Captain Licences

Content

The "6 Pack" License
The Master License
The RYA/USCG Certification
What is considered as Sea Time

U.S. Coast Guard "6 Pack" License

Ever got intrigued by getting a US Coast Guard-sanctioned Captain license? Of course all official information is available on the USCG web site: http://www.uscg.mil/ However, for those interested, here is the practical story of how I navigated those tricky waters to my OUPV (6 "pack", for 6 passengers) License.

1. Definition

The OUPV stands for "Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels". The word "uninspected" is a technical term meaning that the equipment required, and the design of the boat, are less regulated.
Privileges: Being the Captain of a 100 gross tons (or less) vessel carrying a maximum of 6 paying passengers, within Inland and International waters, sail or power.

2. What You Have To Do

a) Show 360 days at sea, of which 90 must be in the last 3 years. This has to be very well documented and can be a problem for that sea time you did 20 years ago, which you've lost all records of! And the USCG will NOT take your word for it!

The most difficult thing about getting licensed is documenting your sea time. My strong recommendation is to document sea time as you accumulate it even if you do not ever think you will want a license. I had to go back into my 20 year sailing history and had all the trouble in the world documenting my time, although, in reality, I had much more than required.

b) Pass the USCG sanctioned test with 120 questions on 4 modules.

• Plotting on charts: 10 questions;
• Deck general: 60 questions;
• Nav general: 20 questions; (On the 3 modules above, 70% of correct answers are required.)
• The much dreaded Rules of the road: 30 questions, where 90% of correct answers are required.
  Questions include some of those: ship lights (what lights should a towing vessel with a 200m+ tow astern, display, and what do you see on her port side?); nav aids lights, firefighting, first aid, chart reading, knot tying, anchoring techniques, docking, fog signals, sound signals, safety on board, radio, plotting with set, drift, wind... You name it. There is no celestial navigation any more. The whole test has no limit in time. I needed 4 hours, mainly because the 10 chart-plotting problems took me (and the other candidates) about 2 hours and 15 min.

c) Take a physical, drug test, fingerprints, and provide 3 letters of recommendation.

3. How To Do It

Either you work alone and go take the test at the Coast Guard (rather arduous)... OR, as I did, you go to one of the USCG-approved schools (I chose Sea Schools) and take their class. They are also approved by the Coasties to dispense the test.

The major difference between the two methods is this: the USCG have a database of several thousands questions out of which they dig YOUR 120 questions. On the other hand, Sea School had a database of several hundreds questions, which they all give the students to work on. Therefore, if you do your homework, with the help of the Chapman Piloting book, you will basically know all the questions and you should pass. I mean, theoretically of course.The total number of class hours was 52 hours, plus homework. It can be done full time, or in night classes. Most of the students who flanked the test did so on the Rules AND on Chart plotting, which can be slightly intense in difficulty. The plotting has to be done with extreme precision and with a lot of thinking. The Sea School web site can be viewed at: http://www.seaschool.com

Conclusion: You guessed it: It is not a piece of cake, but it is very doable. As the teaching Captain put it: Yes, it is a demanding test, but you will have the privilege of carrying passengers who will trust you with their lives. So this is not to be taken lightly.

Read the personal experience of Jerry Patrick, a charter boat owner, when he took the test. (Note: His views reflect his own opinion!)

Going One Step Further: The Master License

The requirements for a 50-ton Masters license add only about 40 questions on the exam over the requirement for a 6 - pack license.

If you are considering getting a license you should look seriously at the Masters license instead of the 6 pack (OUPV License). The test and the cost are the same. However, 360 days of sea time you will get you only a Master Inland/Mate Near Coastal license. Once you have a total of 720 days of documented sea time you can apply for an upgrade to Master Near Coastal without having to take another test.

With the Masters license you have all of the privileges of the OUPV license but in addition you have the ability to captain an inspected vessel or a vessel with more than 6 passengers.

I took the course offered by the Maritime Professional Training School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and found it to be excellent. They strongly recommend applying for the Masters license rather than the OUPV license and also recommend that you sit for the Towing Endorsement and the Sail Endorsement exams at the same time. I elected to do this and easily passed both additional tests (they take about 20 minutes each). If you do this at the same time as your Masters test there is no additional charge.

One final note, the school also recommended that you apply for a MMD (Merchant Marine Documentation) at the same time as your license. This paper can be used in lieu of a lost passport to gain re-entry to the US and has some other benefits. The additional cost is minimal (about $30) but requires your physician fill out a second paper when you get your physical — a minor inconvenience.

Going Two Steps Further: RYA/USCG Certification

Having been trained "The Navy Way", and being an airline captain, I appreciate a certain amount of formal, intense training along with hands-on experience. It seems OCG's annual training session is a great idea that will sharpen skills and impress customers. To start my own certification paper trail and brush up on basics I recently got my 6-pack at a marine school. At the same time I became increasingly aware of the British RYA Yacht Master ratings as a respected alternative to, or addition to, the USCG licenses. For those interested in pursuing that course, allow me to share what I've found so far.

