1. A 25 ton is the lowest ticket the USCG will give regardless of how small a
boat you have sea time on. If all your time was on an 18 foot Boston Whaler,
you still get a 25 ton license.

2. If you own a boat, you can attest to your own sea time. The USCG never
checks. All you have to do is prove you owned the boat. You can then fill in
any amount of sea time and put in any location you want, even if all you did
was to live aboard at a mooring and never went anywhere. Heck, you don’t
even have to own a boat! You can have a friend sign off on your papers saying
you were on their boat for X number of days. The more days you claim, the
higher the license you can get...i.e. a Masters instead of just a 6 Pack.
Bottom line: NO PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED, NO EXPERIENCED REQUIRED !!

3. All sections of the test are multiple choice. All the possible questions,
and all the correct answers; and this includes the chart work, are available to
anyone. To pass the test you need only memorize the correct answers. You
don’t have to know or understand a thing. Most of the test is open book
anyway.

4. Near Coastal or Inland? Almost anybody who boats on the east coast will
get a Near Coastal, because they leave inland waters as soon as they claim to
have gone outside of the inlet. Only boaters around New England and the
Chesapeake have problems.

5. Most launch drivers have 100 ton licenses because 100 toners are a dime a
dozen. Perhaps they have some experience driving slightly larger yachts or
they have fudged on their applications. Either way, that is about the only job
you can get starting out with on a "YACHTIE" ticket. After that ,if you are in
the Keys, know how to drive a bigger boat, are sober, and can show up for work
on a regular schedule, there are often openings available on some of the sight
seeing cats, etc. While there is a fair amount of work if you have the
experience, the pay is very low. You might have to start out as a mate, or
relief, but you can get full time pretty quickly. Yachties are not often hired
to run big boats, etc., and on the smaller ones, if you are not a good driver,
everyone will know very quickly, and your "maritime career" will be over.
Charter boats are usually run by their owners, so there isn’t much work
available there.

6. Getting a license is really nothing more than getting a piece of government
paper and, for some perhaps, an ego trip. In the U.S. it has no meaning other
than to say you most likely fudged your application, paid to go to Sea School,
and are good at memorization. It has nothing whatsoever to do with competency.
At least with an automobile you have to take a road test to get a driver's
license.

CRW

"Crvvvw" wrote
1. A 25 ton is the lowest ticket the USCG will give regardless of how small a
boat you have sea time on. If all your time was on an 18 foot Boston Whaler,
you still get a 25 ton license.

Except, of course, the 6-pack.


2. If you own a boat, you can attest to your own sea time. The USCG never
checks. All you have to do is prove you owned the boat. You can then fill in
any amount of sea time and put in any location you want, even if all you did
was to live aboard at a mooring and never went anywhere. Heck, you don't
even have to own a boat! You can have a friend sign off on your papers saying
you were on their boat for X number of days. The more days you claim, the
higher the license you can get...i.e. a Masters instead of just a 6 Pack.
Bottom line: NO PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED, NO EXPERIENCED REQUIRED !!


But that would be perjury. I'm sure there are many cases of stretching a bit,
but I've never heard of a case of total fabrication. And what would be gained?
Are you going to get a job with zero experience?


3. All sections of the test are multiple choice. All the possible questions,
and all the correct answers; and this includes the chart work, are available
to
anyone. To pass the test you need only memorize the correct answers. You
don't have to know or understand a thing. Most of the test is open book
anyway.

Yes, the thousands of possible questions answers are available. Many of them
are worded similarly. It would be impossible for most people to memorize them
all without learning something. And the rules test does require a rather good
understanding - which is why I wonder if Neal actually took it.

While much of the test is open book, that doesn't make it easy when the book is
46CFR.

And if its so easy, why do a third of the candidates fail the first try?


4. Near Coastal or Inland? Almost anybody who boats on the east coast will
get a Near Coastal, because they leave inland waters as soon as they claim to
have gone outside of the inlet. Only boaters around New England and the
Chesapeake have problems.

"Only boaters in New England and the Chesapeake" covers a significant portion of
the East Coast. You can cruise your whole life from Maine to Norfolk, and never
go outside the line, except for brief stints in New Jersey. Or inside of the
Outer Banks. Same for the Florida Keys, including the outside channel.

snip

6. Getting a license is really nothing more than getting a piece of
government
paper and, for some perhaps, an ego trip. In the U.S. it has no meaning other
than to say you most likely fudged your application, paid to go to Sea School,
and are good at memorization. It has nothing whatsoever to do with
competency.
At least with an automobile you have to take a road test to get a driver's
license.

