b'EducationandtrainingarenecessarytomoveuptheSomePVAvesseloperatorshavehadoneortwocrew FOGHORN FOCUS hawsepipe and progress to roles such as captain, but themembers awarded PVF grants over the years while others time or financial requirements to do so may seem daunting.have had dozens receive funding. Colby Lawrence at Major The Passenger Vessel Foundation (PVF) Grant ProgramMarine Tours in Seward, Alaska, noted that their team has was created to financially aid those looking to grow their14 captains now and all of them but two started out as knowledge and skill set to achieve the necessary credentialsdeckhands for us and have moved up as weve grown. He to reach their career goals in the maritime industry.said that many were able to utilize the grant program to become certified as an able seaman (AB) or to pursue their In 1994, PVF was established to provide educational as- 100-ton captains license. At some operations, grant recipi-sistance to mariners and to support the development andents have used the funding to expand their engineering or improvement of safety resources for the passenger vesselmechanical knowledge as well. industry. The grant program is a core component of this DrewSchmidtwithSanJuanCruisesinBellingham, Wash., has one captain who took advantage of the pro-Upward mobility is gram to gain her captains license this past winter. She worked as a deckhand for about five years before taking somewhat limited becauseon the training needed to reach captain. Now, she splits her time with the operation between working as a cap-of the expense of ittotain and still working as crew. Schmidt said that for this woman,thegrantmadeasignificantdifferenceinher ability to take the training needed to secure her 100-ton take the time off fromcaptains license. work, to go to these classes,This sentiment was echoed by operators everywhere. As Alex Brodie of Island Packers in Ventura, Calif., explained, to get that license. It takesfor the estimated eight captains on his crew that have re-ceived PVF grants in the past decade, the funding has been a lot of time and effort onessential. Its our industry, he said. We tend to be located in places where the cost of living is high. Upward mobility their part. Its huge foris somewhat limited because of the expense of itto take the time off from work, to go to these classes, to get that them. To get to get the license. It takes a lot of time and effort on their part. Its huge for them. To get to get the cost of the classes covered cost of the classes coveredhelps a lot. helps a lot.The grants have been life-changing for some awardees. At Biscayne Lady Yacht Charters in Miami, Fla., Bob Bijur ALEX BRODIE has several captains who started off as cleaners with no ISLAND PACKERS, VENTURA, CALIF. maritime experience or skills and were able to use PVF grantstogetthetrainingneededtobecomecaptains. One of these team members, Captain Smith, said that if it mission. Since 1999, PVF has awarded over $400,000 inwasnt for Bijurs training and mentorship combined with grants, opening the program to applicants twice each year.the PVF Grant Program, he would not have pursued his Many recipients come from Passenger Vessel Associationcaptains license. (PVA) member companies and share stories of how essen-tial the grants were to their career growth, how easy theLawrence also has captains who started as deckhands who process was, and how they continue to encourage fellowhad never been on a boat before. The grants, he said, are crew to take advantage of this aid.especially helpful with younger crew coming into the in-FOGHORN 30'