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Earning a USCG Captain’s License to Help Families Grieve

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, January 30th, 2012

One area of opportunity for those who hold a USCG captain’s license is in providing services for those who are grieving. In the last 35 years, cremations have sky-rocketed. According to the Cremation Association of North America, over 50% of bodies are being cremated and that number is only increasing. This is in contrast to 1975 when only 6% of bodies were cremated.

There are a number of reasons for this including cultural, but this trend could be in part due to money. It generally costs ten times less to cremate a loved one rather than conduct a burial service. Those who are drawing their wills are increasingly deciding to be cremated rather than buried to relieve their families of these costs. Instead, they are asking to be placed at sites that mean something to them. Because of this, burials at sea are on the rise.

Burials at sea generally consist of the immediate family going out in small parties and saying goodbye to those that they love. It is an important part of the grieving process to pay respects and spread the deceased at a place that they want to be. As more people choose to go this route, there will be a greater need for captains.

In order to conduct a burial at sea, it must be at least three miles from shore. This means enlisting a charter boat or someone with a captain’s license to operate the boat. As such, funeral personnel and clergy are signing up for captain’s license courses in record numbers. If you’re thinking about obtaining your captain’s license, burials at sea can be a supplementary source of income.

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Tags : boating, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

Terms to Know for Your Captain’s License

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Travel in the water is not the same as it is on the road. For example, you don’t have potholes or bumper- to-bumper traffic in the open water. The terms are not the same either. If you’re going for your captain’s license, you will probably know what a knot and nautical mile are, but it’s still important to review and know the history behind the terms to have a more complete understanding of navigating the waters.

A nautical mile is defined as the unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. The agreed upon length of a nautical mile is 1852 meters or 6076 feet. This differs from a terrestrial mile, which is 5280 feet. The defined nautical mile is accepted by both the International Hydrographic Organization and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

The nautical mile was defined in Monaco at the First International Extraordinary Hydrographic Organization in 1929. The move was an attempt to have a uniform definition as countries had definitions of their own. The nautical mile is used by a variety of people, departments, businesses and organizations, including those concerned with navigation, exploration, and diplomacy. This is due in part on how well the nautical mile lends itself to nautical charts. It is easy to measure nautical miles, which helps in navigation.

A knot is the unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. Therefore, if you’re going ten knots an hour, you will have traveled ten nautical miles in one hour or just a little oven eleven terrestrial miles. The knot is used in many different industries including meteorology for checking storms and patterns and navigation through the air and water.

The term is derived from the old chip log measuring system. Up until the 1800s, the speed of ships was measured using a chip log. Knots would be placed along a line at roughly 47 feet, and as they passed through a sailor’s hands, they would be counted and timed with a 28 second hourglass. If you are going for your captain’s license, you should know these terms and others. Learn more about Mariners Learning System today.

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Tags : boating, captains license, charter boat captain, Mariners school, USCG license

Why It’s a Good Idea to Get a Captain’s License

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, October 24th, 2011

If you are thinking about a career in the water, here’s more incentive for you to run and get your captain’s license today; you can make over six figures as a charter boat captain. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for a charter boat captain was over sixty thousand dollars a year. However, those who live in high traffic areas like Florida could make over one hundred thousand dollars a year easily.

There appears to be openings as well. In 2008, there were 33,100 captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels. That number is expected to go up to 38,800 by 2018. That’s an increase of over fifteen percent. If you want to take advantage of this emerging trend, you’ll need to take the proper steps and coursework to make sure you’re qualified to captain a vessel in the water.

The first thing you’ll need to do is come up with a record of your sea experience. Depending on the license, you will need to have a certain amount of days out on sea in order to qualify. For example, the OUPV captain’s license requires that you have 360 days of sea time. If you do not have the experience, you do have time. The USCG gives you one year to finish your sea service time after you complete the proper coursework.

Along with coursework like those you’ll find with the USCG-approved Mariners Learning System, you will need to pass your physical examination and a drug test conducted by the Department of Transportation. You will also have your fingerprints submitted to the FBI to make sure you have not committed a DUI or drug-related offense within five years. Finally, you will need a TWIC card, which is your ticket to captaining a boat besides the license. Anyone with an OUPV captain’s license needs one.

If you have any questions about the process for a USCG captain’s license, please don’t hesitate to ask.

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Tags : boating, captains license, charter boat captain, mariners learning system, Mariners school, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

So You Want To Be a Captain – Medical Disqualifiers

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, September 12th, 2011

For a vessel to be operated safely, it is essential that the crewmembers be physically fit and free of debilitating illness and injury.

The seafaring life can be grueling, often hazardous, and the availability of medical assistance or treatment is generally minimal.

The following guidelines are just that—guidelines. They are not intended to be absolute or all encompassing.

