History 

  

United States Maritime Academy was founded in 1987 by Captain Jeffrey Sanders in Honolulu, Hawaii. Captain Sanders sailed throughout the islands preparing hundreds of mariners with his unique style for their Coast Guard Captain's License examinations. His students passing rate was extremely high by national standards and his reputation grew. In 1993 He sailed his vessel 'orpheus to Puget Sound   and expanded USMA to the Northwest and the Great Lakes. In 1995 Captain Sanders was chosen to be amongst the first instructors in the country to teach approved license training classes in lieu of Coast Guard examination preparation. For the first time in maritime history students could receive their Captain's License without sitting for Coast Guard examinations. In 2002 he collaborated with Captain Roger Slade to write four textbooks and a complete curriculum for OUPV and Masters 100 Ton Coast Guard License training. These were approved in the first round by the National Maritime Center, Dept. of Homeland Security in 2003.   U.S. Maritime Academy is presently assembling a core of professionals to offer its unique style of License training throughout the United States and to carry on the USMA philosophy. 

  

Philosophy 

  

Know where you are. 

Don't hurt anybody. 

Keep your boat afloat.

  

U.S. Maritime believes that your training for 100 Ton Licenses should be the most thorough of all your maritime education endeavors.   Therefore we have made it our specialty. In many cases it will be your first (and perhaps last) formal exposure to the nuts-and-bolts of the Coast Guard Licensing requirements:   Chart Plotting; Navigation General; Rules of the Road and Deck General/Safety. No matter how far you go up the licensing ladder, you will never embrace these subjects as completely as you will   for your 100 Ton License. This is where it all starts. We believe   complete comprehension of these areas paramount to your success on the water.   

  

Our philosophy reflects our commitment to students to learn this material well. USMA does not believe in the "computer cram approach". Our program is spread out over weeks rather than days. We wrote our own textbooks and use established maritime publications as references so that students will become familiar with literature that will become part of their on-board library for the rest of their lives. We are educators first and hope to instill in our students a curiosity in their chosen field that will encourage them to continue their maritime education and apply it on the water. 

  

Curriculum 

  

U.S. Maritime encourages you to obtain the highest level of license appropriate to your experience.  Therefore we have combined our training program to include both the "Six Pack" and the Master licenses in one package.   One tuition, one class, both licenses.

  

USMA guides you through the entire licensing process including the gathering and documenting of sea time and Coast Guard application evaluation procedures.