Captain School

[SKYCHENEY]

I guess you river boys do it differently, but I always plot a course on my paper charts. I usually sit up the night before at the dinette table and plot. I also look for any emergency ports or anchorages along the way so I don't have to really think too hard should I need them. Then, during the trip, I note my position and time every 20-30 minutes so I know where I am.

In the lakes, the fog and come in or the seas can pick up and you just have no place to hide. Yes, I have a GPS, but I learned the old fashioned way with a chart and a compass. To each his own, but I don't feel right just running along without confirming my position.

 

[Boatsb]

I hear Randy is good with the paper charts too. According to legend he left the restaurant in Clearwater with a place mat, 1/2 a pound of bologna and 4 slices of bread. Ran the boat ON ONE ENGINE, Up stream all the way with only a pencil and a small bottle of goose. On the way he battled all sorts of dangers including merwolfs, He-shemonsters, killer catfish and still met up with Tom and Huck on time.

I don't see why he needs to go to school we should just give him a license if he can show an original birth certificate.

 

[Sparky1]

I guess you river boys do it differently, but I always plot a course on my paper charts. I usually sit up the night before at the dinette table and plot. I also look for any emergency ports or anchorages along the way so I don't have to really think too hard should I need them. Then, during the trip, I note my position and time every 20-30 minutes so I know where I am.

In the lakes, the fog and come in or the seas can pick up and you just have no place to hide. Yes, I have a GPS, but I learned the old fashioned way with a chart and a compass. To each his own, but I don't feel right just running along without confirming my position.

I would have expected no less from a guy who does ER checks every 15 minutes.

Just messing with you Sky, but if I didn't know better, I would think running a boat makes you very nervous. Maybe you take things too seriously, maybe I don't take them seriously enough, but to each his own.

Now if I'm heading into waters I've never encountered before, I too will do my homework as you described. As for noting my position every 20-30 minutes, unless I'm cruising way beyond 20-30 knots, I don't see the point and wouldn't feel nervous about it at all. Again, if I'm shooting across the lakes or an ocean and know I'll be out of VHF range... nah, still wouldn't do it. If I found myself in trouble, I could give somebody a close enough fix by knowing when and where I left from, and then see where I'm at on a chart.

 

[Boatsb]

hey Bird did you get the navionics for the iphone? How is it for the river?

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I would have expected no less from a guy who does ER checks every 15 minutes.

Just messing with you Sky, but if I didn't know better, I would think running a boat makes you very nervous. Maybe you take things too seriously, maybe I don't take them seriously enough, but to each his own.

Now if I'm heading into waters I've never encountered before, I too will do my homework as you described. As for noting my position every 20-30 minutes, unless I'm cruising way beyond 20-30 knots, I don't see the point and wouldn't feel nervous about it at all. Again, if I'm shooting across the lakes or an ocean and know I'll be out of VHF range... nah, still wouldn't do it. If I found myself in trouble, I could give somebody a close enough fix by knowing when and where I left from, and then see where I'm at on a chart.

No Way... just professional. DEAD RECKONING is the first general order!! ws

 

[Boatsb]

There is nothing wrong with noting your position and it should be done every 30 minutes. When the electronics fail you need to have a starting point.

When I go offshore I not the position and the direction and speed if running of if trolling a pattern just the position. I have only needed to know where I was once to make this an absolute. Interestigly the one time I neede to know was the time the owner ( not me) had no charts. ( not even a placemat)

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

Randy,
You going to just get the 6 pac or the master? Only an extra 3 days to get the upgrade....And you would probably get the 100 ton....

 

[Sparky1]

Randy,
You going to just get the 6 pac or the master? Only an extra 3 days to get the upgrade....And you would probably get the 100 ton....

Going for the 100 ton Charlie.

Look guys, this isn't a contest of who's right and wrong about everything... or at least it's not from my point of view. Like I said, going 100 miles straight out offshore is not my thing. Keeping 20 minute tabs on my position is just something I don't feel is necessary, not in this day and age.

