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CaptainTurtles · 15-02-2012, 15:25

Hi all, first thread created here.
Today I passed the exam and now hold a pleasure craft operator card! I've been living aboard for over a year and can now leagally operate my vessel

The exam is online, and I'm sure most of you who need it do already have it, but to those who are interested, I have a $10 discount card. It's roughly $40 in the first place and comes with some study guides and you can retake the test as many times as you like.

I was at the Vancouver Boat Show on the weekend and they were giving out the coupon card, things. So if anybody is interested, send a PM my way and I can give you the code =)

Next step for me is to take my PADI diving course. Is there any other cards/courses you guys can recommend me doing? I learnt a lot from taking this one however it left me feeling like I've still got so much to learn!

Thanks,
Rachel.

Capt Phil · 15-02-2012, 16:08

Welcome, Rachel. I hope you never stop learning. You've got a good start and I recommend you get as much sea time as you can aboard a variety of different boats.
Spent most of my life at sea and never regretted a moment of it. I didn't know they had such a thing as an Operator's card for pleasure craft in Canada even though I'm from Vancouver, originally... good idea, IMO... from what I've seen of some pleasure craft operators, they could use some schoolin'! Cheers, Capt Phil

CaptainTurtles · 15-02-2012, 19:00

Thanks Phil!
Yes, as I've only been in Canada for a little over a year I couldn't tell you how long they've been doing it for, it's certainly full of stuff that's good to know, though!

After looking at the cards, it seems that the codes aren't unique, and that there's just one shared code, so to anybody who would like the code it is:

GMK9ZXA

I guess I forgot to mention in my opening post that it's for the following website too, sorry guys, been one of those days!

Boating License & Pleasure Craft Operator Card | Boater Exam.com®

red_sky · 15-02-2012, 20:34

I learned how to clean a lifejacket from my exam. Who knew soap and water would be so effective! Sadly I remain baffled by navigation aids but.. meh! Thanks for posting the web code though. Speaks to the system, somehow

fair winds!

bobofthenorth · 16-02-2012, 05:20

The Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator's card is the worst joke ever perpetrated in the name of regulation. My kids easily obtained theirs at 10 and 12 years of age. They're smart kids so OK, they studied hard and passed the test easily. My wife however challenged the test without opening a book and with next to no boating knowledge. She writes exams as part of her work and said the exam was so poorly written that she could usually identify the correct answer because the alternatives ("distractors" is the term she uses) were so poorly worded.

There's no follow up to the card. No requalification. You can write it online with 17 people sitting beside you to help with the answers. The whole thing is a huge joke and a big revenue grab for the shysters that administer the exam at places like the Vancouver Boat Show. Sorry to rain on your parade Rachel but the fact that you have a PCOC means nothing.

**GordMay** · 16-02-2012, 05:23

You might be interested in some of the Canadian Power & Sail Squadron courses:
Here ➥ Vancouver Power Squadron Boating Courses

Or ➥ Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons

goboatingnow · 16-02-2012, 05:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobofthenorth

The Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator's card is the worst joke ever perpetrated in the name of regulation. My kids easily obtained theirs at 10 and 12 years of age. They're smart kids so OK, they studied hard and passed the test easily. My wife however challenged the test without opening a book and with next to no boating knowledge. She writes exams as part of her work and said the exam was so poorly written that she could usually identify the correct answer because the alternatives ("distractors" is the term she uses) were so poorly worded.

There's no follow up to the card. No requalification. You can write it online with 17 people sitting beside you to help with the answers. The whole thing is a huge joke and a big revenue grab for the shysters that administer the exam at places like the Vancouver Boat Show. Sorry to rain on your parade Rachel but the fact that you have a PCOC means nothing.

Wrong she can legally operate her boat. That's not" nothing" as to your comments you misunderstand basic certificates they are intentionally easy.

Dave

bobconnie · 16-02-2012, 05:37

You haved to start somewhere BoBo. She knows more now then when she started !!

and she will know more as she go's along!!

You started somewhere just as I did but I had a head start having a father be a Comm Fisherman. No one is BORN a Blue Water Sailor !! Con Grats Captain Turtles

Bob and Connie Keep it Up !!

shorebird · 16-02-2012, 05:49

Welcome Rachel, hope to see you out on the water.

bobofthenorth · 16-02-2012, 07:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobconnie

She knows more now then when she started !!

I don't know why you would think that. The "test" is meaningless. Rachel may very well be a very competent boater but the fact she has a PCOC means squat in that context. All it proves is that she could pay the fee.

And its worse than I originally stated. There's no central registry of these purported licenses. That record keeping is left entirely to the shysters that administer the "tests". So if Joe's Easy-Shmeasy Boat Testing Rip-off Company goes broke the week after he prints your card there's no record anywhere that you even have a card. Transport Canada has perpetrated a host of frauds on the Canadian public but this one has to be the worst.

S/V Alchemy · 16-02-2012, 08:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainTurtles

Next step for me is to take my PADI diving course. Is there any other cards/courses you guys can recommend me doing? I learnt a lot from taking this one however it left me feeling like I've still got so much to learn!

Thanks,
Rachel.

Yes. Congratulations on the PCOC, but it's really a joke in its online form. Had you got it via the 12-week Canadian Power Squadron's "Boating Course", it would be more meaningful. Even now that you have that card, I would take that course.

I would follow it up with the "Coastal Navigation" CPS course, and the ROC (Radio Operator's Card) course.

I would also suggest you crew with experienced sailors to gain knowledge. There should be no shortage of older couples on well-maintained boats looking for a little youth and muscle to help with the anchoring and raising the main, etcetera. You will learn a lot from such relationships that you can apply directly to your own boat, particularly about tides and currents on the B.C. coast, which are in my mind about the biggest consideration in sailing those waters (along with avoiding deadheads!).

Fair winds.

S/V Alchemy · 16-02-2012, 08:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobofthenorth

Sorry to rain on your parade Rachel but the fact that you have a PCOC means nothing.

I got mine in 1999 through CPS...if the things were numbered, mine would be pretty low. But today it is quite different, easily fudged and barely better than nothing, so I concur with your assessment.

There are remedies, however, and the keen aspiring sailor can apply what the bureaucratic proxies cannot.

CaptainTurtles · 16-02-2012, 11:36

Great posts guys, and for sure Bob, the test is flawed and easy. But, that is the 'exam' the government makes us take for us to gain a card they say we need, so if that's the hoop they want me to jump through then, I'll gladly hop on through.

And like I said, I feel like it's a good first step in the learning curve for me, whether or not it was easy as pie!

Thanks to you guys who suggested the next courses I should take, I've been checking them out this afternoon and they look very interesting! Luckily I'm in very experienced hands with my fiance, and we both plan on taking more courses and whatnot before heading offshore!

Thanks all!
Hope that code was of use to someone out there! Sadly it doesn't say how long it's good for!

Capt Phil · 16-02-2012, 11:53

You could well be correct, bobofthenorth, but you have to start somewhere. Many times the first exposure to even basic maritime questions prompts an interested participant to go further and attend Power Squadron courses, professional certification and on and on. Sounds like Rachel has a partner who is encouraging her to keep pursuing her interest. GordMay was kind enough to point to the links for further study.
My granddaughter working on a family history project for school was very interested in my background and how I ended up working on the water years ago and questioned me on why I persisted in such a dangerous and lonely career. I had no good answer for her except once I got started, I was interested in learning more and more... she seemed to understand and accept that. Capt Phil