Do you ever think about telling your family at home where you'll be fishing or boating? Do they know how to reach you if you ever forgot your cell phone? What if you were faced with a serious injury, a fire, or a man over-board situation? What if you had to seek shelter from a storm and the closest harbor is one you have never visited before? Would you know how to navigate the harbor in the dark? Do you know what those flashing colored buoys mean? What if your electronics died and all you had was a chart and a compass? What if someone had a heart attack on your boat? Would you know how to administer CPR and call for help? Wow….are you scratching your head yet? Shall I go on with other scenarios? How about this one? Have you ever had a guy yell at you and say, “Hey, I've got the right of way!” Do you know who has the right of way and why? Do you have all the USCG (United States Coast Guard) safety gear on board? What if you had a problem and you were on the water, would your crew know what to do? Have you ever taken the time to discuss this very important issue with them prior to departing for the day? Creating a simple check list of where the PFD’s (Personal Floatation Devices) are and communicating what to do if a person were to fall over-board or how to help another boater in need can save a precious life. The reason I decided to get my captain's license was mainly to be a safer and better boater. I thought it was also essential for my peace of mind to have this license since I have my own charter business, Long Run Fishing Charters. After 20+ years navigating the Western LI Sound I found out I knew a lot less about boating than I thought and it was a real eye opener. As I did my research on where I wanted to become educated and get my license, I looked long and hard as I wanted the best product and training for my money. I decided on Mariners School after meeting with Capt. Bob Figular at the NY Boat Show at Jacob Javits. Capt. Bob advised me that 98.9% of his students passed every aspect of the course, which I'll break down for you later in this article, but what really intrigued me was that many who passed never operated a boat before! Simply stated, if you put in the time and dedicate yourself to his curriculum and methods, you will be walking out with your captain's license and a new respect to the world of boating. |
Mariners School and Options……
I decided to take the three consecutive weekends in the Princeton, NJ location and when you visit the Mariners School website, www.marinerschool.com, you will see that the course is given nationally in a location close to you. I was in a class of about 23 guys and at the end of the first weekend, I studied every night and reviewed that material, took the online sample tests and became very proficient in that weekend's course. The following two weekends were comprised of the same effort. I made some good friends and the instructors were always there to help you both before and after class if you had any questions. We were also teamed up with a partner and together this team was a very successful formula. Besides three consecutive weekends, you could take it in a weekly format or take the entire course on-line if work or family prevents you from getting to a classroom.
On-Line Course… Mariners School is the first in the country to offer this program and below is a simple overview and the items that will be covered.
Course Overview
Mariners Learning System™ OUPV training course is an instructional resource that combines broadcast quality audio visual media, workbooks and computer based training. Any student that completes the course will have demonstrated their complete and total knowledge of the information required in Subpart C of Part 10, Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations.
The course thoroughly covers the subjects addressed by Coast Guard exams for the following licenses:
OUPV Inland/Near Coastal (Six Pack/Charter Boat Captain License)
Objective
The goal is to enhance safety and productivity in the maritime working environment by instilling the knowledge and skills reflected in the Coast Guard exam topic table. Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certificate that will be accepted in lieu of the standard Coast Guard examination!
Entry Standards
Students must be able to speak English.
Instructors
The program has been built so that a student can directly contact one of our USCG-approved staff instructors via e-mail. In addition, complete telephone support is available through a toll free support system that is manned by our Coast Guard-approved staff instructors.
Testing
Once the student completes the four Module Exams they make an appointment to take their final exam with Mariners School. No testing at the Coast Guard Regional Exam Centers. The grading standards are:
