Greece Category A Theory study guide
Greece Category A Theory · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Greece Category A Theory examination is the written knowledge test that supports the Greek professional small-craft skipper licence, the highest of the national recreational and light-commercial categories. It is aimed at candidates who intend to command a vessel commercially within Greek waters, charter with paying guests, or operate at the upper end of the size and power limits the category allows, and it assumes real sea time rather than classroom-only familiarity. The Greece Category A Theory study guide has 7 sections and about 3,478 words.
01Navigation and Chartwork
Navigation and chartwork is a heavy scoring domain in the Greek Category A paper: plotting fixes, courses and estimated positions on Hellenic Navy Hydrographic Service (ΧΥΣ/ΥΝ) charts, converting between compass and true, and solving the drift, current and leeway problems that decide whether a passage plan is safe. Questions are numeric and practical, and they expect you to read the chart extract and the vessel's deviation table correctly.
481 words, about 2 min02Collision Regulations (COLREG) and Safe Navigation
This domain tests whether you can apply the 1972 Collision Regulations under time pressure: lookout and safe speed, the order of precedence between steering rules, lights, shapes, sound signals and conduct in restricted visibility. Greek examiners favour short scenario questions where the distractors are plausible but wrong about which rule takes priority.
504 words, about 3 min03Meteorology and Weather Routing
Meteorology in the Greek Category A exam is regional, not generic: the meltemi, the bora and Vardaris, the sirocco, summer thunderstorms over the mainland, and the acceleration of wind between islands. You are expected to read a synoptic chart and a gale warning, use ΕΜΥ (HNMS) and Navtex products, and turn a forecast into a routing decision.
499 words, about 2 min04Seamanship, Rigging and Vessel Handling
This domain covers the practical seamanship the examiner expects of a Category A skipper: anchoring and Mediterranean stern-to mooring, line handling and knots, rigging checks, man-overboard recovery and the effect of wind, current and propeller on a hull with plenty of freeboard. Lay chain at 5:1 in moderate conditions and 7:1 or more in strong wind; mixed rope-and-chain rode needs about 7–8:1.
488 words, about 2 min05Maritime Law, Regulations and Skipper Responsibilities
The legal domain tests the Greek and international rules that frame a skipper's authority: the Code of Public Maritime Law, the role of the port authority (Λιμεναρχείο), documents that must be on board, reporting duties after a casualty, the duty to render assistance, and pollution and local port regulations. Legislative Decree 187/1973 (Κώδικας Δημοσίου Ναυτικού Δικαίου) is the backbone of Greek public maritime law, enforced by the Hellenic Coast Guard through the local port authority.
519 words, about 3 min06Safety of Life at Sea, Firefighting and Emergencies
This domain tests the decisions that keep people alive: distress communications, lifesaving equipment, man-overboard and abandon-ship procedures, and firefighting afloat. Expect questions that pair an equipment fact with a procedural decision - which alert to send, what to shut off first, why you never open the engine hatch.
493 words, about 2 min07Marine Engines, Electrical Systems and Maintenance
The engineering domain checks that a skipper can keep a small diesel running and diagnose it when it stops: the four-stroke cycle, cooling, fuel and lubrication systems, exhaust smoke as a diagnostic clue, and the 12/24 V DC and 230 V shore systems on board. Questions are usually symptom-based - what does white smoke mean, why did the engine overheat at high rpm.
494 words, about 2 min