Capt.Karen Holcomb, CAPCA president.
This club isn’t for everyone. You have to have a Coast Guard captain’s license to join CAPCA—the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association.
“CAPCA is for professional captains,” says Captain Karen M. Holcomb, the group’s president.
Once you’ve met that requirement, however, the Annapolis-based organization offers some palpable benefits:
- Professional education courses such as marine electricity, medical emergencies at sea, offshore safety and survival, first aid certification, marine communications, license renewal, and marine radio operator permits. The classes run from $40 to $150, depending on the length and complexity of the courses.
- Mentoring for newly minted captains (and older ones as well) on a wide variety of boathandling skills, from docking to operating twin-screw vessels. Members can choose their mentors and tailor the instruction to their individual needs. There’s no charge for the service.
- Interesting speakers on a wide range of topics, from how to assess weather risks to the outlook for autonomous, robot-driven vessels. Monthly meetings also offer an opportunity for networking among peers. And there are field trips to local points of interest, such as specialized vessels and maritime museums.
- And, crucially, a job bank where members can search for opportunities to serve as captains or crew members, and where prospective employers can post job notices spelling out what kind of qualifications the applicant should have and how to get in touch with the company or boatowner. The jobs include opportunities for boat-delivery captains as well.
Finally, like other such groups, CAPCA has arranged for significant member discounts at local marine supply stores, professional associations, drug-testing organizations (required for those who want to maintain their Coast Guard licenses), and marine insurance providers.
Despite its name and membership restrictions, CAPCA opens some of its activities to non-captains as well. Although the group’s highly respected courses give priority to CAPCA members, outsiders can sign up if there’s room. CAPCA’s regular meetings are open. Names of courses and speakers are posted on CAPCA’s website (capca.net).
And non-members who’d like to hire a delivery captain to take their boats from one far-away port to another can click on the Find a Captain listing on CAPCA’s website and post an ad—free of charge. Response usually is rapid; many CAPCA members make themselves available for deliveries.
CAPCA’s roster includes some 300 active members. Most hold licenses as masters of vessels between 50 and 200 gross registered tons—such as tourboats, water-taxis, towboats and the like. A few have licenses limited to skippering small passenger vessels holding up to six persons. And some have unrestricted licenses—for big ships, all oceans.
Although you must have a current captain’s license to join CAPCA—you needn’t actually be working as a captain to qualify. Some hold a license, but do other things for a living. And the group is willing to guide would-be captains through the licensing process by explaining the requirements and offering suggestions on how to obtain credentials.
Captain Holcomb suggests that anyone interested in joining consider dropping in at one of the organization’s monthly meetings, which are held on the fourth Monday evening of the month at the Annapolis Elks Lodge (see the Calendar of Events listing on the group’s website). capca.net
About the author: Art Pine is a USCG-licensed captain and a longtime sailor and powerboater on the Chesapeake Bay.
