By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
The Beatles song “She’s Got a Ticket to Ride” goes like this:
She’s got a ticket to ride; She’s got a ticket to ride
She’s got a ticket to ride, but she don’t care…
This song in a way applies to many people who go out on charter boats. They don’t care to check the credentials of their charter captain. They just assume that the captain is licensed and has all the training required by law. But the sad truth is that many skippers and crew members of charter craft do not have the license and training required by the U.S. Coast Guard. These unlicensed captains have been responsible for many injuries and deaths, and the Coast Guard has beefed up its goal of shutting down illegal charter operations. You would think that the fines and penalties for operating a charter boat without a license would be enough to deter unlicensed captains, but not so. If you are charging passengers a fee (consideration) to go out on your boat without being a USCG Licensed Captain the fine per occurrence is up to $10,000. However, unlicensed charter operations abound in almost every port. If you are not enrolled in an approved random drug testing program you can be charged an additional $5,000 a day for not doing so.

The Base Galveston Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary operates out of the US Coast Guard base on Galveston Island. They aid the Coast Guard by providing maritime observation patrols in Galveston Bay; by providing recreational boating vessel safety checks; and by working alongside Coast Guard members in maritime accident investigation, small boat training, providing a safety zone, Aids to Navigation verification, cooking in base and station galleys and aboard cutters; and on the Coast Guard Drone Team.

Who Needs a Captain’s License?
Licenses are required in order to legally carry passengers for hire. This includes charters for fishing, sightseeing, diving, transportation, teaching or any use which is considered a “passenger for hire” situation. Many companies require them for boat deliveries. The U.S. Coast Guard issues licenses for mariners. The lowest level captain’s license is the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV), otherwise known as the Six-Pack License.

Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel
This license is properly termed “Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels” (OUPV) and is commonly referred to as the “6-pack” or “Charter Boat Captain’s License”. The word “uninspected” means that the equipment required and the design of the boat are less regulated. “6-pack” refers to the 6 passenger limitation placed on the license. OUPV licenses are issued with a particular route. Your license can be for the Great Lakes, Inland routes meaning bays, sounds, rivers, lakes, etc. of the US or Near Coastal routes out to 100 miles offshore. All OUPV licenses are for 100 Gross Tons vessels (about 100 feet, more or less). The OUPV license may be upgraded to a Master license. You must meet the following requirements in order to hold an OUPV license:

• Age 18 or over
• 360 days in underway experience, 90 of those days within the last three years
• Physical, drug test, and eye exam
• Valid approved CPR/First Aid card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• Completion of the USCG exam OR
• Completion of a USCG-approved course

Coast Guard-Required Course Modules
The Coast Guard specifies how captain’s schools operate, what they must teach, and they approve their exams. Each of the modules below has an exam. All captains’ schools are set up alike and teach the following modules:

• Rules of the Road (Navigation Rules)
• Basic Navigation
• Chart Plotting
• General Deck Seamanship
• General Deck Safety

Masters License
A Master license is required if you operate “inspected” vessels. Inspected vessels are allowed to carry more than 6 passengers. To become Inspected, the vessel must be built in accordance with rigid USCG Commercial Vessel Inspection standards. If you plan on operating an Inspected sailing vessel you must have a sailing endorsement, the required sea time for this is 180 days of sail or sail auxiliary time (these may be part of the 360 days and may be prior to license issuance).

Summary
If you go out on a charter boat, it is in your best interest to ensure that the captain is licensed. Licensed captains have passed exams on seamanship, navigation, rules of the road, and safety.

For more information on boating safety, please visit the Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division at www.uscgboating.org. Questions about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or our free Vessel Safety Check program may be directed to me at [email protected]. I am available to perform free Vessel Safety Checks, and I will come to your location to perform them. SAFE BOATING!

[January-18-2021]