Worthless quals?

Robin

Robin

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Over herein Florda it seems every other boater has the title 'captain'. Now I just discovered for around $30 you can take an online test of 4 sections with 30 questions in each of which you can pass with just 3 wrong answers each section. Pass gets you a certificate which you send to USCG AND Get you can get a Captains licence for up to 100 ton vessels< power or sail to choice. no practical test apparently is required. Stoopid insurance companies want you to have some kind of qualification to get cover or have passed a safe boater course, mind you my ICC was accepted without question. Some of the Captains we have met I wouldn't rent a paddleboat to but they all think they are God's gift...:o
 
Heh - for under £20 it's almost tempting to sign up and do it just to get the silly certificate. A bit like the way some people pay a couple of quid to get "ordained" by pretend comedy churches on the Web. But I suppose they'd want a US address for the paperwork.

Regardless of actual qualifications or lack thereof, it does amuse me when Americans refer to the bloke in charge of a leisure vessel as "captain". It just sounds so absurdly pretentious!

Pete
 
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prv said:
Regardless of actual qualifications or lack thereof, it does amuse me when Americans refer to the bloke in charge of a leisure vessel as "captain". It just sounds so absurdly pretentious!
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Perhaps "skipper" sounds just as silly to them. And as for "commodore" ....
 
prv said:
Heh - for under £20 it's almost tempting to sign up and do it just to get the silly certificate. A bit like the way some people pay a couple of quid to get "ordained" by pretend comedy churches on the Web. But I suppose they'd want a US address for the paperwork.

Pete
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Yes I am an American Pastor....

Apparently this was a popular way of avoiding the draft because pastors are exempt.
 
prv said:
Heh - for under £20 it's almost tempting to sign up and do it just to get the silly certificate. A bit like the way some people pay a couple of quid to get "ordained" by pretend comedy churches on the Web. But I suppose they'd want a US address for the paperwork.

Regardless of actual qualifications or lack thereof, it does amuse me when Americans refer to the bloke in charge of a leisure vessel as "captain". It just sounds so absurdly pretentious!

Pete
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Me too but what makes me feel foolish is I asked a couple of 'Captains' For advice before realizing they were totally brainless. One was unable to understand why I wanted to know actual 'boatspeed' through the water and didn't simply use GPS SOG speed information. Neither understood the concept of tides other than as in low water/high water times but the idea of tidal currents they do not understand at all. There is no available tidal atlas to show current directions and rates and if crossingthe gulf stream to/from the Bahamas they merely match COG with CTW on their GPS set or use 'suggested CTS' for different vessel speeds from the pilot book as in if leaving from point 'A' steer 'X' to compensate for the current. I wonder how they would cope with crossing the English Channel or even The Solent! Navigation as we know it is a foreign language to these folk and the 'Captain's licence' is more like a test of knowing the rules like learning the Highway Code to pass your driving test. Our local West Marine store has three very dumb 'Captains and two ordinary mortals who IMO are actually quite knowledgeable Maybe my opinion is unfair and this is just an east coast phenomenom
 
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Unfortunately that isn't strictly true as I have found to my loss...

You cannot hold any USCG licence (license) other than an OUPV if you aren't a US citizen.

W.
 
in South Australia (and all other states) we have a test for a motor boat licence. Easy as! http://www.saboatinglicence.com.au/?gclid=CLDc35uXzboCFSpIpgodzy8AXQ. lessons recommended but not compulsory. most boaties have no idea in the same way described above. Of course for commercial (and training) activities we have Coxswain through master 5 to master 1 for all sizes of vessels. the commercials are far more rigoroius and include real practical examinations. RYA quals are also recognised, including Yachtmaster (and commercial endorsements) and Powerboat training.

But of course, except for Sydney Harbour, we don't see the density of rec boaties you get in the solent and UK generally. we see the same density of boat operators if you see what I mean :)
 
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Robin said:
Over herein Florda it seems every other boater has the title 'captain'. Now I just discovered for around $30 you can take an online test of 4 sections with 30 questions in each of which you can pass with just 3 wrong answers each section. Pass gets you a certificate which you send to USCG AND Get you can get a Captains licence for up to 100 ton vessels< power or sail to choice. no practical test apparently is required. Stoopid insurance companies want you to have some kind of qualification to get cover or have passed a safe boater course, mind you my ICC was accepted without question. Some of the Captains we have met I wouldn't rent a paddleboat to but they all think they are God's gift...:o
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That is a rip off! You can get a PhD for $100 and call yourself Dr.
 
PilotWolf said:
Unfortunately that isn't strictly true as I have found to my loss...

