# Officially have the opportunity to become a Mate now **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [February 5, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378 "2010-02-05T03:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Cal](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Cal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/1 "2010-02-05T03:33:02Z")
I have the MMC in my hands now, I’m official! Third Mate Any Gross Tons Limited to not more than 2000 GRT upon Near Coastal Waters. Mate 1600 GRT upon Near Coastal Waters. Mate of Towing. Radar Observer (unlimited) And all of those nice STCW requirements for an OICNW. Hopefully I can show all of the guys that helped me get to this point that the time, effort, wisdom, and knowledge that they invested in me was worth it, because they certainly didn’t have to. In general, to all of you who do, and probably don’t hear it enough, Thank You! ---
**Author:** ![stevefoster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@stevefoster](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/stevefoster)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/2 "2010-02-05T08:08:39Z")
[quote=Cal;26500]I have the MMC in my hands now, I’m official! Third Mate Any Gross Tons Limited to not more than 2000 GRT upon Near Coastal Waters. Mate 1600 GRT upon Near Coastal Waters. Mate of Towing. Radar Observer (unlimited) And all of those nice STCW requirements for an OICNW. Hopefully I can show all of the guys that helped me get to this point that the time, effort, wisdom, and knowledge that they invested in me was worth it, because they certainly didn’t have to. In general, to all of you who do, and probably don’t hear it enough, Thank You![/quote] Congratulations…good job…keep up the good work and good luck… ---
**Author:** ![KneelbeforeZod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@KneelbeforeZod](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/KneelbeforeZod)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:54am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/3 "2010-02-05T08:54:49Z")
Good work! ---
**Author:** ![Shellback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shellback](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Shellback)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:20am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/4 "2010-02-05T10:20:43Z")
Well Done Cal…! ---
**Author:** ![seadog6608](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@seadog6608](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/seadog6608)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/5 "2010-02-05T11:04:55Z")
Good for you man. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![anchorman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bbce88/32.png) [@anchorman](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/anchorman)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/6 "2010-02-05T11:40:18Z")
Good job. Strange how they gave you a 1600 ton mate with the 3 mate. There is no situation where the 3rd wouldn’t cover for the 1,600 ton…strange. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea5d25/32.png) [@Jeffrox](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Jeffrox)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/7 "2010-02-05T13:57:11Z")
[quote=anchorman;26517]Good job. Strange how they gave you a 1600 ton mate with the 3 mate. There is no situation where the 3rd wouldn’t cover for the 1,600 ton…strange.[/quote] Strange indeed, but maybe it has something to do with some upgrading hokus-pokus. I sailed with a guy that had 1600 mate oceans with 1600 master NC, that seemed strange too. [B]“Officially have the opportunity to become a Mate now”[/B] Hay Cal, you’re a Mate NOW, just maybe an unemployed one! ---
**Author:** ![10talents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9f8e36/32.png) [@10talents](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/10talents)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/8 "2010-02-05T15:03:33Z")
Congratulations Cal and well done are in order. Now, may you get that well paying job you deserve. Felt good upgrading your profile here on gcaptain didn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![rjbpilot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90ced4/32.png) [@rjbpilot](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/rjbpilot)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/9 "2010-02-05T15:41:15Z")
Cal, good job… But what is up with the “Third Mate unlimited tonnage, but limited to not more that 2,000 gr tons”? Before I had stcw, my Third mate unlimited Nc license, said limited to 200g tons. You say you HAVE you stcw oicnw, why the tonnage cap, and why 2000, not 200? Just curious? ---
**Author:** ![Cal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Cal](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Cal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/10 "2010-02-05T18:06:54Z")
Awesome, I hope potential employers have as many questions as you guys! With a resume or an application you’ve got something like 15 to 20 seconds to catch their eye? Thank you everyone! > [@anchorman](#): > > Strange how they gave you a 1600 ton mate with the 3 mate. There is no situation where the 3rd wouldn’t cover for the 1,600 ton…strange. Could it be as simple as that is the way I submitted my application? I know if I had only submitted for the Third Mate it would have been limited to 1000 GRT based on my interpretation of the CFR’s and discussion with the evaluator, because that’s what she told me the limitation was going to be. I think they looked at the 1600 Ton Mate and thought it was silly to have the limitation on the Third Mate be below 1600. > [@Jeffrox](#): > > Strange indeed, but maybe it has something to do with some upgrading hokus-pokus. No upgrade, this is my first license. > [@rjbpilot](#): > > You say you HAVE you stcw oicnw, why the tonnage cap, and why 2000, not 200? The training program I went through was designed for Tugboat personnel to obtain a 500/1600 Ton Near Coastal License with a towing endorsement. Because the Tugboat I have worked on for the last 4 years is over 200 GRT my sea service meets the MINIMUM requirement for a Third Mate license. Since I did not have any significant time on a vessel over 1600 GRT, a tonnage limitation was imposed based on 46 CFR 10.402(b). They calculate the tonnage and round up to the nearest 1000. I went for the Third Mate because you always go for the most you can get right? My interpretation of the CFR’s may not be correct, but it seemed to me that getting the tonnage restriction removed later, if necessary, would be easier than upgrading an existing 1600 Ton license. To avoid any confusion, here’s how it reads: ---
**Author:** ![bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@bob](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/bob)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/11 "2010-02-05T22:59:46Z")
Keep us posted on the hunt for a mate spot. I am VERY interested considering I’ll be in your spot in 9 months. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Cal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Cal](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Cal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/12 "2010-02-05T23:51:02Z")
[quote=bob;26543]Keep us posted on the hunt for a mate spot. I am VERY interested considering I’ll be in your spot in 9 months. Bob[/quote] Absolutely! It doesn’t look very promising at the moment, but I’m still putting the applications and resume’s out there. There were 20 in our class. I’m the fourth to get my license. One of our classmates is running as a 3rd wheelhouse man for voyages over 600 miles (he was the first to get his license). The third guy to get his license has run as mate doing some intermittent ship assist work while on his time off from his regular hitch as an AB on his regular boat. I know that times are tough and I just got the license, I have such limited experience that it really counts as no experience. Just because I have the license doesn’t mean I can do the job and I realize that. But I also know that without the license, I wasn’t going to get the chance to find out if I could do the job. I’m trying to stay humble. It’s very exciting to have 2 1/2 years of effort come full circle and have a very large license (at least in terms of the work I do) as the reward. But I think this is one of those situations where it is more important to know one’s limitations, rather than one’s abilities or “knowledge”. Good luck. If I had it to do all over again? I’d do it in a heartbeat! ---
**Author:** ![seadog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@seadog](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/seadog)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/14 "2010-02-07T13:30:30Z")
Good job Cal! ---
**Author:** ![trekleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/58956e/32.png) [@trekleader](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/trekleader)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/officially-have-the-opportunity-to-become-a-mate-now/3378/15 "2010-02-07T21:32:01Z")
Hey Cal, congratulations. Thats a great accomplishment.