What country is "M" chartering in? "Big Cats" doesn't sound like the
US. Do the various Caribbean charter countries have the same strict
licensing requirements as the US?


Rosalie B. wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote:
beaufortnc wrote:
Hi,

I have a charter captain friend who told me once that there is a
loophole around the conventional "6-pack" CG License chartering
regulations.

He said something to the effect that if you have a contract that
specifies that the boat is being rented as a whole to the "guests",
that they are able to pick whoever they'd like to be the captain of
their "rented" vessel, whether that person is licensed or not.

So, in essence, the boat "rental" provides the income, and the
"captain" performs duties for free.

With this method, he was able to charter his boat with more than 6
guests, and without a captain's license.

Does anyone know the real story on this? Was he f.o.s.?

I've talked to a man (let's call him M) who charter a boat (from a
charter company) and get a group of people together each of whom pays
M a part of the fee. Say one of those big cats that sleeps 8, and M
gets six couples and divides the charter cost by 6 instead of 8, so
that his part is paid for by the others. Then the people each bring
or buy some of the food and do the cooking and M acts as the captain
and cruise director. He gets his airfare and expenses paid for. But
he doesn't own the boat although I suppose he could have leased the
boat to the charter company.

Why not just do it with the proper paperwork? A lot of the license
schools will coach you through lying about your sea service, and in
exchange for $600-$800 will basically ensure that you pass the exam. If
you really want to haul people for hire, get the license.

The way I read this, the guy wants to take more than 6 people. Or are
you saying the next license above the six-pack license is easy to get?