Skip to main content

IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING

Those of you who read NAUTICAL LOG know that great importance is placed on safety at sea and this in turn comes from training. It is my opinion that each and every seafarer should hold a license indicating this training has been completed. One of the nautical Blogs that we follow and indeed read each day is BITTEREND hosted by Captain Richard Rodriguez. Captain RR is a well known and excellent instructor resident in the Pacific Northwest. Also he is well known to many of you from his service as a Vessel Assist Captain during the Spring and Summer boating seasons from Friday Harbor WA. The courses he teaches lead to a full United States Coast Guard (USCG) license. There is another excellent source of training and licensing and these are the State Safe Boating Certificates. Putting ones money where ones mouth is NAUTICAL LOG held a USCG Master and also a State of Florida Safe Boaters Certificate.

When NAUTICAL LOG visited the 'Miami International Boat Show' last weekend we had the opportunity to see all the latest USCG and State of Florida maritime reference publications. When we did the State of Florida 'Safe Boating Certificate' in 1999 the booklet "Boat Smart" was version 'A' the latest copy of "Boat Smart" is Version 'G'. It is greatly improved from the original and Floridian boaters should obtain the latest Version 'G' and reference only it contact
www.myfwc.com/

Florida Law requires that persons born on or after January 01, 1988 complete a NASBLA approved boater education course prior to operating a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or more. NAUTICAL LOG believes every boater should have this training besides it is a plus when purchasing marine insurance. The NASBLA approved course can be studied on line and after a practice test one can take the real thing. Each State has its own course so a Florida boater should take the State of Florida course and so on. You will receive a credit card style certificate which is kept with a photo ID, such as your drivers license, when you go boating.

When NAUTICAL LOG took the test years ago it consisted of 55 questions, this is now expanded to 75 questions. They are carefully selected and cover all the course subject matter well. So there you are a little effort and you will become a knowledgeable, capable and safe boater.


"CODICIL"

Just after this was posted my March 2010 "Yachting" arrived with the days mail. For those of you who know Jay Coyle his column is always worth a read. His irreverent style this month is 'Captain Schmaptin' about the joys of license renewal health requirements. Do not miss it!!

As to how this applies to the NAUTICAL LOG Post above well with the State Safe Boating Certificates there are no 'health requirements'. By having your State Drivers License as your photo ID you have already agreed to any testing. So have a laugh with Jay Coyle and go ahead and become a State Safe Boater with no USCG procedures.

Good Watch.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PAINT LOCKER FIRES

The photographs above are revealing in several ways, lets have a look. Clearly the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) vessel JS "Kurama" impacted the Korean container ship MS "Carina Star" just aft of the turn of the fo'cs'le on the Starboard side. Please note that's the Starboard side, thus it appears JS "Kurama" would have shown "Carina Star" the red port sidelight and "Carina Star" would have shown JS "Kurama" the green starboard sidelight. This impact point would tend to suggest that JS "Kurama" was the 'stand-on' vessel and the MS "Carina Star" is the 'giving-way' vessel. Until there is a complete plot of the tracks made good of both these vessels and the position in the Kanmon Strait of the point of collision no determination can actually be made. As a result of this impact there was severe bow damage to JS "Kurama" and in addition a massive f

HOW TO WEAR A LIFEJACKET

A popular U.S.-based cruise ship style A popular European ferry style Several times during the year NAUTICAL LOG has had visitors searching for lifejacket instructions. With two just over Christmas we decided to publish something for everybody to see and read. Choose a Coast Guard approved life-jacket and make sure it is undamaged. Make sure life-jackets are readily accessible, never locked away. Check the fit, there are adult, child and infant sizes, the correct one MUST be used. Choose bright colour life-jackets so as to be seen easily by Search and Rescue (SAR). Put your life-jacket ON BEFORE you leave the berth. Make sure you have a light and whistle attached AND they BOTH WORK. Good Watch

BOUILLABAISSE

TAAF Service vessel operated by CMA CGM TAAF Regional flag Well now let us see if here at NAUTICAL LOG we have got a grasp on things simmering in the pot. It seems that when the anti-whaling campaign started out some years ago it was between Greenpeace, the Sea Shepherds and the Japanese whaling fleet. The Australians came down to their own Southern Ocean Territory in a chartered civilian vessel one year. Beyond taking photographs and returning some Sea Shepherds to their ship the MS "Steve Irwin" not much was accomplished. The Greenpeace crowd then dropped out and Animal Planet boarded the MS "Steve Irwin" to shoot 'reality TV' and so Whale Wars came into being. This resulted in some deplorable behaviour on all sides and some appalling exhibitions of seamanship - or rather total lack of seamanship by the Sea Shepherds. But now there was money coming in which could be spent on - well nobody really knows what the money is spent on. New Zealand made it q