T&T: 6PAC

[Margery Griffith]

    For what it's worth...here's MY take on the 6PAC license. There are just
two reasons to get one: 1)ego and 2)needing that 1st step to move on up to the
next phase. I was talked into going to sea school for my 6PAC by a captain I
had used at one time. IT was grueling! Three hours every night at dinner time,
out of town, for 4 nights. A tremendous amount of information to learn and
digest in that short time...too much for my old brain! 
    All but two of us
in a large class were, like me...going for the ego part. The rest were all
younger people going on for another license to be charter fishermen or to
operate tourboats or ferries. Commercial type things.
    Repeatedly we asked
how being licensed would effect our 'responsibility' and our insurance for
instance. We COULD NOT GET an answer from our instructors!!! That tells me
that there IS NO CLEARCUT ANSWER! I do not think anyone really knows the
answer to the questions about guests 'bearing gifts' of any kind!
    I ended
up NOT taking the exam. I realized having such a license would do me no real
good. There are other things to consider as well like having to take random
drug tests ...not that I have ever 'done drugs' but it is a PITA to go have
this done. Then too, you must keep renewing it. My final reason was that I am
a  poor 'tester' when it comes to multiple choice questions, especially
government designed ones. I opted to not subject myself to the stress and have
never missed not having the license one bit. I still got hailed as 'Captain'
though being a woman, Gordon got more of that than I did though it was MY
boat!
    I will say that the subject matter covered in the course is
invaluable! Also more than many of us will use.  'Nuff said on the subject!!!
Marge Griffith