As you wander along the waterfront at a\u00a0Tall Ships\u00ae event one day in the summer, you might wonder what it\u2019s like to see one under sail.\u00a0 You might make some inquiries about getting aboard one for a short sail, and you might even follow through with that idea.\u00a0 But it may not have occurred to you to consider becoming one of those men and women who stand tall on the quarterdeck and command one.\u00a0 The fact is you could have an extraordinary career in the sailing industry.\u00a0 It\u2019s not as hard as you might think, regardless of your age or background.<\/p>\n
If you are eligible for college, there is a straightforward path that will get you from the viewing stand to the quarterdeck of a tall ship in as little as two short years.\u00a0 And you will get an Associate of Science degree to boot.\u00a0 Another two years and you can add a Bachelor of Science degree.\u00a0 No prior sailing or boating experience is required.<\/p>\n
Are you past college age?\u00a0 Don\u2019t ignore the possibilities.\u00a0 Read on.<\/p>\n
First, some basics.\u00a0 The command structure of a sailing ship is no different from any other commercial ship.\u00a0 There is a captain, one or more mates, one or more engineers, a number of able seamen (AB\u2019s) and some more ordinary seamen (OS\u2019s).\u00a0 Each of these positions requires a license or a certificate, issued by the US Coast Guard.<\/p>\n
You could sign aboard a sailing vessel with no prior experience and sail as an OS, gradually gaining experience and sea time, which would allow you to \u201csit\u201d for the exam for the next level up the chain of command.\u00a0 In time, you would find yourself with the license to be captain, or master, of a ship.\u00a0 While this is still technically possible, realistically it has become so time consuming and expensive that it is no longer a very attractive option.<\/p>\n
You would need to work for a few years as OS, earn an AB\u2019s certificate, work for a few more years as AB, then study and sit for a multi-day exam as Mate.\u00a0 Subject areas include navigation, seamanship, safety, rules of the road, regulations, and much more.\u00a0 You would additionally need to earn various certificates (both US and International) in Basic Safety Training (BST), Global Marine Distress Safety System (GMDSS), Bridge Resource Management (BRM), Ship\u2019s Medical Officer, Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA), Firefighting, and several more.\u00a0 Each of these requires its own course, typically taking a week, and costing anywhere from $800 to $2000.<\/p>\n
Given all of this, the old way of working your way up from OS to Master at sea (called \u201ccoming up the hawsepipe\u201d) has become inordinately difficult, time consuming, and expensive.<\/p>\n
Enter Maine Maritime Academy.\u00a0 With a 50 year tradition of preparing seafarers for maritime careers (in the Merchant Marine) already in place, and two traditional schooners (the 88 footBowdoin\u00a0and the 35 foot\u00a0Puritan) to train on, developing a sail training curriculum was an obvious step.\u00a0 The program was inaugurated in 2003, and since then as much as 40% of incoming mate candidates are interested in auxiliary sail licenses.\u00a0 Graduates from the past 35 years are already serving as deckhands, mates, masters and owners of numerous sail training vessels.\u00a0 There are over 150 vessels in the\u00a0American Sail Training Association<\/a>\u00a0(ASTA) directory, all of which need trained, licensed mates.\u00a0 Nowadays, most American (and many foreign) sail training vessels are manned by one or more Maine Maritime graduates.<\/p>\n The programs at Maine Maritime Academy include fully accredited 2-year (Associate of Science) and 4-year (Bachelor of Science) degrees; 200 ton, 500 ton, 1600 ton and unlimited licenses for power and sail vessels, for near coastal and oceans routes.\u00a0 With other programs in Marine Engineering, International Business and Logistics, Marine Science, and Marine Biology, plus a Master\u2019s Degree program, there are plenty of other relevant courses and degree options to choose from to fill out a richly rewarding college experience.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Sail Training Curriculum\u00a0includes courses in Sailing, Ocean Survival, Firefighting, Small Craft Construction, Rigging, Navigation; Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Professional Sailing; Ocean Science, Ship Handling, Stability, Meteorology, and Ship\u2019s Medicine.\u00a0 There are two training cruises under sail aboard the schooner Bowdoin, and three industry coops, during which you might sail aboard one of the other ASTA vessels in gaff rig or square rig.\u00a0 With the demand for sailing vessel crews and MMA\u2019s connections in the field, coops and jobs are readily available.<\/p>\n MMA\u2019s sailing faculty includes several sailors well known in the sail training world.\u00a0 The course work is practical, intensive and fun.\u00a0 Imagine going to college where your homework involves going sailing on one of over 50 sailing vessels from 10 to 88 feet.\u00a0 It is the new way to start your sailing career, and it is within your reach.<\/p>\n Are you past college age?\u00a0 No worries.\u00a0 MMA has numerous \u201cnon-traditional\u201d students from 24 to 60 years old seeking a career change or just fulfilling a lifetime dream.\u00a0 Do you already have a college degree?\u00a0 Consider enrolling in our\u00a0Masters & Commander\u00a0graduate program, where in 5 semesters you can earn a Masters Degree in Maritime Management and a 200 ton USCG license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"