The U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), or captain’s license, is your ticket to becoming the legal master of a vessel. Commonly known as a “six pack license,” it allows the holder to take as many as six passengers up to 100 miles offshore in U.S. waters and charge a fee for doing so.
It’s an absolute requirement, not just a formality, and strictly enforced. Almost every day the Coast Guard sends out e-mails detailing how it halted an illegal charter and levied heavy fines against an unlicensed “captain.” In the Coast Guard’s own words: “Recreational vessels may not carry passengers for hire without having a properly licensed captain and crew, along with other safety requirements in accordance with federal regulation.”
When I first decided to obtain an MMC in 2004, it wasn’t to work on other boats. Rather, it was to be a better mariner on my own boat and be able to demonstrate in writing my qualifications, either to charter a vessel in the Caribbean or charter my own boat in Florida. I’ve never
