Captains Course (OUPV & Master)
20 weeks: 4 hours/class

Course Description

This course provides training to mariners seeking their US Coast Guard Operators License as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) upon Great Lakes, Inland and/or Near Coastal waters as specified in 46 CFR Part 10.  It satisfies the classroom instruction and examination requirements listed in 46 CFR 10.910, Table 10.910-2 in lieu of taking the examinations at a US Coast Guard Regional Examination Center (REC).

The OUPV course is primarily intended for candidates for licensing as Operators of Uninspected Passenger Vessels.  Ideally, students attending this course should have completed a minimum period of one year underway on vessels with ninety days* of that experience acquired during the three years prior to enrollment.

This course will also be of great value to recreational skippers demanding of themselves mastery in seamanship

Eligibility Requirements

• The Captain OUPV License is required to operate uninspected launches carrying no more than 6 passengers. The minimum age is 18 years of age and it is required that you have had at least 360 days total sea time, including 90 days* within the past three years.
• The Master’s License is required to operate inspected launches carrying 7 or more passengers. The minimum age is 18 years of age and you are required to have 360 days of sea time for Inland or 720 days Near Coastal, including 90 days* within the past three years.
• A drug test is required by USCG
• Misdemeanors and DWI convictions will be reviewed by USCG and may affect your application
• Medical exam results will be reviewed by USCG
• Exam certificates are valid for 12 months
  * A "day of sea service" is equal to 4 to 8 hours away from the dock

Rules of the Road 

• General – covers the basic rules, definitions and fog signals for both International and Inland Rules
• Lights and Shapes – covers all of the possible lighting configurations as well as the day shapes required to be displayed on certain vessels
• Steering and Sailing Rules and miscellaneous topics – this module covers the rules concerning meeting, crossing and overtaking situations and the sound signals associated with each as well as vessel hierarchy and penalty provisions associated with violations of the Rules.

General Subjects for Deck Seamanship and Safety

• Fire prevention and control
• National maritime law and regulations including pollution prevention regulations
• Basic marlinespike seamanship
• Ship/vessel maneuvering and handling – single screw, twin screw, mooring, anchoring, heavy weather operation, narrow channel and shallow water operations
• Onboard emergency procedures
• Radio telephone communications

Navigation 

• Working with time
• Speed, time & distance
• Chart interpretation
• Navigation publications and Notice to Mariners
• Aids to Navigation
• Magnetic compass errors and corrections
• Determining magnetic compass deviation
• Obtaining and plotting visual bearings
• Dead reckoning
• Set and drift of the current
• Course to steer and leeway
• Fixing vessel position – visual and electronic
• Relative bearings and running fixes
• Calculating tide and currents
• Practical plotting exercise
• Characteristics of Weather systems

Rules of the Road

• International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS)
• Inland Navigational Rules

Certification
The examination is similar in format and content to the examinations given at the US Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers (RECs) and is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard in lieu of their exam. 

Certification: Upon course completion you will receive an American Boat School certification for USCG Approved OUPV or Master  License.

Tuition: OUPV $750; Master $950