Near-Coastal vs Inland — Which OUPV Endorsement?

OUPV Inland and OUPV Near-Coastal are two endorsements of the same underlying credential — the difference is geographic operating authority and the version of the Rules of the Road tested.

TL;DR

Inland: inside the 33 CFR Part 80 demarcation lines (bays, sounds, Great Lakes, rivers); tested on Inland Rules. Near-Coastal: out to 100 nm offshore; tested on COLREGs International Rules. Near-Coastal requires 90+ days of ocean / near-coastal sea time.

The demarcation lines

33 CFR Part 80 draws the line between Inland and Near-Coastal waters — typically a line across harbour entrances, sound mouths, and bay openings. Outside these lines, COLREGs applies; inside, the Inland Rules apply.

Two parallel rule sets

COLREGs (International) and the Inland Rules (33 CFR Part 83) are largely identical, with several known divergences (Rule 9 narrow channels, Rule 10 traffic schemes vs VTS, Rule 24 towing, Rule 28 constrained-by-draft, and Rule 34 manoeuvring signals as 'intent' vs 'action').

Which to choose

If you'll operate inside the lines (lake or bay charter), OUPV Inland is enough. If you'll fish canyons, run further offshore, or operate on the open ocean coast, you want Near-Coastal.

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