I guess that the RYA instructor/examiner comment is aimed at me (www.spanishsailing.com, www.sailingcoursesinspain.com). Didn't realise I kept a low profile :) Just don't seem to get much local demand for the courses I run. HOWEVER...

In response to this chain of questions we have done a bit of enquiring. Tarragona referred us to a Government bulletin that essentially says that any qualification appropriarte to the type of craft and use from another EU country will be accepted as part of a submission for a Spanish license. To this end, I am qualified to run a course in conjunction with International Yacht Training (www.iytworld.com) who are one of the other international schools. This course is approved by the MCA and is 2 days with a mixture of theory and practical.
Watch this space for some more details in the next few days...