PRE-COURSE QUICK REFERENCE MARINER S LICENSE HANDBOOK FOR OPERATOR OF UNINSPECTED PASSENGER VESSELS TRUECOURSE CAPTAIN S SCHOOL 548 Deptford Ave. Dayton, OH 45429 937.478.1947 www.truecourses.com INTRODUCTION
Welcome to TrueCourse Captain s School! So, you want to be a Captain?! Needless to say, this can be a daunting task. At TrueCourse, we want to relieve you of those anxieties. The instructors and staff at TrueCourse will present a Coast Guard approved course curriculum, which we feel will be a very rewarding and enriching experience. Just as important, we will also guide you through the Coast Guard license application process. For your part, the course will require preparation and attention. However, your diligence will pay off on the day you are sworn in as a licensed Coast Guard Captain. Without question, the industry standard is wrapped around education and training as valuable resources for all mariners. It is felt that through education and training, the mariner develops a professional competence, which will significantly enhance safety at sea. The OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels) course was developed with that philosophy in mind. This OUPV program will cover material on all license examinations up to 100 gross tons. Once you complete the OUPV requirements, an option is to upgrade to 100 ton Master and Mates license. The class requirements are less demanding, but just as rewarding. Our tests are normally scheduled within one week after the completion of the course. By then, you should be well prepared to take the tests. However, do not take the test until you are totally familiar with the material. Whatever you do, don t memorize the questions and answers. Try to comprehend the material which in turn will answer future real-life situations to safe boating. During class, listen to the material being presented. Take notes. Continually review the course material and your notes. Once you understand the material, take the self tests at the end of each section in the Student Manual. Becoming a captain can be fun! Besides the fun of learning more about your hobby, we have found many students have gone on to rewarding carriers as hired captains, delivery captains, harbormasters, and other employment in the maritime industry, even though it was not their intent when they signed up for the class. All the questions in the course Student Manual have been selected from the Coast Guard s database of approximately 15,000 questions. You can also download all current Coast Guard questions and answers in both Adobe Acrobat (PFD) and Microsoft Excel formats at the Coast Guard site: www.uscg.mil/stcw/index.htm
At TrueCourse, we have extracted from the Coast Guard database, a good representation of all questions and answers covering the various subject areas presented in class. WHY MUST YOU OBTAIN AN OPERATOR OF UNINSPECTED PASSENGER VESSEL (OUPV) LICENSE Coast Guard licenses are required in order to legally carry passengers for any operation other than just for pleasure. Some examples are boats which normally engage in charter fishing, water taxi, SCUBA diving, sightseeing, tour/dinner cruises etc. In this course, the license offered is the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV), known as the 6-Pack license. By law, this license allows an individual to operate an uninspected vessel limiting the number of passengers for hire to six or less. Uninspected means that the equipment required and the design of the boat are less regulated by the USCG. 6-Pack is the common term referring to the 6-passenger limitation placed on the license when operating as a hired captain on an uninspected vessel. OUPV licenses are issued with a particular route. Routes can be NEAR COASTAL (Out to 100 miles offshore); INLAND (Bays, sounds, rivers lakes etc); and GREAT LAKES. HOW DOES ONE QUALIFY To obtain an OUPV license, you must clear two hurdles: Prove to the Coast Guard that you meet all of the regulatory requirements for the license. Pass a written test which includes multiple choice questions on Rules of the Road, Deck and Safety, General Navigation and hands-on chart navigation problems. WHERE TO APPLY Successful completion of the USCG approved TrueCourse Captain s School allows you to test with us at one of our facilities. After successfully completing the course and test, hand carry your Coast Guard application and TrueCourse certificate to the nearest Regional Exam Center (REC). It must initially go through the REC. In turn, the REC will forward your application to the National Maritime Center (NMC) in West Virginia. After reviewing your application, the NMC will issue and mail you your license. OUPV LICENSE REQUIREMENTS All OUPV licenses are for vessels up to 100gt for either power or sail
NEAR COASTAL LICENSE (Can operate a vessel up to 100 nautical miles offshore) Minimum age 18 Minimum 360 days of documented sea service on a vessel with at least 90 days in the last 3 years Minimum of 90 days of those 360 days served on offshore waters. Offshore waters are defined as waters seaward of the Boundary Line at entrances to bays, sounds, inlets and rivers. U.S. Citizenship not required INLAND & GREAT LAKES LICENSE Minimum age 18 Minimum 360 days of documented sea service on a vessel with at least 90 days in the last 3 years Inland waters are defined as waters shoreward of the Boundary Line on the East or West coasts A Great Lakes route are waters of the Great Lakes. A minimum of 90 days of those 360 days served on the Great Lakes to qualify U.S. Citizenship not required Note: Experience can be counted on vessels you currently own or have owned. A CG Sea Service form, CG-719S, and proof of ownership are required to show your time. Experience on other peoples vessels can also be counted. However, the Sea Service form must be completed and signed by the owner. OTHER LICENSE REQUIREMENTS Application, References and Sea Service forms: A completed Coast Guard Application and Sea Service* forms. All applicants for an original license are required to submit three recommendations attesting to his or her suitability for a CG license. Your CG application does NOT have to be completed prior to class. We will cover this requirement in class. Social Security Card: An original Social Security card must be presented when applying for your license. Citizenship and Proof of Age: Must be verified by ONE of the following: Birth Certificate (original or certified copy issued by a State, County, or municipality not from a hospital) Passport (original or certified copy not expired) Baptismal Certificate (issued within a year of birth) Certificate of Naturalization (original only)