Well, there's some truth, though I think your exaggerating that applications are
fudged. I've seen a number of class groups and didn't see anyone that didn't
have a reasonable amount of experience. About a third were professional
fishermen with years of time, who needed some alternate means of income. A
third were delivery captains or paid crew or ex-Coasties who needed the ticket
to further their career, and a third were long-time yachties that wanted
bragging rights and the occasional 6-pack charter.

Merry Christmas, everyone, I'm off to Florida for a week.

-jeff

"Jeff Morris" wrote in message ...
Yes, the thousands of possible questions answers are available. Many of them
are worded similarly. It would be impossible for most people to memorize them
all without learning something. And the rules test does require a rather good
understanding - which is why I wonder if Neal actually took it.

I took it and I bet I beat your scores. (not to mention
those of Shen and otn and RickyTickyTuggy.

Here's mine, can any of you claim the same or higher?

Rules of the Road score 100%
Deck General score 98%
Nav General 100%
Chart Navigation 100%
Master Upgrade 96%

As for CRW, I bet you don't even have a license,
you little weenie!

Further, it's likely you've tried and failed at least
a couple times so instead of studying until you get
it right you resort to lame attempts to belittle the
superior accomplishments of others.

S.Simon - Master Mariner

ubject: Let's get this license thing straight once and for all:
From: "Simple Simon"
Date: 12/24/2003 15:32 Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"Jeff Morris" wrote in message
...
Yes, the thousands of possible questions answers are available. Many of
them
are worded similarly. It would be impossible for most people to memorize
them
all without learning something. And the rules test does require a rather
good
understanding - which is why I wonder if Neal actually took it.

I took it and I bet I beat your scores. (not to mention
those of Shen and otn and RickyTickyTuggy.

Here's mine, can any of you claim the same or higher?

Rules of the Road score 100%
Deck General score 98%
Nav General 100%
Chart Navigation 100%
Master Upgrade 96%

Never cared ..... was only interested in hearing, PASSED !!
I have a feeling the test I took were a wee tad more involved and covered a
considerable more subject matter, than yours.

Shen

Simple Simon wrote:

I took it and I bet I beat your scores. (not to mention
those of Shen and otn and RickyTickyTuggy.

Cretin.

Most of us who have earned, hold, and use unlimited licenses simply do
not know what the scores were. Many REC's don't bother to say anything
other than pass or fail and quite frankly we are not in the industry to
brag about test scores. We know if we missed a question. We have the
knowledge to recognize when we make a mistake. We don't have to wait for
an accounting.

By the time a mariner gets to our level most know what a test means and
what the "score" really is. Only rank amateurs such as yourself need to
post their scores. The rest of us know who and what we are. The trust
and respect of our peers is the only score that matters, and we are
tested for real each time we give an order.

You will never earn such respect or trust because you are not a seafarer
by any measure. You are not even among the growing number of
professional yachties who possess the training and skills to satisfy
international requirements for such employment.

You are a master of the keyboard only, a fraud and a pathetic wannabe.

Rick

While much of the test is open book, that doesn't make it easy when the book
is
46CFR.


G Except for a small section on "regulations" (involved looking up some
abstract regs to show you knew how to use the CFR's) I don't remember ANY open
book questions.

Shen

Fool. Those are the minimum requirements.

Simon is a master mariner. He has more time and miles under his belt than
the rest of this newsgroup combined.

Go soak your head.

Capt RB, ASA

"Crvvvw" wrote in message
...
1. A 25 ton is the lowest ticket the USCG will give regardless of how
small a
boat you have sea time on. If all your time was on an 18 foot Boston
Whaler,
you still get a 25 ton license.

2. If you own a boat, you can attest to your own sea time. The USCG never
checks. All you have to do is prove you owned the boat. You can then
fill in
any amount of sea time and put in any location you want, even if all you
did
was to live aboard at a mooring and never went anywhere. Heck, you don't
even have to own a boat! You can have a friend sign off on your papers
saying
you were on their boat for X number of days. The more days you claim, the
higher the license you can get...i.e. a Masters instead of just a 6 Pack.
Bottom line: NO PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED, NO EXPERIENCED REQUIRED !!

3. All sections of the test are multiple choice. All the possible
questions,
and all the correct answers; and this includes the chart work, are
available to
anyone. To pass the test you need only memorize the correct answers. You
don't have to know or understand a thing. Most of the test is open book
anyway.

