Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card !

[knottygurl]

That PCOC card is good for one thing, my insurance asked if i had it already, yes i replied and asked what if I didn't. They said I was not qualified to operate a boat and therefore would be unable to insure it. So there's a good reason to have it, also operating a vessel of any size in Canadian waters (Canadian Citizen or legal resident) requires the operator to have it, from kayak, paddle boat to mega yacht wanna move on water get the PCOC or face a hefty fine. Other countries have there own sort of operators card.

Next would be to get your ROC which is the radio operators card and make sure yo have the DSC add on as well.
Then some basic navigation and a sailing course, if you have friends that sail then have them help with your boat.

[boatman61]

Hi Rachel...
Congratulations on your 'Legality'...
Can't help with the PADI stuff but someone will be here in short order...
Enjoy..

Booga.... teach me to check I'm not the 1st.... Duuuhhhh

[jackdale]

One concern that I have about Power Squadron courses is that they have no on-the-water practical. There are some CYA, ISPA, ASA and IYT schools in the Vancouver area who spend time with you on the water to learn to dock, anchor, sail all points of sail, conduct MOBs, etc..

[bobofthenorth]

Originally Posted by knottygurl

...... also operating a vessel of any size in Canadian waters (Canadian Citizen or legal resident) requires the operator to have it, from kayak, paddle boat to mega yacht wanna move on water get the PCOC or face a hefty fine.......

That's not true. I can show up at any marina anywhere in Canada and rent a boat for the day or the week or the month, without the famous card. All I'll have to do at the time of the rental is initial a one page sheet of paper that already has the answers to a few stupid questions on it to have the equivalent of a PCOC.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by knottygurl

That PCOC card is good for one thing, my insurance asked if i had it already, yes i replied and asked what if I didn't. They said I was not qualified to operate a boat and therefore would be unable to insure it. So there's a good reason to have it, also operating a vessel of any size in Canadian waters (Canadian Citizen or legal resident) requires the operator to have it, from kayak, paddle boat to mega yacht wanna move on water get the PCOC or face a hefty fine. Other countries have there own sort of operators card.

Next would be to get your ROC which is the radio operators card and make sure yo have the DSC add on as well.
Then some basic navigation and a sailing course, if you have friends that sail then have them help with your boat.

The PCOC is needed for motorized vessels; not canoes, kayaks, paddle boats.

The ROC, coastal nav, and sailing course recommendations are good.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by bobofthenorth

That's not true. I can show up at any marina anywhere in Canada and rent a boat for the day or the week or the month, without the famous card. All I'll have to do at the time of the rental is initial a one page sheet of paper that already has the answers to a few stupid questions on it to have the equivalent of a PCOC.

That might work for a PWC. It would not work for a yacht charter, unless you had one heck of resume outlining your experience.

[knottygurl]

The Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations require all operators of pleasure craft fitted with any type of motor and used for recreational purposes to carry proof of competency on board.*

Proof of competency indicates the boater has a basic level of boating safety knowledge required for safe recreational boating. In the past, anyone of any age could operate a recreational boat without any minimum boating safety knowledge, experience or training. These requirements were introduced in 1999 in response to boating deaths and injuries, with the goal of improving safety on Canadian waterways through education and training.

Proof of competency can be any of the following:

A Pleasure Craft Operator Card - this is the most common proof, obtained after passing an accredited boating safety test
Proof of having passed a boating safety course in Canada before April 1, 1999
A specified marine certificate from the List of Certificates of Competency, Training Certificates and other Equivalencies accepted as Proof of Competency when Operating a Pleasure Craft
A completed rental-boat safety checklist – good only for the rental period
For Foreign Visitors, an operator card or equivalent which meets the requirements of their own state or country.
Unless you want to repeat that rental safety each and every time, spend the 40 bucks and get with the program.

Jackdale, sorry that was the required safety items that must be carried as well.
I had two thought going at the same time.

