Looking to upgrade to 500 ton mate NC and have a question about this wording from the checklist:
“90 days of service while performing bridge watchkeeping duties under the supervision of the master or a qualified officer on vessels of more than 50 GRT.”
All of my bridge watchkeeping time over 50 GRT is as master - would this qualify me or is there something special about being under supervision?
Man, the CFRs are convoluted. I’m sure I was in a similar situation as you when I applied for my Mate 500. I just couldn’t remember what I did to meet that requirement. So I pulled out my old file and checked my application.
I applied for Mate 500 Oceans rather than NC. They extend the time required from 90 days to 180, but no requirement to be “supervised.”
180 days as Master, Mate, or equivalent position, on vessels of more than 50 GRT.
I may be mistaken, which happens often…but i think the language used to throw in there ‘as an AB.’ Did that get taken out? Anyway, when i was upgrading 10 years ago i was going to apply for 1600 mate and i had to get an AB sea letter rewritten because of it. I had a 200 grt master and sailing as master on a vessel over 100 grt didn’t meet the requirement you posted above.
When I upgraded from Master 100 to Master 500, I didn’t have an AB, since all my time was under 100 GRT. I got my AB Special (OSV) at the same time I got my 500. This would have been in the early 90’s
Interesting, I hadn’t seen that on the OC checklist. I don’t think I have the time for that level, but I wonder if that wording means the evaluators will consider 90 days as Master > 50 GRT to satisfy the NC req.
That watchstanding requirement the OP is mentioning only applies to the mates license.
NC is standing a bridge watch under the supervision of an officer as a deckhand, OC is standing a bridge watch as an officer.
Master 500 requires time served as mate or master, not time as a deckhand under the supervision of the mate or master.
Common sense would say yes, but we all know the NMC doesn’t use common sense.
That’s wild. Things have certainly changed. My 500 Master was also 1,600 Mate with the 3,000 ITC Mate endorsement. All coming from the 100 Master with all my upgrade time as Master over 67 GRT. No OS or AB time “under supervision” required.