4. Near Coastal or Inland? Almost anybody who boats on the east coast
will
get a Near Coastal, because they leave inland waters as soon as they claim
to
have gone outside of the inlet. Only boaters around New England and the
Chesapeake have problems.

5. Most launch drivers have 100 ton licenses because 100 toners are a
dime a
dozen. Perhaps they have some experience driving slightly larger yachts
or
they have fudged on their applications. Either way, that is about the
only job
you can get starting out with on a "YACHTIE" ticket. After that ,if you
are in
the Keys, know how to drive a bigger boat, are sober, and can show up for
work
on a regular schedule, there are often openings available on some of the
sight
seeing cats, etc. While there is a fair amount of work if you have the
experience, the pay is very low. You might have to start out as a mate,
or
relief, but you can get full time pretty quickly. Yachties are not often
hired
to run big boats, etc., and on the smaller ones, if you are not a good
driver,
everyone will know very quickly, and your "maritime career" will be over.
Charter boats are usually run by their owners, so there isn't much work
available there.

6. Getting a license is really nothing more than getting a piece of
government
paper and, for some perhaps, an ego trip. In the U.S. it has no meaning
other
than to say you most likely fudged your application, paid to go to Sea
School,
and are good at memorization. It has nothing whatsoever to do with
competency.
At least with an automobile you have to take a road test to get a
driver's
license.

CRW

My old cat had more miles under his keel than Neal when he died last year!
Really.


"Bobsprit" wrote in message
link.net...
Fool. Those are the minimum requirements.

Simon is a master mariner. He has more time and miles under his belt than
the rest of this newsgroup combined.

Go soak your head.

Capt RB, ASA

"Crvvvw" wrote in message
...
1. A 25 ton is the lowest ticket the USCG will give regardless of how
small a
boat you have sea time on. If all your time was on an 18 foot Boston
Whaler,
you still get a 25 ton license.

2. If you own a boat, you can attest to your own sea time. The USCG never
checks. All you have to do is prove you owned the boat. You can then
fill in
any amount of sea time and put in any location you want, even if all you
did
was to live aboard at a mooring and never went anywhere. Heck, you don't
even have to own a boat! You can have a friend sign off on your papers
saying
you were on their boat for X number of days. The more days you claim, the
higher the license you can get...i.e. a Masters instead of just a 6 Pack.
Bottom line: NO PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED, NO EXPERIENCED REQUIRED !!

3. All sections of the test are multiple choice. All the possible
questions,
and all the correct answers; and this includes the chart work, are
available to
anyone. To pass the test you need only memorize the correct answers. You
don't have to know or understand a thing. Most of the test is open book
anyway.

4. Near Coastal or Inland? Almost anybody who boats on the east coast
will
get a Near Coastal, because they leave inland waters as soon as they claim
to
have gone outside of the inlet. Only boaters around New England and the
Chesapeake have problems.

5. Most launch drivers have 100 ton licenses because 100 toners are a
dime a
dozen. Perhaps they have some experience driving slightly larger yachts
or
they have fudged on their applications. Either way, that is about the
only job
you can get starting out with on a "YACHTIE" ticket. After that ,if you
are in
the Keys, know how to drive a bigger boat, are sober, and can show up for
work
on a regular schedule, there are often openings available on some of the
sight
seeing cats, etc. While there is a fair amount of work if you have the
experience, the pay is very low. You might have to start out as a mate,
or
relief, but you can get full time pretty quickly. Yachties are not often
hired
to run big boats, etc., and on the smaller ones, if you are not a good
driver,
everyone will know very quickly, and your "maritime career" will be over.
Charter boats are usually run by their owners, so there isn't much work
available there.

6. Getting a license is really nothing more than getting a piece of
government
paper and, for some perhaps, an ego trip. In the U.S. it has no meaning
other
than to say you most likely fudged your application, paid to go to Sea
School,
and are good at memorization. It has nothing whatsoever to do with
competency.
At least with an automobile you have to take a road test to get a
driver's
license.

CRW

"Jeff Morris" wrote in message ...
My old cat had more miles under his keel than Neal when he died last year!


I'm still alive . . .

"Simple Simon" wrote in message
...

"Jeff Morris" wrote in message
...
My old cat had more miles under his keel than Neal when he died last year!


I'm still alive . . .


So you might catch up to Stanley ... just watch out for those hairballs!