The captain of a boat is number one in command, and for this reason, they are tasked with a significant amount of duties. The captain bears the burden of the ship, its passengers, crew, and any cargo. Although the duties extend beyond the 5 important roles discussed below, the captain is educated to do so. Understand 5 boat captain duties.
Navigation And Route Planning
Route planning comes before departing the dock. The captain determines the safest and often fastest track line to get to the intended destination. Remember, a significant number of obstacles are in the way. A captain often plots the course on paper in addition to entering it into the chart plotter.
Traveling by water requires in depth knowledge of navigational markers. However, navigation goes beyond marked channels but instead travels across open bodies of water.
With that being said, the captain is responsible for both inland and offshore navigation. Often, traveling at sea can be days and weeks on end.
The captain is ultimately responsible for route planning and navigation.
The Safety Of Passengers And Crew
Undoubtedly, safety tops the list and especially when you are considering passengers and crew.
The captain is at risk of putting people at risk in a multitude of ways. First, navigating through dangerous weather and sea conditions. Second, improper navigation and relating to shallow waters, channels, and traffic. Unfortunately, ships run aground and collide despite today’s navigational electronics.
Lastly, captains fail to ensure the vessel receives proper maintenance. Without question, the maintenance schedule is rigorous, and deviating from the requirements is deadly. Passengers and crew are at risk in situations where engines fail, hulls become thin, wiring deteriorates, and more.
Ultimately, the captain must make the crew and passengers the number one priority. Nobody wants to cause injury or the loss of life from operating a vessel.
Delivering Cargo Without Damage
Living near ports in coastal cities, it is easy to see how much cargo is delivered by ships. Shipping is a major industry and, therefore, employs a significant amount of captains worldwide.
Cargo is expensive, and ships are loaded with up to 24,000 containers. Take into consideration the cost of the products within the containers.
Unquestionably, the captain has a significant amount of responsibility to transport the contents of the containers from point A to point B.
In some cases, containers become dislodged from ships as a result of strong winds and rough seas.
The captain must consider the weather along the route to avoid hazardous winds and seas.
Lastly, the captain must ensure that the vessel’s stability is not compromised as a result of weight. Weight calculations are necessary to avoid capsizing.
Docking And Undocking
One of the most challenging aspects of operating a vessel is leaving or returning to the dock. Without question, approaching and departing a dock requires years of experience, especially with large ships.
Captain, when docking, is faced with a multitude of elements that complicate the process. Some of the elements include wind, current, traffic, and the amount of space. When you combine all four, the captain is under a high level of stress.
I have watched excellent captains position yachts in stiff winds between two multimillion-dollar vessels. Conversely, I have also seen serious mistakes where the captain caused damage to the dock and vessel itself.
Communications
Believe it or not, a captain is required to communicate extensively. The captain not only associates with crews but also with other vessels, ports, customs, and more.
As a former captain, I regularly made contact with marinas to arrange dockage customs for clearing in or out of countries and also with the crew to check in on maintenance.
Importantly, the captain must know how to communicate effectively. Effective communication is necessary in order to properly relay a message or provide guidance to the crew. Without proper communication, the crew would show signs of disorganization, the vessel would be in poor condition, and arrangements would fail to be in place ahead of time.
However, poor communication is not likely among boat captains because of the combination of the tasks on their plate.
Trust Your Boat Captain
As a former boat captain on private yachts, I can tell you that extensive training is received. For this reason, you can trust the person who is in command. A boat captain’s duties are vast, but it is a career that they are passionate about. No matter if you’re on a fishing charter or a cruise, the captain is number one in the hierarchy. The next time you’re on the water, you’ll have a better understanding of the boat captain’s duties.
