Michael Porter wrote:
If the sense of the question is "are qualifications required for
pleasure-boat operators?" then the short answer is "no". The USCG
administers tests for licenses that are required for carrying
passengers for hire, and many professional yacht skipers hold such
licenses.

Michael Porter

UK pleasure boat operators are also not required to be qualified.

I was simply interested in whether we in the UK are alone in having training and competence facilities for boaters.

For the record, the grades on offer are -

RYA Start Sailing
RYA Competent Crew
RYA Day Skipper
RYA Coastal Skipper
RYA / MCA Coastal Skipper Exam
RYA / MCA Yachtmaster Exam

This latter is divided into "Ocean shore-based" and "Ocean Passage". I believe there used to be a higher grade still for RYA Instructors, but am not sure if this is still the case.

Obviously experience and actual long passage making are essential to the granting of certificates at the "Ocean" levels.

There was a time when an old salt like me would have regarded all this qualification nonsense as just that, but it certainly can open doors if your ambitions lie in making a living out of sailing!

Dennis.

"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message ...
Michael Porter wrote:
If the sense of the question is "are qualifications required for
pleasure-boat operators?" then the short answer is "no". The USCG
administers tests for licenses that are required for carrying
passengers for hire, and many professional yacht skipers hold such
licenses.

Michael Porter

UK pleasure boat operators are also not required to be qualified.

I was simply interested in whether we in the UK are alone in having training and competence facilities for boaters.

For the record, the grades on offer are -

RYA Start Sailing
RYA Competent Crew
RYA Day Skipper
RYA Coastal Skipper
RYA / MCA Coastal Skipper Exam
RYA / MCA Yachtmaster Exam

This latter is divided into "Ocean shore-based" and "Ocean Passage". I believe there used to be a higher grade still for RYA Instructors, but am not sure if this is still the case.

Obviously experience and actual long passage making are essential to the granting of certificates at the "Ocean" levels.

There was a time when an old salt like me would have regarded all this qualification nonsense as just that, but it certainly can open doors if your ambitions lie in making a living out of sailing!

Dennis.




The levels are similar, at least in name, to what's offered in ASA and USSailing. Both have instructor-level certifications at various levels, which have more requirements. Being qualified in both of the US programs, I tend to agree with you that it's mostly (or can be) a bunch of nonsense, since sailing experience is much more important. However, most programs require one of the two to teach, along with a USCG license if there's an aux.


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

Please excuse my ignorance in posing this question. As a UK sailor of many
years experience in racing and cruising yachts, I am curious to know, since
the subject rarely turns up, whether our US cousins have a similar series of
qualifications to those administered in the UK by the Royal Yachting
Association (Yachmaster, at various levels).

I am not extolling the virtues of such "official"qualifications, indeed many
UK sailors think they are less than useful, just curious to know if such
training and examination facilities exist in the US, as the subject never
seems to be discussed in this NG.

Dennis.

There are at least 43 states that require a boat operator's license or
have similar requirements, but these are not federal requirements.
Canada also has requirements for boat operator licenses. In the US
the courses are usually run by the Coast Guard Auxiliary (volunteers
who are not actually part of the Coast Guard) or the Power Boat people
and requires the person (depending on the state) to have a certain
number of hours and pass some kind of multiple choice test. There are
on-line courses available in some states. These are obviously VERY
basic courses.

I'm not sure whether this is analogous to the Yachtmaster training -
it probably is not. Although the CGAux and the US Power Squadrons do
give additional courses beyond the basic Seamanship courses.

"Dennis Pogson" wrote in news:TXPxj.2486
:

just curious to know if such
training and examination facilities exist in the US

Not in Charleston. They make you install a manual bilge pump if you don't
have one, but noone inspects it to see if it's there.

The qualifications to race here are to have a boat that has at least one
sail that's not ripped to shreds and some kind of tiller so you can turn it
'round towards the start line without running over the race committee's
bouys.

They get all excited, too, if you steer right towards the yacht club dock
with the spinnaker haulin ass...(c;

No dead crew members are allowed. Boozed up is normal.

"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Dennis Pogson" wrote in
news:TXPxj.2486
:

just curious to know if such
training and examination facilities exist in the US

Not in Charleston. They make you install a manual bilge pump if you don't
have one, but noone inspects it to see if it's there.

The qualifications to race here are to have a boat that has at least one
sail that's not ripped to shreds and some kind of tiller so you can turn
it
'round towards the start line without running over the race committee's
bouys.

They get all excited, too, if you steer right towards the yacht club dock
with the spinnaker haulin ass...(c;

No dead crew members are allowed. Boozed up is normal.


Larry,,, it amazes me that people who seem to have a brain can't see that
the government does not care one hoot
about safety. All it wants is more money. What a joke. No wonder the US
dollar is worth nothing, no wonder the
credit crisis is so overwheming, .. we are doomed. How long can the great
old USA go on it we have the likes of
Clinton, Obama, Bush, McLiberal,, and the rest of them.

About a week ago I called to ask why there is no public dock for
recreational boats in Portsmouth NH.
You would think I was a member of the Talaban. Public docks? Who are you?

So, I ask, where is all the boat registration money going?

I'm still waiting for the answer.

And now these lemmings want to give the government more of their money for
LICENSES?

ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS?

WAKE UP...

