Is It Time to Get Your Captain’s License?

Have you ever thought about getting your captain’s license?

What serious boater hasn’t? For one thing, there’s a bit of respect and prestige that comes with successfully navigating your way to an official title, especially within the boating community. But that’s generally among the lesser reasons most candidates finally take the plunge. More likely, the quest for captain’s credentials is driven by a desire to acquire superior boating knowledge or improve one’s long term financial standing.

“We tend to see three types of students taking our in-person or on-line captain’s license courses,” says Capt. Michael Vanadia. Vanadia owns of Nautical School of Maritime Licensing, a long-time leader in maritime education offering a variety of in-person and on-line maritime licensing courses. These include the OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vehicles) license, known colloquially as a “six-pack” captain’s license. Applying for this license is the usual starting point for those looking to join the ranks of officially certified skippers.

“We see a lot of people seeking more advanced boating knowledge and training,” states Vanadia. “For these, obtaining a six-pack license is ideal. It’s an intensive 60-hour course that’s much more comprehensive than the standard eight-hour boating safety class most states require to legally drive a boat.”

Six-pack certification covers pretty-much all you need to know for boating in both inshore and offshore waters.

Topics tackled include everything from basic seamanship skills to identifying buoys and markers, chart reading, plotting courses, understanding rights of way in various situations, and much more. Passing the course allows captains to take up to six passengers for hire on uninspected (by the U.S. Coast Guard) vessels to 100 gross tons as far as 100 miles offshore.

Whereas the basic boating safety course is designed for people 12 and older. Six-pack captain’s license courses require a minimum age of 18, the youngest age at which the license can be obtained.

“I had a student recently who took this course because he was planning to sail The Great Loop. Which circles the eastern United States and includes the Great Lakes, Atlantic and Gulf Intercoastal waterways. Plus the Canadian Heritage Canals,” explains Vanadia.

“He wanted more knowledge about the rules of the sea and reading charts. along with the confidence that comes with understanding that information, so this course was an ideal match for him.”

A second group of students Vanadia regularly sees is young adults hoping to start a career on the water. Again, acquiring a six-pack license is great for this as it’s an entry level license that opens the door to on-the-water employment. Reach this goal and you can work your way up from running smaller charters and work boats to higher license classifications. That allows you to run open boat fishing trips, bigger work boats, ferries, commercial fishing boats. You can also operate dinner cruise ships, weddings and events, lead wildlife tours and more.

“These boaters tend to be younger, vigorous and ready to get their seafaring careers underway,” points out Vanadia. “They tend to show up ready to learn and anxious to get started, as you might imagine.”

Some students see boating as a way to start a second career or earn part-time income  alongside their full-time land-based jobs. hey might be looking to run a small charter fishing operation on a part-time basis, drive a ferry on weekends. Others might plan to operate a water taxi service, or maybe even work for Sea Tow^®. According to Vanadia, many have recently retired or expect to retire soon and hope to get a head start building their new business.”

Basic Course Requirements:

No matter which one of these categories you might fit in, the process is still the same when it comes to getting that initial six-pack license. It’s a good idea to check out the basic requirements before signing-up for the course. For starters, you’ll need to show 360 days of experience on inland or near coastal waters – this can be on your own boat or someone else’s. Of those total days, 90 must have taken place over the past three years. You’ll also need to take a drug test, have a doctor sign off on a physical exam, and have first aid/CPR certification before applying for your captain’s license. (Note that non-US citizens may be restricted to undocumented vessels with a 5-ton limit.)

“Don’t fret over the 360-day requirement,” says Vanadia. “The Coast Guard is looking to see that you have appropriate on-the-water experience. You are not going to need anyone to sign a voucher that you sailed on their boat a decade ago as long as your submission makes sense and seems reasonable.”

Captain’s courses are available from a variety of sources these days, both in-person and on-line. Vanadia recommends choosing a provider that responds promptly to your initial questions and offers a complete description of each course. He also suggests finding one that includes all required application forms at no extra cost, helping you apply for your license after enrolling.

As for whether to take the course in-person or on-line, The Nautical School offers both. Vanadia suggests taking the in-person option if you can work it into your schedule.

“There are several marine licensing operations offering both on-line and in-person courses these days,” says Vanadia.

“I always try to steer people toward the in-person classes because immediate feedback during instruction is really helpful. If you have a question, just raise a hand and you get an answer right on the spot. With chart plotting and charting a course, for example, we’ll lay the charts out on a desk as the instructor goes over things with you. It’s a hands-on experience, and that’s a great way to learn.”

Undoubtedly, the big advantage with the on-line route is that you can learn at your own pace when you have the time available. But if you don’t understand something, it’s really up to you to research the topic and figure it out. That can take more time than you might expect because even if you shoot an email to the instructor there’s no guarantee you’ll get an immediate response.

If you are sitting on the fence about applying for a captain’s license, now’s the time to get started. The process can take several months to complete the course, submit documents, and receive your Coast Guard-certified OUPV license. Start this spring, though, and you’ll likely have it later this summer. At that point, you can treat yourself to a captain’s hat, step behind the helm, and set out on whatever course  you’ve plotted for your future self.