Captain School

[Captned]

Way to go Sparky. I seem to remember the Block Island Chart was the easiest to plot on....


Captned
MBMM

 

[Passages]

East LIS to Block is a great piece of water.

If you join us at Yankeefest, you can tell us all where to go. (;-))

 

[Sparky1]

Way to go Sparky. I seem to remember the Block Island Chart was the easiest to plot on....


Captned
MBMM

Didn't seem like it would make much difference, but more people picked Block than LIS. LIS just seemed more wide open to me, so I figured it would be easier to plot on that chart. Man, I plotted myself silly today and have the back pain and crossed eyes to prove it.

East LIS to Block is a great piece of water.

If you join us at Yankeefest, you can tell us all where to go. (;-))

Why wait 'til YankeeFest?

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

just answer every question here and you'll have no problem.....

http://www.usboating.com/test.htm

 

[Sparky1]

My power squadron just started a class on sexton's last week. I signed up for it till I found out it's a 5 MONTH school!!!! Since I do not plan on crossing the Pacific Ocean in a sailboat...... Will stick to using my GPS with my paper charts and doing DR as a backup..
Besides, Tuesday nights are my "Lillian Sports Bar" chicken wing night (.49 cent wings).....

just answer every question here and you'll have no problem.....

http://www.usboating.com/test.htm

I wonder if one of the questions is how to spell sextant. If so, I'm already one up on you.

 

[Sparky1]

Just remembered something which may be to useful to any of you who have been considering getting you license. My instructor told our class that we were getting in on the tail end of the easier days of getting a license. He says more stringent rules are on the way, and that getting a license will become much more difficult in the very near future.

Among other changes, it seems the Coasties are cutting down on the numbers of mom and pop schools which are nothing more than license mills. In fact, the class I originally signed up for was audited by them to make sure things were on the up and up. They passed with flying colors, and the CG examiner commented that the material they were providing their students was the best he had seen.

I don't remember if I posted information on this particular school, but their web address is www.truecourses.com If it works out that I don't pass my test, I'm going to come back and delete all these posts. Seriously, if you've been thinking about getting your ticket, there may be no better time than the present.

 

[stormchaser]

Just remembered something which may be to useful to any of you who have been considering getting you license. My instructor told our class that we were getting in on the tail end of the easier days of getting a license. He says more stringent rules are on the way, and that getting a license will become much more difficult in the very near future.

Among other changes, it seems the Coasties are cutting down on the numbers of mom and pop schools which are nothing more than license mills.

Yup, its happening... http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/training/announcements/course_oversight_MIB_21_APR _4_.pdf Now is the time to find one of those License Mills if you want your ticket.

 

[Boatsb]

Auditing the schools should not have any impact on being qualified. If you don't have the sea time and experience you should not be able to take the test.

 

[stormchaser]

No, but there were/are a LOT of schools that pretty much pass everyone who pays for the class...that's what they want to eliminate (a good thing in my opinion).

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

Showing "sea time" is a joke....

Had one man in my class who admitted he had owned his first boat (25 Mako) for less than 6 months before taking the class.

Used friends info to "show sea time" and ended up with a 100 ton masters..........

There needs to be some type of "on the water" tests to show one is competent, not just classroom tests...

 

[stormchaser]

The Master Mainer is simply a knowledge test. The idea is that you learn this rules first, then you apprentice under a Master and learn how to properly maneuver/operate a vessel. Remember, Master Mariner is not meant for recreational boaters. No Commercial operator will let you behind the wheel to begin your training until you prove you know the rules by getting your ticket. That's how I got mine...deckhand for 3 years on a ferry, then passed the test, THEN was allowed to take the wheel...and learn how to actually drive a big twin screw passenger ferry (well big by recreational standards).

 

[Boatsb]

I bet if they checked sea time and prosecuted the ones who lie about it a few times the practice would stop.

When I did mine years ago I had to get signed affidavits from the people who vouched for me. Even the bartender on the ferry had to get them. That was a long time ago before the whole idea of having a license to impress women caught on.

Today I would not be able to meet the standards I saw back in 1985. I think they have relaxed the rules to allow too many people to get a licence for the sake of having it and do not require you use it.


Maybe a recreational / light commercial license would be an option. One where you can only go so far without getting actual sea time that is verified.

 

[stormchaser]

I agree with having to have it all verified... I certainly had to...but that was back in early 1997.

 

[Sparky1]

Showing "sea time" is a joke....

Had one man in my class who admitted he had owned his first boat (25 Mako) for less than 6 months before taking the class.

Used friends info to "show sea time" and ended up with a 100 ton masters..........

There needs to be some type of "on the water" tests to show one is competent, not just classroom tests...

I've always thought it was silly not to have an actual test to prove you can at least get your boat in and out of the slip. We watched some video during this evening's class where some guy was explaining how such a test wouldn't be possible because all boats handle differently. No, this guy wasn't with the USCG, he represented boat manufacturers and was talking about testing as it would relate to licensing of boaters.

Sea time is on the honor system up until the 200T comes into play, and it sounds like your chances of having to prove anything are pretty slim unless you claim to have spent 31 days on a boat during the month of February. There's no doubt I have enough time, but there's also no doubt I'll have to guesstimate the actual number of days I've spent per year over the past 37 years since I was 15 years old which is where they start recognizing sea time.. I didn't realize until yesterday that you have to fill out a time sheet for every boat you've operated during that time. That in itself would make for one hell of a stack of papers. I figured out a while back I've owned some 36 boats since my early 20's. The instructor said there's no need in going back anu further than is necessary to meet the minimum requirements, so I won't have to go back all that far.

