Not to my knowledge. You'd better have some decent sea training, however. And of course, you'll need a passport (and sometimes a visa) to set foot in most countries.

...and protection, and know how to use it, and willing to use it.

Not as long as you are not receiving any compensation of any kind from the owner, passengers, or anyone else connected to the vessel. Because of where I was trained, all the information below is quite Ameri-centric, but the international rules and regulations described here are the same for everybody. Ports of Call, Ship's Papers and Passports All that is officially required is ship's papers for your vessel, and passports for you and your passengers and crew. When you initially enter a foreign country, you must do so in a designated Port of Call (PoC). This is where they have their Customs and Immigration facilities and where all the consulates or Embassies are. In other words, these are the cities best equipped to deal with foreigners. If you attempt to land anywhere else, they will get all pissy with you because they are just regular cops and they don't know what to do with idiots that don't know what a PoC is, but they do have the power to fine or jail you before dispatching you to a proper PoC. A coastal city with an international airport is usually a PoC, but your charts and "cheat books" will inform you of any given country's PoCs. PoC Flag Protocol When you enter the host country's waters, you must be flying your national flag (the nation of your vessel's registry) from either the backstay or a flagstaff on the stern. This is a show of identity. You must also be flying the host nation's flag high from the starboard spreader of your foremost mast. This is a show of respect. Most importantly, you must be flying the yellow quarantine flag of declaration from your main masthead. This signals the customs officials that you are entering their country for the first time and are prepared to be boarded. If you don't do these things, prepare to be boarded in a very hostile way and scrutinized more thoroughly than if you had simply followed international protocol. Customs and Immigration Boardings Usually, the first people to board you will be Customs. They will want to see ship's papers. These are the certified documents describing ownership and the vessel itself. They will then want to know if you are carrying certain items that are important to that nation. They could be concerned about agricultural products, weapons, or drugs of any description and quantity. So, if you or your crew are taking prescription drugs, be sure to have them in the original bottles with the prescription label on it. Next, Immigration will come aboard. They will want to see passports or visas, etc. There will be questions about length of stay, sometimes there will be a fee for everyday each person is in-country. Most of the time not. Most places just want you to shop till you drop. Once you've cleared Customs and Immigration, you can take down the Yellow Quarantine flag as you now have papers onboard to show that you are welcome. You are now free to sail to any non-restricted area in that nation. If you look like you know what you are doing, it will be quite easy and routine. They don't ask for operator's licences unless you are carrying paid customers or goods, or are operating a vessel of great tonnage. In these cases you will need a license. But if you are a purely a recreational vessel, engaging in no business, you will not need licensure. If however, you have exhibited such incompetence in the operation of your vessel and personal behaviour that they deem you a hazard to yourself, your crew and to others, they have the power to quarantine your vessel and lock you up. They do not suffer fools. Sources and Classes Good sources for these rules are Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship and the Annapolis Book of Seamanship. Together, these are the seafarer's Bible. They should always be kept onboard and they should be required reading on downtime for your crew. As a Captain, whether you are master of a cruise liner or a kayak, it is your primary duty to operate a safe and efficient vessel and it is your crew's primary duty to assist you in the operation of a safe and efficient vessel. Once this primary duty is understood and maintained, the secondary duty is for everyone to have a good time and make it all look easy. The American Sailing Association, The Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Power Squadron all have classes on this subject and you will save yourself a lot of expense and heartbreak by learning protocol and the international rules of the road. Knowing some of the laws of each of your destinations is essential. For example, it has been advisable for some time now to sail armed in certain waters. However, there are some countries in which you never want to be caught with arms on board. For this purpose, we usually carry a couple of cheap old police .38 revolvers and one old beat-up 12-gauge then saw it down to about a one-foot barrel and take off some of the stock (there isn't a lot of swing room onboard). Upon entering the waters of an arms-unfriendly country, we throw them and all the ammo overboard. At the next arms-friendly port of call, we buy more. It's the cost of modern sailing. Remember, your flare gun is a good defensive weapon, but is considered a safety device under international law. Some vessels carry an extraordinary amount of flares and flareguns. I wouldn't advise international sailing over blue water without at least first taking the ASA courses I through V. These courses and their practicums will teach you how to do it by the book. Then, I'd crew and get some experience before I tried captaining a vessel. This will teach you how it's actually done and why. As in all disciplines, both of these schools are essential to becoming a great master. Good luck. Edit: Licensure isn't difficult in the US. If you have at least 400 documented days (4 hours or more per day) on the water in any vessel, contact Sea School and ask for the "Six Pack" course. This is a USCG-issued operator's license that enables you to Captain any motor or sailing vessel under 100 tons and to accept compensation from up to 6 passengers. It enables an enormous reduction in insurance as well. It's probably all the licensure you'll ever need. The course is about a week long and costs about $700.

I don't think so! You must be from here, people from here usually ask this questions because they are being charged for every little thing they do. Most other countries still have free entertainment available for you to enjoy and are not all based on raking your dollar, travel and enjoy :)