Kneel,

belittle the
superior accomplishments of others.

Hardly, and if you think that holding a Master's ticket is some how a "superior
accomplishment" you must lead a very small life!

I hold a 100 Ton Master’s Near Coastal with both a Sail & Assistance Towing
Endorsement. I am also a "Yachtie," who now makes a few extra $'s driving
boats. It's a nice thing to have, but not in any way a "superior
accomplishment."
After I retired I worked full time for Sea Tow, but prefer to work only part
time. I do a few deliveries, mostly along the east coast and down to the
islands. I also work on a seasonal basis operating as relief on 65’ schooner.
I do this, not for the money, but because I really enjoy it, at least most of
the time.

I did not cheat on my sea time, but I know a lot of guys did. I also saw guys
going around asking others to sign their sea time forms. Not only do I own and
actually sail my own boat, but I also worked the needed number of days as a
mate on a large schooner, and crewed on deliveries of a large motor vessel.
Even still, I’m only a "Yachtie."

Like almost everyone else, I got my license 3 renewals ago by attending one of
those crash courses where they guarantee everyone passes. I passed my first
time out, and with flying colors. We memorized everything. If you did what
the school said, you couldn’t miss, and scoring 98%, even 100%, was no big
thing. Trick questions were not a problem because all the possible questions
and their right answers were already known. The only people that didn’t pass
were those that ether didn’t go to one of these schools, didn’t study, just
couldn’t memorize, or had a brain fart when taking the exam. It wasn’t
unusual to be in and out in just a few hours.

Depending on whether the questions are about navigation, weather, regulations,
etc., the answers to the "open book" parts of the exam are in several books not
just the CFR’s. All of these books are supplied to you by the USCG. If you
have memorized the questions and the answers, you do not need to use any of
them. By the way almost all of the Q&A’s are now available on disc, so you
can just sit at your computer and learn them by rote memory.

As far as the lowest form of license, I forgot to mention the Launch
operator’s permit. I think they still have this. The 6 Pack vs. the
Master’s says what kind of boats you can drive, the tonnage says how big, and
the Inland or Near Coastal says where you can go. When you apply, you need
more sea time to apply for a Master's than a 6 Pack., and answer a few more
questions. You need to have spent a greater portion of that time in
international waters to get a Near Coastal vs. an Inland. You need to have
spent a certain number of days underway on a sailboat as well as pass a short
extra multiple choice exam to get the Aux. Sail endorsement.

None of this is very difficult to accomplish. It does not mean you are a
competent sailor, and certainly you can not lay claim to being a "Master
Mariner." Only that you can live in a mangrove swamp on a floating banana, and
spend hours memorizing Q &A's. I would not call that a ""superior
accomplishment."