Aloha all,
My name is Cooter, and I am a new member on this forum. I have a 50 ton near coastal license and I joined this forum to learn more about this industry and maybe some advice from you saltier folks.
I’ll give you a little bio on myself:
I joined the Navy way back in 1998 as an Engineman and was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan on the Frigate USS Gary (FFG-51). I spent a good while down in the depths of that tin can wiping up oil and swimming in bilges. I made three deployments to the Persian Gulf, the last one providing escort for the Kitty Hawk for the start of Operation Enduring Freedom AKA Enduring Underway. We did a 92 day underway stint straight without a port visit and yes, we got our beer. I made many port visits to all the good ports you may have visited or wish you had visited and drank almost as much beer as salt water I’ve flushed down the toilet on that ship.
From there I got orders to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE in 2003 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I spent four years there operating and maintaining various dive safety boats and providing surface support and a medivac platform to the frogs and divers operating SDV’s in and around submarines. We operated throughout Hawaii, San Diego, and the Puget Sound. Working there taught me a lot of things and gave me opportunities not given to your average sailors. I saw first hand what what humans can physically and mentally be capable of, and how short life can be. A lot of good guys never made it back home.
In 2007 I transferred over to Riverine Squadron THREE, Detachment TWO, call sign Bullshark. It was by far the hardest five years I have ever endured but extremely rewarding. I operated Riverine Patrol Boats, Riverine Assault Boats, and Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts on two Iraq deployments '08 and '10 patrolling the Tigris River, Euphrates Rivers and Lake Qadasiyah. Navigating a boat down a narrow river doing 45 knots at night under night vision goggles while being blinded by muzzle flashes from 50 cal’s and miniguns, and while simultaneously coordinating three other boats in your formation, coordinating with HQ, and coordinating with other supporting assets is as hard as you imagine. I served there as a Boat Captain and Patrol Officer before finally calling it quits on the Navy as my family grew more and more a priority of my life. I have no regrets though, I did everything I wanted to do and saw things some people can only imagine.
I’m now back home with my family getting ready to start the next chapter in my life as a student attending Kapi’olani Community College in the Fall, enroute to eventually pursue a degree in ocean engineering, hopefully at University of Hawaii.
Presently, I have been job hunting for a part time job as a captain in a place that can allow me to grow and increase my experience in the civilian sector. I also want to eventually increase my license to at least a 100 ton. I am finding out how hard it is now as I don’t really know anyone in this field and it’s not like in the Navy where you can just ask the Chief. I’ve found a few leads, but Boat Captain listings are very rare in Hawaii, at least.
Finally, I’ll leave you with a little video I made while waiting around in those hurry up and wait situations you in the military know so well. :rolleyes:
Interesting bio and all, but I want to ask you a few questions. Why on earth don’t you have at least a QMED rating from the Coast Guard and two, why on earth are you wasting your time on puny deck licenses? A 50 tons master license is about as good as a 6 passenger for finding work unless you want to tow tourists in parachutes off Waikiki (which might actually be a blast of a job if the majority of your clients were 20 something blondes in little bikinis). Why don’t you also not have an AB from the Coast Guard? Get either or both of those unlicensed endorsements in your MMC and you can find plenty of work.
I answered an ad on craigslist the other day for a captain at a place that does all the parasailing and banana boat rides, etc. There was a non-stop rotation of hot chicks in bikinis there, and it was a good perk of the job, but I realized I wanted more out of a job I was doing. I can envision that job becoming very monotonous after a while and it was an awkward 180 degree turn from what I am used to.
One thing you have to realize about the Navy is they are in their own little world, you can qualify as Officer of the Deck on a FFG which means you are a direct representative of the Commanding Officer on the bridge, but translates to nothing in the civilian world. The Navy doesn’t tell you anything about the licensing opportunities you can get through the Coast Guard and most have no idea what they were–myself included. They don’t even recognize them, you can have an unlimited license and still be chipping paint off the anchor everyday until you work your way up the navy’s qualification system and ranks. In my last command me and my buddy were the only ones that even got a coast guard license out of the 230 people we worked with that all could qualify for at least a 6 pack and we had to pay for the license out of our own pocket.
