sea time recency (500), and is it too late?

[donnyj]

How many years can I go back on sea time when i apply for my 500? And is it worth it to try this late in the game with the changes around the bend? I dont have alot of time to take classes and all I have is 100master, radar, AB special and no time on any thing over 100grt.

[Mr 100-ton]

there is no limit on the age of seatime as long as it is properly documented

[Tcaptain]

I was told twice by the NMC that recency was 90 days on any boat in the last three years. I went ahead a took all the required classes for the 500 Ton Master paying for it with my Discover card. I was just informed by the evaluator at the NMC that I must have 90 days on a vessel over 50 GRT on Near Coastal. This after I sent in copies of seatime that was somehow "Lost" from my file. I don't have the Recency time which is why I was so careful to verified "Recency" before I spent $$$$ and time on the classes. I cannot understand why the workers at the NMC don't read from the same book.

[water]

I was just informed by the evaluator at the NMC that I must have 90 days on a vessel over 50 GRT on Near Coastal.

Ouch. That is not mentioned in the Master 500/1600 NC/Oceans checklist. Did you ask the evaluator to cite the specific CFR or Policy Letter?

I recently had the 3000 ITC endorsement added to my MMC, and the evaluator was not going to give it to me until I cited the specific Policy Letter. Then she backed down.

Good luck!

[jdcavo]

... Did you ask the evaluator to cite the specific CFR or Policy Letter?...

46 CFR 11.201(c)

[cappy208]

46 CFR 11.201(c)

That only says: an applicant must have 3 months (90 days) within three years. (c) An applicant for an officer endorsement must have at least three months of qualifying service on vessels of appropriate tonnage or horsepower within the three years immediately preceding the date of application.

Here is the whole cite:

The minimum service required to qualify an applicant for an endorsement as master of ocean or near coastal steam or motor vessels of not more than 500 gross tons is:
(a) Three years total service on ocean or near coastal waters. Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 18 months of the required service. Two years of the required service must have been as a master, mate, or equivalent supervisory position while holding a license or MMC endorsement as master, mate, or operator of uninspected passenger vessels. One year of the required service as master, mate, or equivalent supervisory position must have been on vessels of over 50 gross tons.


Where does it say that there is a tonnage requirement that must be within the window? In the 500 ton qualifying service paragraph there are three separate types of service needed. One is aggregate amount of time. The second is amount of time on vessels as while in a position of authority. And the third part is you must actually be on a vessel of a certain tonnage for 'some' part of the time. The There must be 'some' seatime over a tonnage limit. Some seatime of so many days, and some as operator. But where does it say that 90 days within the last 3 years must be on a certain size vessel? It doesn't. This sounds like an overzealous interpretation of the regs from an incomplete reading of the CFR The CFR says 3 months of seatime within 3 years. Where does it say: 'which part of the required seatime must be within the 'window'?' The 'appropriate tonnage' caveat is part over 50 tons, and part of ANY tons. Where is the Navic regarding this? That should be interesting at the least, and arguable at best.

[Capt. Phoenix]

They interpret "appropriate tonnage" as over 50 grt for 500 ton and over 100 grt for 1600 ton. I'm not saying it is right, but that is what they do.

[jdcavo]

"Qualifying" sea service is service that meets the requirements for the endorsement. The recent service has to be among the sea service you used for the endorsement. If the service requirements for the endorsement allow you to use different types of sea service, the recent service has to be of one or more of the accepted types (any type).

[richard8000milesaway]

gotta vent:
this is like the 100th time on gcaptain I have read about people sending in documents or letters to the REC/NMC, the REC/NMC accidentally loses or misplaces the item, the mariner who submited it didn't keep a copy, then the mariner posts on gcaptain about how unfair it is and how the REC/NMC must have some sort of vendetta against them.
sure, the REC/NMC loses stuff on occassion. no surprise: it is a huge goverment organization overstaffed with marginally paid employees with little incentive for output &/or efficiency. the polar opposite of most our our private commerical work... imagine a DMV on steroids.

jeeze, common sense here folks: always make copies of important documents and don't blame others for your poor planning.