 

[34Hatt]

Just remembered something which may be to useful to any of you who have been considering getting you license. My instructor told our class that we were getting in on the tail end of the easier days of getting a license. He says more stringent rules are on the way, and that getting a license will become much more difficult in the very near future.

Good thing your doing it Now then

 

[Pascal]

for time to be submitted, if you were the owner you need to include a copy of the reg. or doc. to prove ownership... if you were not the owner, then the owner (or master) needs to sign the sea service form.

i'm planning on taking the 200t probably around summer time, i don't think the process is much different except that a day is defined as 8 hours, not 4.


"stormchaser
The Master Mainer is simply a knowledge test. The idea is that you learn this rules first, then you apprentice under a Master and learn how to properly maneuver/operate a vessel. Remember, Master Mariner is not meant for recreational boaters. No Commercial operator will let you behind the wheel to begin your training until you prove you know the rules by getting your ticket."

true but Master Mariner is the license you need for almost any real work on Recreational vessels carrying more than 6 passengers, like charter yachts (whether 6 to 12 pax uninspected bareboats, or over 6 pax inspected).

as to training, you can't get a ticket without having sea time... remember that you have 1 year between the exam and applying for the license, that's not enough to log in the required sea time, so you need to have the sea time before getting the license...

 

[Boatsb]

The real question is how can you qualify for a 200T license without running significant time on a vessel in that class under the supervision of a captain?

When I was looking into my 100 ton ( ocean operator in 1985 or so) I had over 90 days at sea on an 85 ton vessel. I was instructed in everything form line handling and celestial navigation. I stood watch each day and was part of a crew under a professional captain. That captain had to sign off on the sea time and all was well documented. I think that would make me experienced for a 100T license but not a 200 or 300T.

I think the eligibility of the next class license should be bound to actual experience on that class of vessel. Like a plane you do not get certified on an aircraft you have never flown just because you pass a written test.

 

[Sparky1]

The real question is how can you qualify for a 200T license without running significant time on a vessel in that class under the supervision of a captain?

The upgrades are a joke for the most part. I don't remember the specifics for the 200T, but I assume it's the same as getting the 50T and 100T in that you don't actually have to spend any time running either to get the upgrade.

If you spend 1 day on a vessel over 5GT, you get a 50T. If you spend 90 days on a vessel over 50GT, you get a 100T. If you spend 180 days on one over 34GT, you also get a 100T. No doubt that's how Pascal got his 100T, and that's how I'll get mine. Maybe he can fill us in on the requirements for the 200T as my info from class doesn't show it.

 

[Brian Degulis]

The real question is how can you qualify for a 200T license without running significant time on a vessel in that class under the supervision of a captain?

When I was looking into my 100 ton ( ocean operator in 1985 or so) I had over 90 days at sea on an 85 ton vessel. I was instructed in everything form line handling and celestial navigation. I stood watch each day and was part of a crew under a professional captain. That captain had to sign off on the sea time and all was well documented. I think that would make me experienced for a 100T license but not a 200 or 300T.

I think the eligibility of the next class license should be bound to actual experience on that class of vessel. Like a plane you do not get certified on an aircraft you have never flown just because you pass a written test.

This has come up before and being in the commercial marine bussiness all my life I can tell you that Pascal is right. First you get your license then you learn how to operate a boat. No commercial concern is going to spend time and money training you when you may never sit for or pass the test.

The tonnages will scare you also. Documented tonnage has nothing whatsoever to do with the the weight of a boat and it's relationship to size is not direct. There are passenger carring ferries that might be 100' and near 100 tons. Then there are ferries over 200' and still under 100 tons. It's all in the build and how the space is divided up. You can take a solid water tight bulkhead and mount a bolt on acces hatch in it and substationaly reduce the documented tonnage with no material effect on the boat at all. This is done often today to allow 100 license holders operate larger boats.

Where all this sounds scary and sounds like a written test is not enough the record speeks for itself. It's very good and there are very very few acidents caused by inexperienced operators.

When I sat for the test almost 30 years ago these large schools (license mills) didn't exist. There were smaller schools mostly run out of peoples homes and you had to go sit for the test at the CG office. Before that you were interviewed or more like interogated. If you snapped or lost your temper you would not be permitted to take the test and would have to wait 30 days before trying again. It sounds like they're going back in that direction and that's a good thing.

Brian

 

[Pascal]

There two ways of qualifying for a license.

# 1: get the time on a boat of that size while serving as crew. This is really how it works in teh commercial world where crew is more likely to get some training on how to operate the boat, etc... a first mate will be trained by the master and eventually become master.

# 2: get the time as captain on a smaller boat. How small is regulated by the 150% rule. For instance time on a 37t boat like the 53 qualifies you for 100t (150% rounded up to the next license). In my case time on the 70 footer I run will qualify me for 125T. The exam is the same for 125 150 and 200. The if I get tome on alarger boat I can upgrade to 150 and 200 later.


I don't think #1 works in the world of "white boats" where you have smaller crews and where guests/owners will not be too happy about the captain training the mate to dock the boat in windyt conditions for instance.


I also think that decision making skills are even more critical than pure handling skills making # 2 more suited to yachts. with a little training, about anyone can dock any boat, that's the easy part. The hard part is making those routing or go / no go calls as well as the management part of running a boat. The only way to learn is to make those call, first on smaller boats and then move up.