You cannot hold any USCG licence (license) other than an OUPV if you aren't a US citizen.

W.
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'
NO waY Do I want to downgrade to US citizenship 'terror arget status' so I will need somehow to renew my meager British ICC come 2016 (I think) or SWMBO who, as the eligible Yank, is the USCG registered/documented owner of our boat anyway will have to get the USCG captain's thing if the insurers ever insist. They do 'dumb' very well over here and Florida does dumb better than anywhere I have ever known... The thought of her, pretty as she is, parading around with gold braid on her captain's cap is frightening to imagine
 
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Robin said:
'
NO waY Do I want to downgrade to US citizenship 'terror arget status' so I will need somehow to renew my meager British ICC come 2016 (I think) or SWMBO who, as the eligible Yank, is the USCG registered/documented owner of our boat anyway will have to get the USCG captain's thing if the insurers ever insist. They do 'dumb' very well over here and Florida does dumb better than anywhere I have ever known... The thought of her, pretty as she is, parading around with gold braid on her captain's cap is frightening to imagine
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Unfortunately though I can't work here using my MCA qualification... you can get the OUPV (six pack) as a non citizen but a 6 passenger limit license isn't much use as the small vessel we operate is 75 passengers.

W.
 
If you have an MCA/STCW commercial (not RYA with a commercial endorsement) CoC, then it should be acceptable to the USCG, you may have to take a local exam and be awarded a CoEC; its the same in the UK/Europe, if you have a foreign CoC and want to work here/Europe.

As I remember USCG CoCs aren't valid anywhere but in the USA or on US flagged ships, if they are operating outside of US territorial waters they must be STCW endorsed like the rest of us.
 
Ariadne said:
If you have an MCA/STCW commercial (not RYA with a commercial endorsement) CoC, then it should be acceptable to the USCG, you may have to take a local exam and be awarded a CoEC; its the same in the UK/Europe, if you have a foreign CoC and want to work here/Europe.

As I remember USCG CoCs aren't valid anywhere but in the USA or on US flagged ships, if they are operating outside of US territorial waters they must be STCW endorsed like the rest of us.
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Trust me - you cannot hold anything other than an OUPV license unless you are a US citizen, currently they will not even recognize STCW95 training conducted outside of the USA.

I have spent many hours as have the company who want me 'driving' not 'decking' trying to find a way around it.

W.
 
PilotWolf said:
Trust me - you cannot hold anything other than an OUPV license unless you are a US citizen,
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That's absolutely correct. I spent years working for a large organisation training their skipper to USCG 300 ton sail qualifications, but could never hold the qualification myself.

However they would let me take their bus / HGV licence in Florida - where you can take the practical part in a car!
 
Getting a 3,000 Ton Columbian ticket was how we all got around it in the 80's / 90's when the Florida superyacht thing was in it's infancy ;)
 
TimBennet said:
That's absolutely correct. I spent years working for a large organisation training their skipper to USCG 300 ton sail qualifications, but could never hold the qualification myself.

However they would let me take their bus / HGV licence in Florida - where you can take the practical part in a car!
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I had to take a drivers test (car) in Florida and the practical part was done in the car park with painted lines for 'roads' on the tarmac.
 
LadyInBed said:
It's not the qualification, it's how much the holder pumps up his ego having got it!
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Or his pay check in my case! :)

Robin said:
I had to take a drivers test (car) in Florida and the practical part was done in the car park with painted lines for 'roads' on the tarmac.
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Lucky you! When I took mine in CA I only missed failing by one minor - all faults were for stopping with the front of the truck over the line. When I queried it at the end of the test the examiner told me that even now my truck was over the line in the parking bay. I told him it wasn't and to get out and look - I was in the bay (of course!), his response was ""You passed the test so what does it matter?" I pointed out that his marking was wrong and that I felt cheated as I like to be perfect at all I do. He gave me a look of WTF and walked off! :)

W.
 
I think there might be some confusion here regarding certification of completion of a safe boating course, which is now required to operate a boat, and certification to operate a charter vessel.

In Virginia, one must take a class or online course to obtain a license to operate one's own boat. The typical course fee is $30. There are several that are approved by the state < http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/education/requirement/steps-to-requirement.asp >. There is no underway test. The course covers only the basic laws and regulations, such as right-of-way rules, life jacket requirements for small for children, and laws against discharging oil and other pollutants into waterways.

The USCG issues licenses to operate charter boats. The most common is a "Six Pack License". The application process is very involved. Letters of recommendation are required along with evidence of experience operating a boat < http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/credentials/charter_boat_capt/default.asp >.
 
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