Overview

First and foremost, while USCG exams are strictly written, the initial RYA ratings are practical, i.e., you actually sail a boat (imagine that!); practical application of theoretical knowledge (equivalent of 6 pack/Masters written) is observed as part of the underway exam. RYA certification is not required for non-commercial yachting, but their philosophy of "Education, not legislation", has persuaded a great number of non-commercial seamen to take their courses and has kept government regulators off recreational boater's backs. However, any UK passport holder accepting payment for services on a UK-registered boat must hold an appropriate RYA certification with commercial endorsement. Yacht Master is good for a max of 12 passengers, ships of 24 meters/200 tons. Holding RYA and USCG certifications shows you have been tested in both theoretical and practical aspects of the craft. My impression is that RYA certification has been accepted as the default worldwide standard.

The Yachtmaster Offshore

It is the highest RYA rating you can start at and a prerequisite for Ocean Yacht Master (see below). Experience required includes 50 days, 2,500 miles, 5 days as skipper, 5 passages over 60 miles, including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. You must possess a valid VHF Operators license (written exam; FCC Restricted R/T license not accepted) and First Aid Certificate (PADI or Red Cross accepted). A Commercial Endorsement requires a 1-day sea survival course and medical exam (FAA 1st Class medical accepted. USCG medical exam may suffice; RYA said it would have to be submitted for approval to Marine Safety Agency, phone 011-44-1703-329100).

The Yacht Master Offshore practical exam takes about a day, examiner fee 100 British Pounds (a pound is about US$1.65). You supply a yacht over 24' and crew. Numerous schools run a 4/5-day warm-up and supply a boat for the exam for around 500 pounds, depending on time of year. Meals and a berth on the training boat are usually included. Not cheap, but it may be a way to write off a trip to merry old England. Or you can hire a boat and crew and try the exam cold turkey.

The Ocean Yacht Master

It includes:
1. A written exam based on astronavigation (celestial) and climatology
2. A passage of at least 600 miles (departure to destination, not out-and-back), at least 200 miles of which are greater than 50 miles off-shore, and a set of sights taken off-shore which include a sun line and a compass check using a heavenly body.
3.Shore based course at Britannia Sailing is 5 days/$530. Submit exam results for approval, then
4. An oral exam on planning and management of an ocean passage (fee 77 British Pounds).

USCG All Oceans

The qualifications to sit for that endorsement are far more complicated. You must have held a Masters license for at least 2 years. You must have taken a fire-fighting course (5 days at SeaSchool), a radar course (5 days at SeaSchool), and meet AB Seaman qualifications (3 days at SeaSchool). The SeaSchool "All Oceans" course itself is twelve straight 8-hour days of celestial, nothing else ($695, held 2-3 times each year). A 10-question exam is given at SeaSchool on the last day. After you pass, USCG stamps your ticket (no oral or practical exam).

While there is no formal reciprocal recognition of RYA Yacht Master or OUPV certificates, the UK has recently instituted a Certificate of Equivalent Competency for USCG Mate Oceans up to 1600 tons ratings and above. While US Merchant Marine positions have dwindled, the UK has a shortage of qualified mariners.

For those of you with Merchant Marine documents endorsed for over 200 gross tons, an interesting new development is the USCG NPRM regarding UN/IMO (International Maritime Organization) STCW (Standards for Training, Certification, and Watch standing) protocol. When finalized, signature countries (about 130 so far, USA included) will require skippers and crew to hold certificates verifying specified training and proficiency to sail on international voyages. This is a whole new ballgame; a move by SOLAS signatories to prevent third-world nations from allowing unregulated crews and ships to undercut responsible operators in world shipping competition. It is an indication of the changing thinking regarding all seaman certifications. For instance, Houston Marine is revising its curriculum and marketing to emphasize teaching basic skills and knowledge in their courses, rather than just how to pass the exam.

For information on RYA schools, try the classifieds in Yachting World magazine, or call the Royal Yachting Association, 011-44-1703-629962.

*RYA/USCG CERTIFICATION contributed by Walt Darran (Ret. American Airlines Captain)

What Is Considered As "Sea Time"

• The question of what constitutes a day of sea time is in the regulations: At least four hours under way in a 24-hour period is one day. For the 6-pack, if underway for 24 hours with regular watch schedule, the USCG will give you credit for 1.5 days for each day, IF: a) you are doing time on a COMMERCIAL a vessel; and b) if you are doing watches over 12 hours (in other words, if you are doing over time watches).  Other than that, sea time is basically any time you are on a boat for more than 4 hours. You could qualify with time on a Sunfish!

• The USCG accepts letters of charter activity from a charter company which you have chartered from.

• The question of "anchor time" when on charter is a difficult one. The charter company letter will cover the days of your charter. Technically, you should only take credit for days that you were underway for 4 hours or more. Since I almost never have a day of chartering in which I do not sail 4 hours I did not give this any consideration.

• To document time on your own boat, just provide a document showing proof of ownership then just fill out one of the sea service forms. However, in one of the Coast Guard documents it is stated that if your use of your personal boat is "excessive", additional documentation may be required. The implication is that if you have a full time job and also claim to have used your boat 250 days in 3 years, you will probably be questioned.

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