The way I see it, if I'm offshore, I'm going to have at least two of everything electronic including a handheld VHF and GPS which aren't dependent on the boat's DC system. Even with that, it's highly unlikely you're going to be able to reach anybody on a VHF to report your position. That's why God gave us EPIRB's.

 

[Sparky1]

hey Bird did you get the navionics for the iphone? How is it for the river?

Yep, the Navionics works great... especially since they did an update on it. I've got the central and east coast apps which give me complete coverage of the Gulf, all the rivers, and everything up and down the east coast including the islands.

I wouldn't depend on it as my primary source of navigation, but it's real handy for trip planning as well as serving the role of a back-up to my back-up.

 

[hyperfishing]

Navionics charts are WAY OFF in the NYS boat channel on the south shore of Long Island. Reported it numerous times to them, never fixed while I was there - 2007. When in the middle of the narrow channel, my unit displayed me about thirty feet off to one side, driving through someone's yard. Hence, completely useless in fog, in that particular area.

On the 5,000 RPM thing, that was barely enough speed to make headway against the storm front that blasted through. I needed 4,000 RPM merely to stay stationary so the anchors could be pulled up! That is normally somewhere around 60 MPH on my gofast.

As I was an anchor point for the raft-up end, I had two anchors out, and a rope stretched across to the other line of boats, and my opposite number anchor boat. I had the boat owners rafted to me jump on my boat and help wifey with the anchors while I stayed on the throttles. Imagine seeing a line of about two hundred boats blown apart by the storm front, and bearing down on you, facing every which way, some under power, many not.

Hence the need to drive backwards into the wind, towing three other boats, weaving around all the boats bearing down on us, many not under power. I wish someone had been filming that!

Ok, so what is your tale about the recent Columbus day raft up? Did a storm hit it?

 

[Sparky1]

Navionics charts are WAY OFF in the NYS boat channel on the south shore of Long Island. Reported it numerous times to them, never fixed. When in the middle of the narrow channel, my unit displays me about thirty feet off to one side, driving through someone's yard. Hence, completely useless in fog, in that particular area.

On the 5,000 RPM thing, that was barely enough speed to make headway against the storm front that blasted through. I needed 4,000 RPM merely to stay stationary so the anchors could be pulled up! That is normally somewhere around 60 MPH on my gofast.

As I was an anchor point for the raft-up end, I had two anchors out, and a rope stretched across to the other line of boats, and my opposite number anchor boat. I had the boat owners rafted to me jump on my boat and help wifey with the anchors while I stayed on the throttles. Imagine seeing a line of about two hundred boats blown apart by the storm front, and bearing down on you, facing every which way, some under power, many not.

Hence the need to drive backwards into the wind, towing three other boats, weaving around all the boats bearing down on us, many not under power. I wish someone had been filming that!

Ok, so what is your tale about the recent Columbus day raft up? Did a storm hit it?

No, but it could be said we were taken by storm.

Actually, there's a thread on this year's CDR in this same section. As for the Navionics, are you talking about the application for the iPhone? If so, have you uploaded the latest version?

Mine was doing something stupid when I was in Florida last month. When it didn't show me a couple of hundred miles off the coast of Africa, it had me about a half mile north of my actual position at certain times. It actually was spot on when I was playing with it on a sightseeing cruise, but when I was playing with it on land, I got the crazy readings. Go figure.

I uploaded the newer version, and that seems to have cured the problem. I haven't been back to Africa since.

 

[Boatsb]

I guess dropping Blobama back home would have been an inconvenience :O

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I'm not nervous, I actually enjoy navigating. Like I said, that is how I learned. My grandfather is a retired USAF Colonel and when he was aboard, you had to do it his way. Back when we did the loop was before GPS. All we had was charts, compass, radar, and depth sounder. Even the most prepared captains can have problems, but we had none, other than running one engine out of fuel. But hey, it was a new boat and we didn't really know how the tank gauges worked until then.

Good luck with the class, Randy. Maybe you'll appreciate the navigation part more after you get into it.

