The PRO FILES

When a new boat delivery captain looks around a crowded harbor, he or she sees dollar signs. Crowded marinas can mean lots of opportunities for jobs.  But when an experienced boat delivery captain looks around the same harbor, what does he or she see?  Well, opportunties for jobs but also opportunities for lost income, disputes with boat owners, calls to SeaTow, or worse, calls to the Coast Guard. The fact is, not all boats are properly maintained, and not all boat owners are easy to work with. What seems like an...

So you want to be a captain? For professional boaters who make a living taking passengers out on the water, such as fishing guides, charter captains, ferry captains, and some sailing instructors, a captain’s license is a job requirement – it’s the law.  Getting a Merchant Mariner Credential (which is what a “captain’s license” really is), is no easy process.  Below is a summary of the requirements for an OUPV license application. The OUPV, commonly called a “six-pack,” is the most common credential held by seasoned recreational boaters, sailing instructors, fishing...

Mooring is generally done where few slips exist either because of availability or because of large tidal changes. One of the great advantages of a mooring is that it amounts to having a separate, private space for your home away from home, your boat.  Although there is a lot of new mooring technology, let's stick with the traditional setup that serves so many boaters so well. The goal is simply to keep your boat where it is moored safely. The mooring setup consists of a mooring line (usually called a mooring...