[luckylg]

Greetings. I've been lurking at this forum for a few days and thought I'd make my first post.

My wife and I have been running a towing and salvage company in the PacNW for seven years now. We both have 100GT tickets. We also have experience running a complex business with diverse capital assets including several boats. I generally have been responsible for operations and personnel while she takes care of business and marketing. Naturally, I am here because we are interested in moving into somewhat warmer climes and translating our experience into a yacht captain/crew position.

While I have several questions, the one that is dominating most of my time now is how to move forward with qualifications. We've previously attended courses at the Maritime Institute in San Diego. It seems like the Yachtmaster Int'l Course would be a good next step. Can anyone comment? Is there a better route that I've not stumbled on yet?

Lyman

[Ken Bracewell]

Since you are already USCG certified, why not maintain that route and build your license with in this country?

[NYCAP123]

Capt. Ken,
I like your tag line. I never really thought about it until a couple of years ago when I saw a magazine article showing a captain diving off the bow to retrieve a mooring line (as opposed to just grabing it with a boat hook). My first thought was "what an idiot". My second was " who's manning the helm on this now drifting boat?" My 3rd "Does he think this will get him jobs?" I swam like a fish as a kid and spent my life on boats. Now, after a lot of experience and a melanoma, the closest I come to a swim is my jacuzzi or shower except for maybe cutting a line off a prop. As for going out on boats, only when my palm is crossed with green (except when I get withdrawl symptoms in mid winter).

[luckylg]

Originally Posted by Ken Bracewell

Since you are already USCG certified, why not maintain that route and build your license with in this country?

Well, from what I understand 80% of the MY fleet is flagged in other than US waters. That being the case, does having a USCG ticket then limit our potential pool of employers to the 20% that are flagged in the US?

I'm having a hard time finding a clearing house for this sort of information. Thus the questions here.

[NYCAP123]

It looks like you're talking about the Jones Act. Unless granted special dispensation a vessel working in the US must be built and flaged in the US.

[Ken Bracewell]

Originally Posted by luckylg

Well, from what I understand 80% of the MY fleet is flagged in other than US waters. That being the case, does having a USCG ticket then limit our potential pool of employers to the 20% that are flagged in the US?

I'm having a hard time finding a clearing house for this sort of information. Thus the questions here.

The short answer is NO. The US license is recognized internationally for private and commercial craft, while it's counterparts are only valid for yachts. We are sometimes required to obtain a certificate of equivalency based on the rules of the state in which the vessel is flagged. Here's the AND- you have to hold a USCG license in order to run a US flagged vessel.