The State Board of Pilot Commissioners plans to hold a Pilot Training Program exam on the week of June 23, 2014. Consult the BOPC website to stay tuned to details. Advertising will begin soon. Cutoff for applications will be in April sometime. Sea time requirements are in flux thru the end of the year. It is possible that 1 year deep sea unlimited master time or 2 year tug captain time (with some tonnage qualifications) will qualify, but the details are not yet determined as new regulation is currently in question. See the Board website for contact information. Please do not call me. I am just trying to get the word out as early as possible in order to help attract as many applicants as possible. Board staff will soon register the job opportunity with the details on this site and others.
If your sea time qualifies you to test, you may take a written exam. If the combination of your experience points and your written exam points is sufficient, you will be invited to take the simulation exam during the same week. An undetermined number of mariners with the highest scores from the combined 3 categories will be entered on a list. The mariners selected from this list might begin training in late 2014 for a period of 1-3 years before becoming a pilot. The list will be active for 3 years and drawn upon for trainees as needed. Washout from the training program has been as high as 40%, so making the list is not a guarantee for becoming a pilot. In my opinion, this exam and training program are recognized for the fair and unbiased treatment of mariners. We welcome you to apply if you qualify and think you might make a good pilot.
The training program pays a stipend. It is a full time job. You will need to relocate to the Bay Area. Your success will be based on your performance. It is a very demanding program with 15 areas of pilotage covering about 200 miles of pilotage. Good physical condition is needed. We board ships in heavy weather 12 miles at sea. Piloting is not for everyone. It is an intense and demanding job. If you become a pilot, you well be a full partner at the start. You will be required to “buy in” to purchase your share of the assets held, much like a lawyer or doctor would need to purchase a share of a practice. This amounts to about a year’s pilot income.
See links on the Board’s site to study regulations that govern the Board, trainees, and the training program. Request to be put on the board minutes email list to stay abreast of progress of regulation change and test development. Best Regards and good luck to all. EN