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" wrote in message
news:wNWxj.11$4D2.2@trndny06...

Larry,,, it amazes me that people who seem to have a brain can't see that
the government does not care one hoot
about safety. All it wants is more money. What a joke. No wonder the US
dollar is worth nothing, no wonder the
credit crisis is so overwheming, .. we are doomed. How long can the
great old USA go on it we have the likes of
Clinton, Obama, Bush, McLiberal,, and the rest of them.

About a week ago I called to ask why there is no public dock for
recreational boats in Portsmouth NH.
You would think I was a member of the Talaban. Public docks? Who are
you?

So, I ask, where is all the boat registration money going?

I'm still waiting for the answer.

And now these lemmings want to give the government more of their money for
LICENSES?

ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS?

WAKE UP...


Sir: (note the pun!)

The good thing about boat registration/permit/fee money is that it will keep
some people off of the water. The EPA is doing its part he

http://www.baypointpress.com/article...rticleID=17358

Note the size of the fee! By paying the money the environment will be
cleaner and global warming will be delayed.

"Phil Abuster" wrote in message
...

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" wrote in message
news:wNWxj.11$4D2.2@trndny06...

Larry,,, it amazes me that people who seem to have a brain can't see that
the government does not care one hoot
about safety. All it wants is more money. What a joke. No wonder the
US dollar is worth nothing, no wonder the
credit crisis is so overwheming, .. we are doomed. How long can the
great old USA go on it we have the likes of
Clinton, Obama, Bush, McLiberal,, and the rest of them.

About a week ago I called to ask why there is no public dock for
recreational boats in Portsmouth NH.
You would think I was a member of the Talaban. Public docks? Who are
you?

So, I ask, where is all the boat registration money going?

I'm still waiting for the answer.

And now these lemmings want to give the government more of their money
for LICENSES?

ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS?

WAKE UP...


Sir: (note the pun!)

The good thing about boat registration/permit/fee money is that it will
keep some people off of the water. The EPA is doing its part he

http://www.baypointpress.com/article...rticleID=17358

Note the size of the fee! By paying the money the environment will be
cleaner and global warming will be delayed.


What Global Warming? Are you totally out of your mind? There is no global
warming.

So really need reprogramming.

YOu don't get it .. do you? The rich guy wants you to pay or get off the
water .. he doesn't care
he is rich.

Do you think Ted Kennedy cares about his boat registration? Every time he
takes a breath, the earth is
warmed.

The EPA is a fraud. It goes after recreational sailboat owners but does not
touch big power plants.

REally .. wake up.. before it is too late.

"Phil Abuster" wrote in news:1m6bs2.ijn.17.1
@news.alt.net:

global warming will be delayed.


Not a second. Global warming is caused by SOLAR ACTIVITY, not humans....

There's a new "Sun Scam" out now to try to squeeze more funding out of the
government treasuries. Look around for the new "Solar Dimming" buzzword.
Our fossil fuel burning is now dimming the sun and REDUCING the global
warming. This is one scam I think is real. From WW2 to 1975, the Earth's
temperature was DROPPING, then it started to rise after 1975.....EXACTLY AT
THE TIME WE PUT POLLUTION CONTROL CRAP ON ALL THE CARS AND INDUSTRY!

If we took off all the pollution controls and went back to what we were
doing in 1955, solar dimming would stop global warming! It only stands to
reason, but not what the Global Dimmers had in mind...(c;

Oh, and there's a MOUNTAIN of evidence that the CO2 content of the air
rises and falls as the temperature rises and falls for the last few million
years (6000 for you Christians). HOWEVER, as the graphs show, CO2 levels
rise AFTER the temperature rises and falls AFTER the temperature drops...by
about 100-300 years...LAGGING, not preceeding, the temperature. Why? The
rising temperature causes the ocean to BLOOM WITH LIFE that emits CO2 and
water RELEASES vast CO2 when it's WARMER. The opposite is true when it
gets cold...The ocean dies off, CO2 production drops and the water holds
the CO2 much better when its cold...nearly 100% when it's FROZEN!

But, alas, these FACTS don't produce GOVERNMENT FUNDING for the global
warming bureaucracy....

If there's no man-caused disaster....noone gets rich.

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:50:01 +0000, Larry wrote:

Look around for the new "Solar Dimming" buzzword.

Ok..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4171591.stm

"Sir Thomas of Cannondale" wrote in
news:wNWxj.11$4D2.2@trndny06:

About a week ago I called to ask why there is no public dock for
recreational boats in Portsmouth NH.
You would think I was a member of the Talaban. Public docks? Who are
you?


There's three boatramps with nice floating docks, big parking lots for the
trailers and picnic areas for the family within 6 miles of my house, here.
There are more all over Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties we
use. Some are run by the parks and recreations departments, some are run
by the power company up on the lakes, all are free for everyone que'd up
and laughing uproariously as the idiots in front of them try to back the
trailer straight down one of the multi-lane ramps....(c;

Sorry New Hampshire doesn't have them. Our gripe here is the parks people
try to make this beautiful landscaped park out of our boatramps. This
reduces the number of paved parking spots, so on a busy Saturday morning
there's trailers parked all over the grass by the time the fishermen are on
their way to the big ones. There's never enough parking or ramps in any
community with this many boat dealers and boaters....(c;