In Policy Letter 04-18, the Coast Guard clarifies a requirement that technically became effective March 24, 2014. Prior to that date, certain engineering officer endorsements allowed the holder to act as a Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) even though the endorsement was not shown on the credential. Per Policy Letter 04-18, this is no longer the case. Because of this change, the Coast Guard is offering an opportunity to [...]
While the requirement for Radar Renewal may be going away for some mariners, it's not gone yet and for others, mariners with limited recent sea-time, Radar Renewal may continue to be required. Here is a link to a Radar Plotting Review just in case.
The director of our Engineering Program is Bruce Sherman. A Northwest native, Bruce holds an unlimited horsepower Chief Engineers Motor License, and a 3rd Assistant Steam license. He is a graduate of Macalester College in landlocked Minnesota, and got his Engineers training at the MEBA’s Calhoon School in Baltimore. Bruce sailed for more than 30 years in all engine room licensed ratings. He was a plank holder on the M/V [...]
In response to the vast number of questions related to Towing Vessels — Subchapter M compliance, manning, etc. — the Coast Guard has created the Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise (TVNCOE) and TugSafe Central. The sites, which link to each other, answer every imaginable question pertaining to the safe and legal operation of these vessels. TugSafe Central includes an Inspected Towing Vessel Decision Aid capable of generating a custom requirement list for a [...]
Section 510 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017 removed, at the statutory level, the requirement for mariners to renew their Radar Endorsement every five years. Implementation of this change requires the development of specific regulations by the Coast Guard. The proposed regulations were submitted for public review June 11, 2018 and read as follows: . . . an active mariner who serves in a relevant position for 1 year in [...]
It is hard to imagine the pleasure of drinking wine being diminished by not knowing the name of the indentation in the bottom of the wine bottle. And plenty of shoes have been successfully tied by people who do not know the name of the thingamajig at the end of a shoelace. It’s the same with ground tackle onboard ship. Anchors have been heaved, weighed, dragged, dredged, kedged, dropped underfoot [...]
Near Coastal and Celestial examinations for deck licenses will often include an ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) problem. The more interesting of this type are trans-Pacific crossing the International Date Line. The trick to these problems is not to think — not to think about the Date Line or the date or the direction of travel. Instead, translate all times (departure, elapsed and arrival) through Greenwich.For example: Here is a [...]
In a study published in Psychological Science (May 2009), Dutch researchers determined that “Backward locomotion appears to be a very powerful trigger to mobilize cognitive resources.” The Rules of the Road anticipated this conclusion in Rule 8 by advising that “if a vessel needs more time to avoid collision or assess the situation, she shall slacken her speed or take all way off by stopping or reversing her means [...]
In 1849, Dr. Samuel Birley Rowbotham published the pamphlet “Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe” in which he asserted that the Earth is an enclosed plane, surrounded by the ice of Antarctica and (somehow) suspended over which are the stars, the Sun, the Moon and the planets. Nearly three hundred years later, the astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson found himself in a smackdown with Rowbotham soul-mate and rapper B.o.B., arguing that [...]
“Full and Down” describes the desirable but rare condition in which a vessel has all her cargo space filled and is loaded down to her Plimsoll marks. Achieving the state of “full and down” requires some arithmetic. The old examination bank of questions has three “full and down” problems, two of which require elementary algebra. The new examination bank has dropped two of these questions leaving only one relatively simple calculation problem. Before [...]
Occasionally it is necessary to calculate the number of board feet in a pile of lumber. The key to the problem is knowing that a board foot is 1′ (long) x 1′ (wide) x 1″ (high). In other words in every cubic foot of lumber (1′ x 1′ x 1′), there are 12 board feet; the cubic foot makes twelve 1-inch slices of wood. You are to load a consignment [...]
Masters and Chief Mates are occasionally asked the following question: What is an example of the term "Restraint of Rulers, Princes, or Peoples" in a marine insurance policy? A. A prohibition from loading a cargo from a country's government interference B. Arrest of a vessel by legal authorities to satisfy claims through exercise of a maritime lien C. Damage caused by riot of the population of a port D. Losses [...]
The US Navy has long authorized certain submarine emergency identification signals. In the past, these signals could be found in Chapter 1 of a current Coast Pilot. No more. Notice to Mariners No. 1, the first publication each year of the weekly NTMs, includes a section called “Special Notice to Mariners Paragraphs” describing, among many other marine safety topics, the Submarine Emergency Identification Signals (I-1.12). USCG examinations will continue to include questions [...]
In the past, with the exception of examinations specific to Great Lakes’ licenses, USCG “Rules of the Road” questions have not asked for the extended definition of these waters as described in Rule 3(m) Inland. They do now. The mnemonic “HOMES—H(uron), O(ntario), M(ichigan), E(rie), S(uperior)” no longer suffices to answer the questions “What is . . . “ and “What is not . . . “ considered part of the [...]
Archimedes boasted “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” An application of the same mighty principle of leverage is found in the blocks and tackles that are used to lift weights on board ship and in the construction industry. “Give me a rope long enough, and I shall lift the world.” “Mechanical Advantage” is defined [...]
In order to protect the dwindling number of Northern Right Whales, the “Marine Mammal Protection Act” of 1972 mandated that the amazing “Eubalaena Glacialis” be given wide berth by, among others, mariners. As reported in The New York Times in March 2009, the MMPA was working; the population of Northern Right Whales had increased. But the recent death of a young female off Cape Cod, possibly from a collision with a ship, [...]