The answer is, of course, no. While the upcoming date of enforcement for the 2010 Manila Amendments might be making the headlines of the crew publications, they’re not quite making national headlines; Brexit, as we know, is.

Now while the referendum is a mandate of the British people, it is not legally binding (though few are suggesting this means we will see any other outcome). The 2010 Manila Amendments, and the refresher training included therein, are required by law.

However, there is one shared characteristic of the reaction to the two, and that seems to be the inability to accept this upcoming change. I’ve heard a number of crew disagreeing with the requirements for revalidation and refreshing of certificates (if we move the legal requirement aside, my personal opinion is that reminding someone how to save a life is no bad thing).

There is one shared characteristic of the reaction to the two, and that seems to be the inability to accept this upcoming change.

But in both cases, just because something has happened that you might disagree with, it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to voice your opinion. Taking a step off the boats and towards Parliament, those watching a post-Brexit Question Time on the BBC will have seen Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, declare, “Even if you lose the vote, you are entitled to go on making the argument”. And this, I think, is particularly apt for our superyacht crew. Perhaps you’ve lost the ‘vote’, or rather, you weren’t directly involved, but that doesn’t mean crew can’t voice their grievances. It’s important crew voice their concerns to industry bodies, to training schools and to the media. It’s not as if this industry shies away from regulations. Who knows when the next set will come out, and the more crew voices we hear the more they can be taken into account.

But even if you disagree with refresher training, even if you think you know all there is to know about first aid and you think it’s just more red tape and the schools are getting more money, even if you think that, you still must do it. It is a legal requirement. So by all means voice your opinion, please do, but make sure you’ve got those courses booked and aren’t breaking any laws come 1 January, 2017. 

Be sure to keep an eye out for our in-depth look at refresher training in our Monaco Yacht Show issue.

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