[QUOTE=coldcreepin;155367]Question :
I hold a master 1600 oceans and apprentice steersman inland and Great Lakes.
I want to use the route of completing my TOAR and upgrading directly to master of towing Ocean via my 1600grt masters license. Will my time as a deckhand on a tug (which was needed to get my steersman ) count as my needed time for training and observation ?[/QUOTE]
Probably not, at least as far as adding Master of Towing based on holding Master 1,600. You need 30 days on the route you will be endorsed for or qualify for. So to qualify for Master of Towing Ocean you would need 30 days under observation and training on near coastal and/or oceans (near coastal is a sub-set of oceans). It would be acceptable if you were to be endorsed as Master of Towing for the same route you were on as a deck hand.