Do I Lose My 100-Ton NC If My Recent Time Is Only Inland?

No. The renewal process only looks for the number of sea days on navigable waters. The days all count the same wherever they occur, (i.e. Inland, Great Lakes, Near Coastal, etc.)

What if I have fewer than 360 days in the last 5 years?

If you are going to have less than 360 days in the previous five years of your renewal application date there are FOUR different options to renew your Captain's License. 46 CFR § 10.227 lays them out and we will go through each way for you. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/10.227

The most likely options are 1 and 2. Options 3 and 4 apply to instructors.

Option 1) Open Book Take Home Test

You can take an open book take home test for all National Endorsements you hold. This will be emailed to you after your application is approved at the National Maritime Center for all domestic licenses that you hold.

As an example, if you currently possess a Master 200 GRT Near Coastal, an Able Seaman Special and Lifeboatman, you will take an open book test for each of them. Remember, you have been sailing and got your original domestic license so the open book test should be a breeze!

The NMC will charge you one Examination fee of $45 no matter how many National Endorsements you are renewing.

Option 2) Take a Renewal Course

You can also take a USCG approved renewal course for each of your National endorsements.

We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!

MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Pro inside of the site.

No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application, you can choose to have the MM-SEAS staff create a perfect application, handle the USCG application fees and work with the USCG on your behalf to resolve any issues for a flat fee of $349 or you can choose to submit on your own.

Pro MM-SEAS members get access to unlimited live 1 on 1 calls with one of our USCG Licensing Specialists. We've found that answering questions live with screen sharing in a video call makes both of our lives easier. Pro MM-SEAS members can access these features inside of MM-SEAS under License Guidance.