Some individuals may have other medical conditions or physical limitations that would render them incompetent to perform their duties aboard a vessel. Read More→

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Categories : So You Want to Be A Captain

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, boating safety, Bob Figular, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, sailing, sailing safety, sea school, USCG license

Safe Boat Operations – Basic Chart Information

By CaptainBob · Comments (2)

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

The nautical chart shows channels, depth of water buoys, lights, lighthouses, prominent landmarks, rocks, reefs, sandbars, and much more useful information for the safe piloting of the boat. The chart is the most essential part of all piloting equipment. Here are some basic facts to know about charts:

Charts are oriented with north at the top.
The frame of reference for all chart construction is the system of latitude and longitude.
Any location on a chart can be expressed in terms of latitude or longitude.
- The latitude scale runs along both sides of the chart.
- The longitude scale runs across the top and bottom of the chart.
- Latitude lines are reference points in a north and south direction with the equator as their zero reference point.
- Longitude lines are the east and west reference points with the prime meridian as their zero reference point.

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Categories : Safe Boat Operations

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, boating safety, Bob Figular, mariners learning system, Mariners school, sailing, sailing safety, sea school, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

Safe Boat Operations – Anchoring – Anatomy of an Anchoring System

By CaptainBob · Comments (2)

Monday, July 18th, 2011

It is important to be familiar with several common terms as they relate to the anchoring system:

Anchor: A device designed to engage the bottom of a waterway and through its resistance to drag maintain a vessel within a given radius.

Ground Tackle: A general term for the anchor, anchor rodes, fittings, etc., used for securing a vessel at anchor.

Rode: The line connecting an anchor with a vessel.

Scope: The ratio of the length of the anchor rode to the vertical distance from the bow chocks to the bottom (depth plus height of bow chocks above water).

There are different types of anchors with specific advantages of each type. The type of anchor and size (weight) of anchor a boat uses depends upon the size of the boat. It is advisable for each boat to carry at least two anchors.

A working or service anchor should have the holding power equal to approximately 6% of the boat’s displacement.

A storm anchor should be at least 150-200% as effective as the service anchor.

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Categories : Safe Boat Operations

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, Bob Figular, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, US Coast Guard license, USCG license

Safe Boat Operations – Waves and Surf

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, July 11th, 2011

The ability to recognize wave patterns and characteristics is essential to safe operation in surf and heavy weather. A person operating in these conditions must be able to determine the timing of lulls and series, and estimate wave heights accurately. There are several forces, which create waves at sea, the most significant of which is wind.

The factors that determine the characteristics of wind waves are:

Wind speed.
Wind duration.
Fetch (the distance over open water which the wind has blown).

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Categories : Safe Boat Operations

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, Bob Figular, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

Safe Boat Operations – New Boat Handling and Maneuvering Skills

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, June 27th, 2011

To learn the basic handling and maneuvering characteristics of a vessel, a new boat owner should work with a licensed Captain or experienced boat operator.

When stepping up to the controls of any vessel for the first time, you should immediately become familiar with any physical constraints or limitations of the helm and engine controls. In the best-case scenario the controls should be designed and mounted to allow for a wide range of operators.

After checking all controls while moored with engines secured, you should recheck their operation with engines running while securely moored. It may not be safe to apply full ahead to astern throttle, however, you should be aware if at anytime there is a lag between throttle shift and propulsion, from neutral to ahead, neutral to astern, ahead to astern, and astern to ahead. When going from the ahead position to the astern position, and when going from the astern position to the ahead position, pause briefly at the neutral position. Read More→

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Categories : Safe Boat Operations

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, Bob Figular, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, sailing, sailing safety, sea school, US Coast Guard license, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

Safe Boat Operations – Marlinespike – Knot Tying

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Figure Eight Knot

Good knots are easy to tie, are easy to untie, and hold well. A good knot will not untie itself. In sailing vernacular, a knot is used to tie a line back upon itself, a bend used to secure two lines together, and a hitch is used to tie a line to a ring, rail or spar. A knot used to secure a line to an object, such as a ring or eye, is a hitch. The knots listed below are those most commonly used in boat operations. Read More→

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Categories : Safe Boat Operations

Tags : boating, boating education, boating rules, boating safety, captains license, mariners learning system, Mariners school, sailing, sailing safety, US Coast Guard license, USCG Captain's License, USCG license

Electronic Navigation – GPS – Entering Waypoints

By CaptainBob · Comments (0)

Monday, June 6th, 2011

There is nothing magical about a waypoint: it is simply a position that has been stored (‘entered’) into your GPS memory. Usually a waypoint is either your intended destination or some intermediate point that you want to pass through on the way there – hence the name ‘waypoint’.

When entering waypoints it is important to be aware that many GPS receivers require latitude and longitude to be given in a very rigidly defined format. It is quite common, for example, for a GPS to require that the degrees of longitude be given as three figures. So if you enter 1°26’. 10W as ‘1 26 1’, the GPS may store this as 126°10’.00 W.

Your receiver may also require that the minutes be given in two (or three) places of decimals, in which case the same entry would be stored as 0°12’.61 W. So whichever process your GPS requires make sure you have a clear understanding of how the data needs to be input.

Another very common mistake is to forget to enter the direction of latitude (N or S) or longitude (E or W). If you are on your way to Atlantic City, for instance, you probably take it for granted that it is west of the prime meridian, but your electronic GPS does not. Read More→

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Categories : Electronic Navigation