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My 2cents
I know where Duke is heading here. It is true when you go down to the local Marina everyone is Capt this and that, whatever....
The test has been the same for years. It does not matter how you got your test, whether you study solely on your own or go to a few month school or go to a four year college. It is all the same test, the only difference is preparing for it.
Now for me you'll never hear me refer to myself as Capt. Jon. I have a piece of paper that says 50 Ton Master on it and it allows me to take fares fishing and a bit more. I reserve the term Capt or Master for the gents I work with in my real job. The guys that Captain boats 2 and 3+ football fields long. To me, they are Capts. ( Unlimited). I will sometimes get a kick when someone with a limit HP Engineers license refers himself as Chief. And I will say to myself....of what? a tugboat. Again I reserve the word Chief for the guy working on the big Unlimited stuff.
Now with that said and just my opinion. Don't deminish the skills of a OPUV, 50, 100 etc ton guys that have that piece of paper. It is all what they do with it. Fishing aside, some are very skilled boatsman, some not. Everyone that passed a test is not the best. I see it all the time in my industry and have let people go ocassionally that are not up to par but they had the license. It is 2 different, but sometimes similar, worlds between small boat operation and ships. But I can see where the overuse of the term Capt gets to some.
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