Colour Blindness

[Nauti Buoy]

Hi, I am interested in getting involved at some point in Rib Charter, I am slowly working my way through the various courses and about to do my Day Skipper and then onto do my advanced powerboat course. Can anyone tell me before I get too involved booking courses whether or not being Colour Blind will affect me gaining a Commercial License also to anyone doing Rib Charter is it worth it fincancially?

[pmorgan]

Hi

I am in the process of getting my advanced qualification commercially endorsed. I have found the RYA website useful.

http://www.rya.org.uk/training/commercial/

With regard to colour blindness, you do have to get your doctor to complete a medical form, which does include a colour vision test.

http://www.rya.org.uk/images/uploade...927bc1/ML5.pdf

I think there are different types of colour blindness; it might be worth talking to the MCA directly.

Good luck

Pete

[tim griffin]

quick way of checking to see if you are colour blind get hold of a kids red green veiwer go down to the water and look at the lights put on glasses/viewer, green filter cuts out red lights and red filter cuts out green lights 12% of men are colour blind so only go out at night with ladies on a boat . If you are colour blind forget commercial endorsementand save your money and do the new RYA intermediate course.if you are not colour blind
go for it , how ever don't expect to make a fortune and please don't undercut us who make a living from the sea if you have the right size boat ie enough seating for 6/8 up to 12 you may get work but stand more chance working through a charter agent, there are alot of people in this game and its better to work with than against , if you want to be a commercial driver not much work there if any ,as most companies will use people they know with lots of sea time in and you will have to prove your ability and experience.
I would not take on a driver who has only just qualified sorry to be a bit negative but there is not a pot of gold to be made from this line of work.
regards tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk

[Paul Glatzel]

Richard

Two things:

1) There is a thread on this very subject on the forum (although i cannot find it), have a search as it refers to different levels/types of colour blindness.
2) I mentioned when we spoke to speak to the MCA and discuss the subject. This view was reinforced recently due to the experiences of one of our Instructors who is unsighted in one eye (you'll recollect when you 'guinea pigged' he was on the Advanced Instructor course) and had initially been told that he could not commercially endorse. He found this bizarre given that he is and instructor in many disciplines including areas like swift water river rescue and climbing. He spoke to the MCA at the outset, disccussed the concerns and they have now okayed his endorsement. As we discussed do chat it through with the MCA, perhaps a commercial endorsement to exclude night work is possible. After all very few RIBs are coded for night time charter so you hardly miss out on much work and the issue primarrilly relates to night rather than the day.

Speak soon

Paul

PS: Now realised why i couldn't find the thread i remembered - it was on MBM!! http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/sh...ts&Main=514907

[Nauti Buoy]

Found this good test for Colour Blindness.

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/teares/gktvc/vc...ess/plate1.htm

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

I am slowly working my way through the various courses

cool presumably in the meantime you will be looking for someone to drive it for you, hint

[Aidan]

Hi there,

As i recall, when going for the Cadetship in Navy or Army etc and Commercial Shipping as A Deck Officer, being Colour receptive deficient was an issue and thus such people did Mech Eng and became Eng Officer. I dont know if it means much diff to Qualifications at this level, Ribs etc.

A simple question to awarding body will answer. I can tell you that it makes little or no difference in reality. If you are close enough to see the mast head colours of Coast Cargo Carrier of Dangerous Cargo etc, you are too close to bloody boat in first place. I can tell you that after many thousand miles at sea it does not matter much except for the colour cheese in your sandwich.

I am sue the exceptions will come fast and furious after this.

Go for it Nauti Boy if you want that qualification..

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by Pete7

cool presumably in the meantime you will be looking for someone to drive it for you, hint

I should point out that I started this thread in 2004 however you are welcome to come out for a blast anytime Pete

[Neil Harvey]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

I should point out that I started this thread in 2004 however you are welcome to come out for a blast anytime Pete

So what happened?
I ask becasue I am also colour blind, and had been wondering the same thing, although I am not looking to go into the charter business at all.

But I am curious. 10 years ago, I was an MCA qual'd skipper on an inlan passenger boat. But I failed the medical due to colour blindness. Had to go to MCA in Southampton and do a special test, basically sit in a dark room in front of a machine simulating red white and green lights 1 mile off, in any combination of the two at one time. I failed. But after much negotiation, pointing out that even at night, on the river I wanted grading on, there were no straight stretches longer that about 400 metres, they finally agreed and gave me a daytime only license. In that instance, madness, because I would never see nav lights from 1 mile away.

