renewontime dot com wrote:

Personally, I think the "Yachtmaster" certification program in the UK
is a great idea and a number of states are (or were) considering
legislation requiring some sort of training and testing of all yacht
operators. There was some momentum for this a number of years ago,
but I haven't heard much about it since.

I agree with this. A USCG Master license is a bit much for someone who wants to
run a typical 40' sailboat or power cruiser, but there's nothing "smaller"
available from USCG. However, there are programs like the ones from US Sailing
or the charter companies, which may be a good substitute. Normally I'm a bit
more of a socialist, but this may be one area where the private sector is
handling things at least as well as government can. Perhaps what we need is
legal recognition of these programs.

Matt O.