[Mark1977]

It is the law, but kinda funny realy. I have thousands of hours of sea time logged with transport Canada and operate a fishing vessel a hundred miles off shore with crew . However when i go home after two weeks fishing I require one of these cards to use my sailboat.

[bobofthenorth]

Originally Posted by jackdale

That might work for a PWC. It would not work for a yacht charter, unless you had one heck of resume outlining your experience.

You missed the point which was this: if they'll rent me the boat then all I need to do to be legal is initial the stupid list of questions and answers that they will put in front of me right beside the chit to sign for my Visa.

The PCOC is a joke. Its a revenue source for the fly by night license issuers that Transport Canada has authorized to run the program. It has nothing to do with competency or safety. The proof of that is in your own statement - the yacht charter company won't care one whit for whether or not I have a PCOC because it is irrelevant.

[Ex-Calif]

Regardless of resume, boating cards or certs, every time I have chartered the company required a checkout the first time I chartered witht them. I suspect the insurance companies and not the regulatory authorities carry more weight on the bahavior of rental agencies.

Nothing wrong with collecting cards. And unless the answers are wrong then learning the answers to test can't be a bad thing.

I recommend going to a warm tropical beach and spending a week for the padi cert. I know folks who did it in pools and quarries. I did it in Boracay in the philippines many years ago. Way more fun imho...

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by jackdale

One concern that I have about Power Squadron courses is that they have no on-the-water practical. There are some CYA, ISPA, ASA and IYT schools in the Vancouver area who spend time with you on the water to learn to dock, anchor, sail all points of sail, conduct MOBs, etc..

That's a legitimate criticism. Canadians have no equivalent of the USCG's "six pack" that basically provides a Canadian version of a "certificate of competency". The PCOC isn't it, and neither are the CPS courses, although they are pretty comprehensive from the informational angle.

That why I will likely cross the Atlantic in my own boat to take a Yachtmaster course, and will finally put that dual citizenship to good use. The RYA courses are respected pretty well everywhere.

[Kalinka1]

Just as an aside. the PCO card was brought in as a way to control yougsters on seadoos. And so as not to show age discrimination was made mandatory for everyone. How ever once it was instituded it was found that it had no affect on the intended target as most fell under the protection of the young offenders act! So another example of Governmental overkill not hitting the target!!

[Capt Phil]

Do they not still offer a Mates Certification for Coastal Inland Waters or am I dating myself? As I recall it required 24 months of documented seatime within the last 3 years, a classroom course that was around 4-6 months (Vancouver Vocational School offered one back in the 50's) covering celestial nav, basic chart navigation, safety at sea, including firefighting, rules of the road, mooring and towing techniques, etc. The course material was not dissimilar to the USCG 100 ton Masters Lisence requirements in the 80's and it was required by many of the Canadian towboat companies back in the day if you wanted to rise to driving one of their boats. I think it might have been sponsored by Canadian DOT but varied somewhat from what was required for Great Lakes Shipping work which had some specific requirement for work on the lakes and locks in Eastern Canada. It was great training, a lot of hands-on taught by experienced, grizzly old mariners who didn't suffer laziness or mistakes easily. I recall my instructor having the distinction of being torpedoed in the North Atlantic twice during WWII and surviving as well as rounding the 'Horn' as a cabin boy in a steam/sailing ship. Those were the days of wooden ships and iron men, for sure! Capt Phil

[CaptainTurtles]

Oh man I bet guys like that just facepalm at the sight of Mr Rich Guy coming along in his big fancy yacht!

But in all seriousness, thanks to you all for your advice and recommendations! Certainly given me a lot to research and look into!

-Rachel

[David M]

Exams and operators permits are not bullet proof ways of preventing accidents. They are only a means of hopefully reducing accidents and perhaps a way for government agencies to make some money.

Even if an exam does not take days to take and has no practical on-the-water section, something is better than nothing as far as reducing accidents goes.