Proper documentation for name change (ie. A married woman must present marriage licenses and divorce decrees) Physical: A USCG Merchant Marine Physical Examination Report must be completed within the last 12 months of applying for your license. TrueCourse will arrange in providing the physical at most on-site locations CPR/FA: A Red Cross or American Heart Association CPR/FA certificate or an approved CPR/FA course certificate must be presented to the CG when applying for your license. This original certificate must be dated within 12 months of applying for your license. TrueCourse will also arrange for this class in most on-site locations. Drug Test: A test to show proof that you are free of dangerous drugs and taken within 6 months of applying is required. Dangerous Drugs, under the Department of Transportation rules are: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), and amphetamines. Tests must be conducted according to Federal Regulations under Title 49 Code, Part 40 and done by laboratories certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. All qualifying random and periodic drug-testing programs must also meet these requirements. TrueCourse subscribes to a consortium that allows us to provide the test on site. Fingerprints: The Coast Guard will electronically fingerprint you when you arrive at the REC to deliver your application packet. Fees: For an original CG license applicant, the current fee is a $100 evaluation/processing fee and a $45 license issuance fee. This fee is paid directly to the USCG at application for the license. *Sea Service form: This form is used to document your time on the water. This will be covered in class as to how one documents time on the water whether it s on boat(s) you own or have owned in the past or boats owned by other people. The Sea Service form is also explained in the note on the previous page. OUPV COURSE OVERVIEW The US Coast Guard approved OUPV course is 56 hours of instruction followed with an exam. As previously mentioned, the exam is generally given within one week following the conclusion of instruction. One of the prerequisites before taking the exam is that one must successfully complete all elements of instruction. In other words, class attendance is mandatory. Let s look at the material covered in class. Essentially, there are four components. 1. Navigation Plotting 2. Navigation Rules; International and Inland 3. Navigation General 4. Deck & Safety 1. Navigation Plotting:
The principle elements of navigation plotting covers the nautical chart, latitude/longitude, magnetic compass & compass error, determining position, piloting, speed/time/distance, relative bearings and angles, and steering when there is a current, and more. Much of the time spent on navigation plotting is practical exercise. Here are some more of the plotting terms we ll be discussing: variation, deviation, dead reckoning, lines of position (LOP), set and drift. Look these up in Chapman s plotting will be much easier when you come to class. And remember, you don t have to be proficient in math to get through plotting! 2. The Navigation Rules: The Navigation Rules cover both International and Inland Rules as presented by the United States Coast Guard. Understanding The Rules can be challenging to the average mariner. Time permitting, it is advisable to become acquainted with the book which covers the Rules. Navigation Rules, International-Inland published by Paradise Cay Publications for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard. This book is available from TrueCourses.com or other book outlets. Navigation Rule #3 covers the general definitions of the types of vessels bound by the Rules. You ll learn the meaning of a NUC (Not Under Command), RAM (Restricted in her Ability to Maneuver), CBD (Constrained By Draft). It may seem overwhelming at this point, but as the class progresses so will your understanding. 3. Navigation General Navigation General subject covers material on weather, tides & currents, and aids to navigation. 4. Deck & Safety Deck & Safety subjects covers vessel maneuvering & handling, docking & undocking, mooring & anchoring, troubleshooting gas and diesel engines, heavy weather operations, emergency procedures, man overboard, signaling and summoning assistance, life saving devices, fire prevention, and marlinspike seamanship. Look up the meaning in Chapman s...pitch of a propeller, breast & spring lines, Williamson turn used during man overboard, hydrostatic release valve on a life raft, faking or flaking a line, fairleads, standing & running rigging, the use of a CO2 fire extinguisher, proper scope when anchoring. You can do it! PRIOR TO CLASS, WE SUGGEST YOU REVIEW THE FOLLOWING REFERENCES: Chapman s Piloting and Seamanship, 64 th Edition, Elbert Maloney, published by Hearst Books Navigation Rules; International-Inland, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard
You can order these from www.truecourses.com or other book outlets THE EXAM Before taking the exam, a thorough understanding of the material is recommended. At the beginning of class, you will receive a student manual. This manual will be your one and only source needed to get your comfort factor kicked-in. Along with the material in the manual, there are a number of questions on all components which will also assist you in your preparation for the exam. The exam will cover the four components learned in class. To qualify for the OUPV license, there are four examinations which must be successfully completed. You have 3 tries to pass each module. 1. Navigation Plotting 10 questions; passing grade 70% 2. Rules 30 questions; passing grade 90% 3. Navigation General 20 questions; passing grade 70% 4. Deck & Safety 50 questions; passing grade 70%