 

[Sparky1]

Thanks Sky. That's great that you had someone with that level of experience to show you the ropes. I'm a first generation boater for all intents and purposes, so my teacher has been hands on experience with some book learning thrown in for good measure. Heck, I've even got a couple of editions of Chapman's.

When I get this class behind me, I'll plot a course... just for you.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

When I get this class behind me, I'll plot a course... just for you.

Youll be an expert on the Chesapeake also LOL.... ws

 

[Sparky1]

The Chesapeake? That sounds nice. I've never been on any rivers in Arkansas.

Just one question, where can I find some of these timid virgins I keep hearing about?

 

[e17406]

The captain's schools are really a joke. Over half of my class were there because the govment was paying the bill. Retraining after a lay off. Some were there because if they took the class, they would continue to receive govment assistance.
What you were told is correct. You will be given all the answers to the test. You will learn sayings and rymes so you can remember the answers. 2 days after you pass the test, you will know exactly what you know now, but, you can now call yourself a Captain and if you follow through with the Coastguard, have a shingle to prove it.
I did the course with a friend of mine who aced the plotting test. The teacher told him he was the only one he had ever seen do it. If you need the shingle, take the course. If not, save your money and find a "Real Captain" and give him the money to teach you what he knows.

 

[Sparky1]

The captain's schools are really a joke. Over half of my class were there because the govment was paying the bill. Retraining after a lay off. Some were there because if they took the class, they would continue to receive govment assistance.
What you were told is correct. You will be given all the answers to the test. You will learn sayings and rymes so you can remember the answers. 2 days after you pass the test, you will know exactly what you know now, but, you can now call yourself a Captain and if you follow through with the Coastguard, have a shingle to prove it.
I did the course with a friend of mine who aced the plotting test. The teacher told him he was the only one he had ever seen do it. If you need the shingle, take the course. If not, save your money and find a "Real Captain" and give him the money to teach you what he knows.

Dang, all of a sudden, I feel like I need to take a bath.

Just out of curiosity, expand on this government assistance thing. That's a new one on me. I figure this is a lot like marrying the gal you've been living with for the past 40 years, just to make it legal with a piece of paper. That being said, I do have some future plans which would require my having that piece of paper.

As for plotting, it's been a long time, but I aced every college math course I took... algebra, mathematical analysis, etc. Problem is, I haven't used it in over 30 years I said earlier I'd pay an extra $100 to avoid going through this process, but I'd like to walk away from that class having learned something.

 

[Sparky1]

I would venture to guess that a very small percentage of people could pass the test regardless of how much experience they have. I know a couple of guys who studied on their own and were able to pass the test, but you're not going to walk in off the street and pass relying only on your personal knowledge.

I'm sure it's very much like the test for a CDL. You may be the best driver on the road and have 30 years experience, but unless you study the material, you won't pass the written part of the test. With that, if you don't pass the written part, you don't move on to the road test. Seems like it would be the same for a captain's license, but I guess I understand why they don't have an actual "sea test" as part of the process. Then again, I really don't.

 

[Pascal]

yes it's all about learning how to pass the test, not how to learn something new.

at best it's a refresher which forces you to review some things. Plotting is basic navigation, no doubt about it, you cant' call yourself a captain if can do basic plotting. it's not that hard but a few folks strugle with that.. when i did it, there were a couple of guys who simply didnt' get it. during the test (only 10 questions), 2 of the 4 answers make no sense at all anyway, the remaining two come down to being accurate enough... but you dont' even have to be that accurate. Naomi got 100% on plotting (and nav rules), i think she missed one question altogether in the whole test (deck gen)

there are a lot of things which are left out of the course and test... if one is going to do this professionally, it's not just about not getting lost and docking the boat, it's about everything else. it's about the mechanical aspect of the job, it's about the decision process whether it's routing, weather, etc... that's the most important thing and one that you have to learn on your own. sea time is supposed to address that but since you can log time just by being on board or running a 20 footer, many people find themself in the deep end of the pool once they call themselves "captain"