Has anyone ever gone to push boats with a 1600 ton mate near coastal with mate of tow near coastal. Obviously the western rivers/inland TOAR assessments need to be completed but what position will someone generally be put into(if hired) with these credentials coming from blue water?
This is my exact history. After 10 years as mate of coastal/oceans towboats with routes to Alaska, So. Cal, Mississippi R, west coast to east coast and the Columbia River. I fell in love with the Columbia because of the challenging weather conditions and currents. Took three years of networking to land a serious interview with a good company. Hired as a probationary deckhand then switched to mate/pilot after a month on a 2500 hp z-drive push boat. The biggest obstacle for blue water to brown is barge handling. As pilot you are expected to be able to do 99% of your watch. That includes lockages, landings, building tow and breaking tow without the help of the captain. In my experience about 25% of blue water sailors can make the switch to brown water. Not sure about the western rivers but the Columbia will be hiring after April.