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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Getting my USCG OUPV 6pak Captain's License.

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Chip Hunt
Navigator

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120 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/08/2006 : 19:53:43

I've already completed the course, which was quite an experience. It lasted from one Saturday to the following Sunday. 9am to 6pm both days, both weekends, with 6pm to 10:30pm the M-Fri inbetween. I was a bit burned out to say the least. I did, however, learn lots of important and interesting things. I was wondering how many of you here have taken similar courses to get your 6pak license. I was also hoping that some of you had advice on the exam, which I will be taking day after tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your responses.

84 c25 fk/tr
Slowly but Maybe

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2006 : 20:12:28

That's intense! Good luck, sorry, no advice.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 11:24:52

I passed my exam, missing only 1 question.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 12:42:55

I sail in a mud hole, I don't need to know nutt'n

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Charlie Vick
Captain

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USA
423 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 12:51:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 I sail in a mud hole, I don't need to know nutt'n
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Me neither.

Except where the stumps and shallows are!

Good luck on your test Chip!

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Chip Hunt
Navigator

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120 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 17:23:49

I didn't take the course because it was required for anything. I just wanted to increase my knowledge base and build seamanship. At some point in the near future, I want to charter a boat in the Carribean. I've not sailed a boat bigger than 25 feet, and I thought that the more qualifications I can have, the more likely a charter company will be to let me bareboat. After taking the course, I think I may also want to get into some local sailboat delivery work on the side. Anyhoo, thanks for the well-wishes. I'll keep you guys updated.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 18:31:18

Believe me we would all take it if we could, like you said, its just got to be a good idea. Everyone is curious about the course. Your impressions of it will help a lot, I think it could be an interesting Mainsheet article.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2006 : 18:39:24

I remember Commodore Jim taking it... I'd be interested in either of your impressions as to how valuable the information and the experience is--for non-commercial purposes.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 12:39:38

I think the course itself is outdated and not very valuable in terms of teaching you new things to keep you safe on the water. Knowing the rules of the road inside out is useful. I did learn some new things in the plotting part of the course but with GPS its mostly an exercise you don't use in real life.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 12:40:07

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Chip Hunt
Navigator

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120 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 17:35:37

Just to clarify, this is not intended to be any sort of a write-up on the course. Maybe I can find time to do that in detail after I have completed everything involved in getting licensed. This is basically a rambling response to the above posts.
I wanted most of all to learn chartplotting, which we did spend the better part of 4 days doing. I know that gps chartplotters make this somewhat obsolete, but gps'es do break. Also, it isn't unheard of for the GPS satellites to be shut down (remember 9/11?), so I thought it important to learn as much as I could about this. The rules of the road section was probably the most boring thing of all. Yes, I did learn some info there, but I'm not sure how practical most of it is in terms of what I plan on doing. Do I really need to know what lights to display if I'm hip-towing or pushing-ahead a barge? Do I need to know the passing procedure when facing a down-bound vessel while travelling upbound on the Western rivers? Not likely, but this is the kind of stuff that we covered with rules of the road. The rules of the road section of the test has 70 questions, and you can only miss 7 and pass. This is my greatest concern with taking the test, and that is why I didn't go take it today. I'm going to wait until next Wednesday just so I can feel more comfortable with that particular info.

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pjeffarch
Navigator

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USA
135 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 19:51:45

Chip; what is the purpose of taking such an intense (and I would guess, expensive) course? Are you planning on becoming a pilot/captain of a commercial vessel? Seriously, I'm curious, as I too am considering some coursework, and my wife asked 'why'? Besides just wanting to learn, are there other reasons for such a course as you took? Whatever the answer, GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST! And if you have trouble, maybe Jim B can tutor you next time...

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Chip Hunt
Navigator

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120 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 22:11:37

Like I said somewhere above, I just wanted to increase my knowledge base and build seamanship. I also wanted to increase my likelyhood of being allowed to bareboat charter in the Carribean someday. As for expensive, I guess that's all relative, but the course cost me about 500 smacks.

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pjeffarch
Navigator

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USA
135 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 22:43:35

Wow, that seems reasonable to me. I'm paying $385 for a Basic Keelboat course and another $350 for Basic Cruising. That's a USSailing Certified instructor, and there's not much competition for the one school here in the Omaha area. Any comments on those rates or where to go for a better deal?

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 22:54:20

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Chip Hunt
 ...I also wanted to increase my likelyhood of being allowed to bareboat charter in the Carribean someday...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Out of curiosity, I sent the Moorings my sailing resume, which consisted of 10 years ownership of 25 foot sailboats on the Great Lakes, with no classes or certifications. This was their reply...

Dear Mr. Lucier,

Congratulations! We have received and approved your request to skipper a Moorings yacht on a future sailing vacation.

We are pleased to inform you that you are qualified to sail any Moorings bareboat yacht, monohull or catamaran, up to 41' in length at any of the following nine Moorings' bases: Tortola, Abacos, Baja, Nice, Hyeres, Turkey, Corfu, Tonga and Australia..."

With a Captain's license, I'd imagine they'd let you sail the Queen Mary!

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 06:41:56

Moorings is pretty good about bareboating. A sailing resume usually does the trick. You aren't allowed to sail at night with their boats so they eliminate a big portion of the headache with that. They will also have someone sail a few hours with you if they think you might be a moron just to make sure. From my experience with them and Sunsail, usually a good sailing resume is all it will take. A six pack will definitely boost credibility....

As for the class, I was under the impression that for certification we needed so many hours at the helm over and above the test? Is that still the case?

Is the class mandatory, or can you sit for the test without a class?

dw

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Charlie Vick
Captain

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USA
423 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 11:09:34

Not to change the subject but,

Don, did you have to send them any log of days sailed?

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 12:54:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Charlie Vick
 Don, did you have to send them any log of days sailed?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No, I did not send them a log, but on their sailing resume form there is a spot for days sailed per year.

Fill out the Moorings resume for yourself and see what you get...

[url="http://www.moorings.com/resume.asp"]Moorings Resume[/url]

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Charlie Vick
Captain

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USA
423 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 13:26:13

Thanks for the link Don, I'll try that.

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