Cranial Exercise a Requirement for the Six Pack License

Another work day has ended and you're parched. The only thing you can think of while driving home is the cans of beer you left in the chiller. But you need to get an operator of uninspected passenger vehicle (OUPV) coast guard license within the next few days. Then you better trade that six pack you have at home for six pack abs if you want your Six Pack License. Sedentary life and too much booze will have you looking like a nine-month pregnant woman anyway.

Even if you decide to adhere strictly to your vegetarian diet (a slab of steak with a side dish of potatoes and maize), weight reduction will take too long. Hard to get your mind off cholesterol and alcohol while propped up on one of those comfy outdoor chairs, huh?

As we need to do crunches to get toned abdominal muscles, same goes for getting the OUPV license. Cranial exercise is needed by our brains so we can pass. Here are some things that we may need to brush up on:

Navigation is a means knowing where to point the bow. But for a sailor to navigate, he first has to know where he is. With the advent of GPS this is not really a problem. But we still have to know the basics in case of emergencies, and as I have mentioned above, this is cranial exercise. So be prepared with your plotting prowess. Predicting where a marine vessel will be within, let's say the next forty minutes can be done using dead reckoning. Here the predicted values are compared with the actual. A great means of knowing the actual effect of external factors on the course of the ship.

Meteorology is not all about predicting a person's fortune. It goes hand in hand with navigation. Knowing your ship's position relative to the stars come in handy when there is a time synchronization error between the global positioning and the inertial navigation system.

Marlinspike Seamanship or just plain knot tying. As kids we were all dumbfounded when we saw someone who actually knew how to tie a proper knot. As we grew older we became aware of the use of these knots in real life. Especially in boats. Knowing how to tie a knot will help keep every movable part of the ship in its proper place, ensuring safety of the passengers. Most helpful when waves are frequent. This will also help us avoid being left behind by an unmanned boat that's drifting towards the horizon.

Seamanship means that you know how to add in factors like underwater current, momentum of your vessel, and the speed and direction of the wind, among others. This is a generalized estimate of how you were able to put together all those things you learned while in training.

These are just a few things to help you along the way. For you to pass, you just need to remember one thing, though: Exercise is both physical AND cranial.