submit a doctor´s certificate and a driving licence or police certificate.