In the US we get either a 'sea time' letter this is favored by MSC among
others, or a certificate of discharge. In both cases they send copies to
the USCG. I have one dating back to 1969. Much to my surprise I found my
time in the deck department back then had been listed as engine room. Well,
it counted for some things but cost me five months extra to get AB ticket
and didn't count on my 100 ton license. That's the professional side. On
the small boat side there is a form to fill out of course. By any owner or
Master (address, phone number and license numbers required) and that can be
yourself if you own your own boat. The minimum time spent on the water for a
'day' to count is four hours and you can only do this once each 'day'. The
hard part is finding the old skippers. My first one, a salmon troller out
of Brookings, OR has long departed this mortal coil. There went another
50-60 days. If you are getting or filling out these forms the size of the
boat is very important as is the average distance off shore. Over 150 miles
counts for 'oceans' less is 'Near Coastal' and 'inland' is of course inland.
The first one counts if you are upgrading to an uninspected vessel ticket
for trans-ocean passages. Have to add on celestial and few other things.
That clears you for deliveries where the insurance company demands a
licensed Captain. It does not clear you for inspected vessels (passengere
limit is that stated by the USCG inspection) where a lot of STCW
requirements are added (About $8,000 to $12,000 worth of additional
schools). What saved me was days on S/V Alvei a registered 103 ton boat.
Those extra three tons covered a lot of territory as did the small boat form
AND letter from Captain Logan. For my Z Card I had to have 360 days over
100 tons of which 50% had to be over 500 tons. For my license it gave me
the full 100 ton inspected/uninspected up front and the next step is change
that to Oceans. I have an enquiry in to the USCG (Portland, OR I recommend
them above all others with Long Beach being the worst) to see if the step up
to Oceans is the best way to go OR go to the 200 ton upgrade for Oceans.
Probably the latter but the 200 ton will be for mate only until I have
worked in the job for a minimum number of days. The main thing is get all
documentation as it happens, and accurately. Carry your own blank forms
(small boat form for example). If you work or crew on a foreign ship either
get there paperwork or ask them to fill out a copy of ours. It all counts.
We have an AB on board who is a recent immigrant (legal kind) from the
Phillipines. There he holds a 2nd Mate ticket. Worked Phillipine and
Japanese owned freighters and tankers. Eventually all that will count
(after he gets citizenship).

Come to think of it I still have the old pilots log with 20 hours of time in
it from 1968. Hmmmmm. . . . . No . . .I'll stick to boats! Not enough time
left and I've wasted to much already.

MST

Schoonertrash makes several good points.

The cost of my upgrading from a 100-ton Near Coastal w aux. sail and
commercial assist towing to a 500-ton Oceans Master/1600-ton Oceans Mate
with STCW '95, MCA Class IV (to Captain "Red Flag" or British Vessels),
Mashall Island and Cayman Islands Licenses was $14,000 and 4 months of
continuous study. A student in the same class queue as I who had zero
sea-time ended up spending $18,000 to obtain an OICNW (Officer In Charge of
Navigation Watch) which allowed him to accumulate sea time for his 500-ton
Oceans (at the current time requirements). Simply, the longer you wait, the
more modules they add to the requirements (advanced meterology, light
signals, flag signals, etc.), the higher the cost, increased time to obtain
the license, and more pressure to pass the first time.

With increased bureaucracy and commercial interests, the cost of
obtaining/upgrading/maintaining your license is getting more expensive. The
days of $140 renewal fees (plus the physical and drug test) for a 6-pack or
50-ton license are a far cry from maintaining an Inspected Vessel license
class with appropriate endorsements (currently around $500). The good thing
is that owners and companies are beginning to see that higher class licenses
cost more to maintain and are beginning to compensate mariners. Insurance
companies, stung by stupid navigational mistakes and poor seamanship are
requiring more stringent manning levels aboard vessels.

Finally, what was good on your old application may not be good now. A number
of mariners have had sea time disallowed on their renewal due to lack of new
documentation requirements or the inability of the USCG to contact the
referenced Master/Owner.