How Does a Tugboat Captain Spend a Workday?
Radar and GPS A tugboat captain spends much of his time scanning these devices, keeping an eye on every single thing that happens for a great distance around him. The radar will tell the captain of things within approximately a mile range, while the GPS unit can tell of his own position in the water, as well as other ships or large objects in the area. It is vital that this equipment be working properly, and the captain is responsible for it. Training the Crew It is up to the captain of the tugboat to train his crew. Each tugboat can be run differently. It is up to the discretion of the captain as to how things are done, when, and for how long. He is literally the master of the vessel, and his word goes no matter what. All tugboat captains first started as deckhands, doing all the dirty day-to-day work. Then, if they are successful at that, they may move on to first mate or pilot, which puts them in the control room of the tugboat. The test to become a master tugboat operator is rigoro