But they will listen and provide daytime licenses only in certain circumstances.

Did you discuss it with them, and was it an issue in your case?
I suggested colour blindness contacts, which correct the defect if they are worn, but they rejected this idea, becasue they could not guarantee I would wear them!

Cheers

Neil

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by Neil Harvey

So what happened?
I ask becasue I am also colour blind, and had been wondering the same thing, although I am not looking to go into the charter business at all.

But I am curious. 10 years ago, I was an MCA qual'd skipper on an inlan passenger boat. But I failed the medical due to colour blindness. Had to go to MCA in Southampton and do a special test, basically sit in a dark room in front of a machine simulating red white and green lights 1 mile off, in any combination of the two at one time. I failed. But after much negotiation, pointing out that even at night, on the river I wanted grading on, there were no straight stretches longer that about 400 metres, they finally agreed and gave me a daytime only license. In that instance, madness, because I would never see nav lights from 1 mile away.

But they will listen and provide daytime licenses only in certain circumstances.

Did you discuss it with them, and was it an issue in your case?
I suggested colour blindness contacts, which correct the defect if they are worn, but they rejected this idea, becasue they could not guarantee I would wear them!

Cheers

Neil

Hi Neil

I am just going through the medical process now, doing the same Lantern Test next Thursday in Southampton so will know then one way or the other.

The contact lenses are made my ChromaGen and I am also going to try out that route, personally I think if they work and solves the issue then it is not really fair saying you cannot use them as they can't guarantee you will wear them. Well surely that is the same as passing someone who needs to wear glasses to see, no guarantee they will wear them either.

Frustrating as I know I don't have an issue at night with the lights as been out plenty enough times in the dark and been fine.

See what occurs.

Richard

[Neil Harvey]

Oh,

sorry, hope i have not put you off.

I thought you might have gone through it all by now given the original post was in 2004.

Good luck with the lantern test, if you're OK in open water, you might well be OK with the test.

Anyway, it might be that in the last 10 years, they have changed the rules with the Chromagen lenses. you are right, it should be a similar logic to driving a car with glasses.

I gave up in the end. I had a daylight hours license, after being told I would not get a license at all. And it did not affect my job at all, I still skippered at night, but had to have another qual'd skipper on board as well.

KR

Neil

KR

Neil

[alexm]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

Hi Neil

I am just going through the medical process now, doing the same Lantern Test next Thursday in Southampton so will know then one way or the other.

The contact lenses are made my ChromaGen and I am also going to try out that route, personally I think if they work and solves the issue then it is not really fair saying you cannot use them as they can't guarantee you will wear them. Well surely that is the same as passing someone who needs to wear glasses to see, no guarantee they will wear them either.

Frustrating as I know I don't have an issue at night with the lights as been out plenty enough times in the dark and been fine.

See what occurs.

Richard

Not wanting to chuck a spanner in the works but I think the lantern test can be quite stringent. I have a friend who had to take a lantern test when he was offered a job in the local VTS control room. The test showed up that he had trouble distinguishing between green and white at very long distance and failed the test. He hadn't been aware of this in day to day life at all and yet it was still enough that he couldn't take the job!

I don't know if the tests he took would be the same as you though, I guess VTS controllers have to have pretty much perfect eyesight as they have the potential to cause larger disasters!

Good luck with it though!

[The Garfish]

Originally Posted by Nauti Buoy

will being Colour Blind will affect me gaining a Commercial License

itt wudunt bovver mee ifn a comershul skiper woz culor blynd

itt wud wurry mee iz ifn de nobbur wots printin mi cawperate addvirtizin browshers woz.

noww remynd uz wot yew doo forr a livvin

gaRf

[Nauti Buoy]

Originally Posted by The Garfish

itt wudunt bovver mee ifn a comershul skiper woz culor blynd

itt wud wurry mee iz ifn de nobbur wots printin mi cawperate addvirtizin browshers woz.

noww remynd uz wot yew doo forr a livvin

gaRf

I wondered when you'd make an appearance we are looking for some to do our spell checking, fancy a job, cos with my good colour vision and your spelling we'd make a good team.