BoatBanter.com - Joe's right

"Joe" wrote in message oups.com...
What are the requirment to sit for a Master Mariners Ticket Mr. Master
Mariner Neal Sir?

Joe

I am honored to enlighten you, Capt. Joe, and any others who may
read this thread.

To become a USCG licensed Master Mariner is an arduous task.
Many try; few succeed.

One must sit before a distinguished panel of seven distinguished
sailors who, to a man, hold at least a third-issue, Master Mariner's
license, who have spent most of their lives at sea and who are
currently actively engaged in sailing. This panel has the final say
in whether or not one meets certain stringent qualifications set
forth based upon their collective experience on managing a vessel
at sea under all imaginable circumstances while doing so with
safety and respect for maritime traditions. The panel convenes
for a full week and is bound by certain written guidelines
put forth over the past several decades by other bodies of
their peers. These guidelines are a tightly guarded secret.

Every Master Mariner candidate is sworn to secrecy as to
the details of the proceedings so they do not become known
like the test questions the Coast Guard administers to their
run-of-the-mill merchant marine masters. It is understood that
merchant marine masters are like ignorant children compared
to a USCG licensed Master Mariner.

This panel drills you for hours and hours and one must answer all
questions professionally, honestly and succinctly. This panel is
particularly interested in observing a candidate demonstrate equal
amounts of know-how respecting avoiding dangerous situations and,
when avoidance is not possible, how too carry on so that a bad situation
does not become entirely untenable and how a candidate holds up
under the pressure oftheir often rapid-fire questioning. Each 'day'
of the seven day panel consists of 12 hours and there are no breaks
for meals. There is a ten-minute break every four hours for bathroom
purposes and that's all.

The panel puts a high priority on a thorough knowledge of the COLREGS and
employs a series of questions that make the USCG test questions seem like
a Weekly Reader quiz. One is not allowed a single mistake on these Rules
questions because Master Mariners are expected to serve as expert
witnesses in tort litigation where the COLREGS are used to determine
fault.

Practical knowledge is also of paramount importance and a whole day
is set aside for on-the-water tests of various life and death situations.
Many candidates wash out in these simulated emergencies because
they are graded on not only if they were successfully but HOW they
were successful - in other words, were they by-the-book.

It is said that passing muster with the Master Mariner panel is more
difficult than passing most bar exams. A higher percentage of lawyers
pass the bar on the first try than Master Mariner candidates.

One other thing that seemed trivial to me is the panel also grades on
physical appearance and command presence. I am one of the very few
Master Mariners who received a unanimous vote of confidence in this
area of critical concern. Some of us are just naturally endowed in
this aspect of our chosen field.

I hope this answers your question, Captain Joseph M. Butcher.

Respectfully,
Capt. Neal
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