TOAR question

**silverbk** · July 17th, 2011, 05:33 AM

How does a mate of towing vessels with service restricted to ATBs upgrade to a regular TOAR? Do you have to complete another TOAR all over again or can you simply get signed off on the skills that are different between the books?

**captbbrucato** · July 17th, 2011, 05:49 AM

You need to get on a conventional tug and complete a regular TOAR by basically filling in the blanks. Although it's getting harder to find, a conventional tug that conducts ship assist, towing, coastal towing and such, is what you need to get on. The assessments for an ATB fall short of a full TOAR so you'll need to demonstrate the assessments not found on your ATB TOAR. Once you've completed the full TOAR, get the endorsement on your MMC, ASAP.
Once you have a completed TOAR you need only get the endorsement on your ticket and get the upgrade to Master of Towing once you have met the time and/or service requirements.
Do it now, as soon as you can and git'er done, you'll be glad you did. The skills acquired on a conventional tug will serve you well on an ATB, not just in a breakout situation but in any number of emergencies you can think of, there's no harm in being over-qualified in this situation..

**Cal** · July 17th, 2011, 06:48 AM

Originally Posted by captbbrucato

The skills acquired on a conventional tug will serve you well on an ATB, not just in a breakout situation but in any number of emergencies you can think of, there's no harm in being over-qualified in this situation.

You mean like avoiding the deer in the headlight's look when the pins retract for no apparent reason when underway? LOL!

I looked at my TOAR and here's a short-list of assessments that would probably need to be completed on a conventional tug. Scrutinize all of the assessments (not just the one's I list), if there is a possibility you would need to complete it on a conventional tug do so, then there's no question and you're not going back to try and fulfill the requirement.

A.5
A.9
A.10
A.11
C.9
C.10
C.11
D.2
D.3
D.4
D.6
D.7
D.7.a
D.7.b
D.8
E
F.1.a
F.1.b
F.1.c
F.2
F.7

**injunear** · July 17th, 2011, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by captbbrucato

The skills acquired on a conventional tug will serve you well on an ATB, not just in a breakout situation but in any number of emergencies you can think of, there's no harm in being over-qualified in this situation..

It was my worst nightmare on ATBs to go from a very comfortable ride to the most ungainly hawser boat. Then add a guy at the controls with not much towing experience? I'm glad I never had to live that.

**captbbrucato** · July 17th, 2011, 08:23 AM

An engineer I worked with years ago related (his first training assignment on a tug down south) how he asked the Chief "how do you know if things are bad?" The old chief said,"Son, when it gets reeal dark and reeal quiet, it's bad."