A question regarding skippers licenses

No Master is master of steam and motor vessels up to 1600 tons. The towing endorsements means I have also spent 2 years on a vessel as a mate towing. The "oceans" endorsements means I can sail worldwide.

In the US we seperate the licenses by the Tonnage of the vessels you have serverd on unlike you guys. This way if a guy has a captains licenses and has only been on 100 ton tugs he cant suddenly get the job as captain of a 1600ton tanker without having practical knowledge. But since you seem to know all about our licnese I would have thought you knew this allready.

Im not real sure just exactly what I said on this thread, to warrent the attack you Lazyjack and sent down on me but you can both take all your attitude of superiority get on a boat and sail off into the contercloackwise simicircle of the nearest Hurricane.

 

Actually it was your air of superiority that got up a few noses! And seeing as how we're all so clever about each others 'tickets' you'd know that under STCW they are all going the same way more or less, and have been since the turn of the century, which kinda means that since I've been ashore for some time mine is now out of date. But amazingly the question was about sailing tickets not commercial steam or motor! So what you have hardly matters does it? Unless its a sailing ticket? There again I have and do, and the Brits (at the moment) don't actually need tickets for private vessels used purely for pleasure and below a certain size(stupid I know but I don't make the law)

 

Canadians do... (well, most of us- all, in a couple more years) at least if we want to take the helm of anything with a motor. (Pleasure Craft Operator - 20 tonnes max, valid for a lifetime). There was a bit of an uproar at first, the whole "freedom of the seas" thing. Then the test came out. Questions are along the lines of "You are heading upstream, you see a red buoy, which side of it do you stay on?" Or, "Which lights would a 6 m powerboat show at night?" It weeded the ****** out very quickly, and anyone who knew what they were doing had little trouble.

Point of grammar (the local Americans likely won't care, but those who respect the integrity of the language just might) - "License" with an "s" is a verb ("the Coast Guard will license you to handle a vessel"), "Licence" with a "c" is a noun ("Dave is getting his captain's licence").

 

Eitan, seems like everyones putting their ticket resume up, so I will too- I've got the most junior ticket in Oz, a coxswains ticket 12m rule length & 250kw- took some getting, in time + time at Tafe(Tech school) & got Inshore instructors endorsment from Yachting Australia wich was tougher to get than the real one! Having done them there was fire training & sea safety courses that another student with one leg did but had a tough time with, of coarse we gave him some help & last I heard he was running part of sailability & had previosly competed in BT global Challenge. Main thing is not to give up, you'll get it somehow. All the best from Jeff.

 

Matt,

Sorry, but license is both a noun and a verb in the hallowed English and American languages. Licence is both the correct spelling of the noun in French (might be some influence there, eh?) and an optional but secondary spelling in English , obviously allowed for Scots, Canadians, and others who attempt to speak the English language but aren't very good at it.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

License \Li"cense\ (l[imac]"sens), n. [Written also licence.]
[F. licence, L. licentia, fr. licere to be permitted, prob.
orig., to be left free to one; akin to linquere to leave. See
Loan, and cf. Illicit, Leisure.]
1. Authority or liberty given to do or forbear any act;
especially, a formal permission from the proper
authorities to perform certain acts or to carry on a
certain business, which without such permission would be
illegal; a grant of permission; as, a license to preach,
to practice medicine, to sell gunpowder or intoxicating
liquors.

To have a license and a leave at London to dwell.
--P. Plowman.

2. The document granting such permission. --Addison.

3. Excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used in contempt of
law or decorum; disregard of law or propriety.

License they mean when they cry liberty. --Milton.

4. That deviation from strict fact, form, or rule, in which
an artist or writer indulges, assuming that it will be
permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained;
as, poetic license; grammatical license, etc.

Syn: Leave; liberty; permission.

 

Safie,
Bless your little seafaring heart, may your seas be slight and your port be enjoyable.

Fire 1...........

 

In the USA the individual States have the authority (via the US Coast Guard) to create rules and regulations for licensing - which are uniform. Most States are now in the process of implementing, or have implemented, some sort of operator's license which requires training and an exam (usually the USCG Auxilliary Safe Boating course) for motorized vessels. Oregon did this a few years back and the final phasing in will be completed next year. If you operate a motorized vessel and don't have a license the local law enforcement agency will issue you a citation, may arrest you, and will probably impound your boat. And if your pleasure boaters are as "squirrely" as those in the USA, you'd need the same restrictions. :idea:

Love seeing those idiots drinking a can of beer while steering their 35', 60mph "plastic goddamnits" through a bunch of swimmers, get pulled over by the county sheriff and hauled off to jail. Finally. Good thing walrus and bergy don't like the USA - they'd try to operate a boat and spend the reest of their time in the local jail ('course they're used to that - makes 'em feel at home, it does).

 

Everybody like to control you don't they?

and Arty last time I was in the US it was on a boat (big one 22000 tons) - several months in and out , worked with the police a bit to! ON THEIR side! The only time I went into the local jail was to DELIVER a prisoner or complete paperwork!

 

My idol, the seafaring hero I admired and looked up - gone! There's nothing left to hold onto anymore. I'd go drown myself, but would probably get a ticket for polluting the waterways.

 

I was in jail for 2 days for paying R800 too much maintenance. Typical SA mentality - the guy who tries to do the right thing gets screwed.

I have to get some kind of skippers licence as well. A check on the internet seems it's a week long thing and cost a LOT of money. Con't you just write the test and get it over with ?

 

Webster's is an American dictionary, Charlie.
Spelling differences aside, I do think the Canadian approach to small-craft operator permits is a good one. It's inexpensive, effective, and easily enforced. Those who know how to be safe, pass with flying colours. Those who can't tell a fire extinguisher from a flare gun (or a boat from a buoy), become easy to catch.

 

Sorry Walrus, the USCG was founded in 1790, after the revolution. Back then it was called the Revenue Cutter Service and fought the British in what we call the War of 1812.

But then I agree it is the best service. Of course, after 34 years I couldn't decide if I wanted to make it a career or not. LOL

 

Ike thanks for shatering my dreams buddy - actually I was given that little gem by a fairly senior (rating wise) member of the United States Coast Guard, now was he full of crap, bullshitting a limey or just plain stupid? Doubt if it was the latter you don't get to be a Chief in the USCG by being stoopid, so what was it?

 

Let you into a little secret Arty; there;s more rogues IN a PD than outside it, just do it differently is all!

 

Gosh! I thought that was only here in the USA!