QMED and AB are a good idea and I’ll look into them. Thanks.
Navigating down a narrow river doing 45 knots at night under night vision goggles while being blinded by muzzle flashes from 50 cal’s and miniguns, and while simultaneously coordinating three other boats in your formation, coordinating with HQ, and coordinating with other supporting assets is as hard as you imagine.
I did the same thing except I was in a helicopter, doing 120 kts leading 6 Cobra gunships. Scouts Out…
Mr C.
You have taken great effort to introduce yourself to a forum that seems to NOT be where you should be looking for help. I will try to share my knowledge about it. But I have been out of yachts commercially for over 30 years. And I have exactly -0- experience in the islands.
Are you trying to specifically work in the small boat, yacht, close to home every night type of work.
If so, you need to find a forum that caters to that. This forum is more commercial ‘merchant marine’ type work.
My experience on small boat work is to find the local marinas, yachting centers, yachtyards, and marina repair shops. Talk with the guys working there. Cover such topics as: Who hires occasional help aboard? Who NEEDS help!
Is there a local crewing agency?
When you go to any marine related store look for the business cards. Take some. Call. Maybe leave some of your own.
Small boat yacht crewing is HUGELY a personal reputation thing. You will get your foot in the door upon a recommendation.
You mention a ‘part time Captains job’. You will only find temporary, low pay, no benefits, unsure positions on a part time basis.
The investment these companies make in a permanent position costs them hundreds if not thousands of dollars. They don’t usually have temp Captains jobs with no ‘return’ on that kind of investment.
You know cappy, I have been restraining myself to not be bashing newb’s over the head using my pointy stick with quite the same blunt force to which we are all accustomed and was trying to give this fellow the benefit of the doubt, BUT this one smacks of a guy who is just full of himself for what he did in the military (hence why the extensive bio with accompanying video which itself is 9 minutes and 51 seconds in length) and I am not sure if he thinks that he somehow has a bigger one than all of us mortals because of this?
This forum is about credentials and experience pertinent to the commercial maritime industry, Since it is not even mentioned, did this guy even look at getting any unlicensed endorsements at all? Does he even care? What’s “the rest of the story” here? What is he really looking for? Maybe he’ll tell us.
Exactly. Just another example.of a past USM type that has been told he was all that and now finds out he really has little to offer the commercial merchant service.
Wow, cashed in your chips with 14 years behind you!? See about getting an MMC with QMED/AB then join IBU and work as a casual laborer at HTB/YB or Sause. Also check out these folks http://www.metsonmarine.com/services.html
Or, go to Msc. it’s not often I tell people ( especially these days ) to seek a job with Msc, but at least you would get vets preference. If you have a mmd, or can get a transcript of sea duty from the USN and apply for one you could work as an OS, wiper, or supply utility. Trust me, nothing you did in the USN is going to reflect with Msc or the commercial sector. Msc even has a retired admiral that started as an OS. As a hint, I’d not go out looking for work telling commercial mariners and prospective employers how salty you are. It really does not go over well in professional circles of mariners.
I was there (in Hawaii) last September and there were all kinds on jobs for boat captains 100 tons or less on craigslist… If you quit the Navy to make family a priority I would not recommend the commercial side of the Merchant Marines. Try captain zodiac, they have inflatables you could run and you could throw in your battle stories for an extra tip.
[QUOTE=troy;76793]I was there (in Hawaii) last September and there were all kinds on jobs for boat captains 100 tons or less on craigslist… If you quit the Navy to make family a priority I would not recommend the commercial side of the Merchant Marines. Try captain zodiac, they have inflatables you could run and you could throw in your battle stories for an extra tip.[/QUOTE]
