throughout the US waters of the Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway. I have spent the 29 years previous to Cleveland doing nothing but running boats and ships for the Coast Guard. Whatever the CG does on the water - I have. Before we left today Geoff spoke to you about your experience on the water and how valuable that is. He is absolutely right. In addition to your own perception I ask you to consider that of a very experienced stranger; you probably do know more than you give yourself credit for and you are good sailors for it. I would not trade a week in the classroom for an hour on the water. I am very impressed with your knowledge, passion for boating and particularly - your common sense. Please don't think ill of the value I place in sense. Personally and professionally I have known many, many people who could flat smoke a test but put them on the water to apply what they've learned and 'fuggedaboutit'. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the experience you have - its no less significant than mine and in many instances more relevant to the world of a licensed Captain. Its good for everyone else who boats that you guys are out there. When some of you asked me what I did for a living - I wasn't clear. I asked Dick and Geoff from day one not to divulge to anyone what I did for a couple of reasons and I am very grateful to them for respecting my wishes; 1. Despite being in the CG I have NO shortcut to getting a license. I needed to learn the same info you all did and pass the same tests you did. 2. I did not want to take anything away from the teachers role or expertise. Dick and Geoff proved to be tremendously knowledgeable and great, great teachers. I feel fortunate to have learned from them AND to now call them friends. 3.. I wanted people to know me for being me - not for what I did for a living.. In a forum like the class we just completed that is very important to me. More importantly - I got to hear about all of YOUR experiences and thoughts honestly... including some of your thoughts about the CG :-))) 4. My CG experience is valuable - but we do things differently and I wanted to learn from you all as much as I did from Geoff and Dick. Thanks for letting me do that. If there is one thing that 32 years of moving around has taught me - its that people will stay in touch if they want to. I have high hopes for all of you as you continue your nautical pursuits - whatever they may be. As Geoff mentioned - I too would be pleased and proud to Mate for any of you. I don't have a "get out of jail free card" (in this job anyway) but I do enjoy doing favors for friends when I can and I consider each of you at least that. In that regard, I am providing my professional contact information. Please feel free to use it in addition to the info on the class roster. I will be in touch and when I come upon information that I think you might find of value or interest I will send it along. Thank you all for sharing your valuable experiences and thoughts so openly - we're all better off for it. thanks again and remember; boat safe, boat smart and boat sober.

Member John Pike said "It was absolutely worth the time investment. I figure as a dentist I easily put in 100+ hours for my profession in education…so why not this investment of time for my boating hobby?" While some new Captains plan to use their license for profit, many in the CYC class pursued the licensure primarily for the purpose of expanding their boating knowledge. "I've been boating a long time," said member Ed Mahoney. "I can tell you that I learned a ton of stuff in this class that I never knew before. This has most certainly made me a better boater." Many in the class went on for an additional weekend of training in order to qualify and test for a USCG Masters Endorsement in order to be licensed to pilot an inspected vessel.

Please join us in congratulating new USCG Captains Dick Coleman, Ed Mahoney, John Pike, Jack Seelie, and Lee Stacey.