"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
...
On Feb 11, 9:31�pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:51:10 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
Captain's Class

Do you have the knowledge required to pass a USCG "Captain's License"
exam?
The following questions (and official answers) are extracted from the
pool of questions used on USCG exams.

=========================================

So is there a Captain Chuck in our future?

Probably not. I read the regs probably way-too-strictly to ever
qualify with 360 days at sea. I still say that there isn't any real
wiggle room in the standard that a day of sea service consists of
eight hours *underway*. There is a provision for the sea day to be
reduced to four hours if the operating schedule of the vessel
precludes an 8 hour day, but that's really supposed to mean situations
like a passenger ferry that's only actually "underway" maybe half the
time and the other half time is spent loading/unloading. I can go an
entire year and only get one or two days where I am underway for a
full eight hours. I normally try to make port or drop and anchor after
no more than a 5-6 hour run- (anything longer than that begins to get
tiresome).

And yes, most people self certify and most people lie, egregiously.
In fact, I've sat through seminars in which Captain's License schools
are pitching prospects, and when the subject of sea service comes up
they all but come right and suggest that people lie. One of the
schools actually said, "We'll go over your certification form with
you, and we'll keep working on it until we can show 360 sea days.
Don't worry about that."

I could do the same thing and always be ashamed of my
"accomplishment", or simply figure there are already enough bogus and
unqualified "captains" tottering down the ways and forget about
joining the Joe Six-pack herd. I think I'll go with the second option.
I'd much rather respect myself for being honest than enjoy some
imaginary respect from somebody else because I hung an unearned title
in front of my name.

Now that's the kind of honesty I'm looking for in a car/boat/RV salesman. ;-