(1) Upon receiving his or her appointment, a deputy pilot must report to the licensed state pilots at the port he or she is appointed to serve and must serve a period of not less than 90 days as an observer trainee. During such period:

(a) The observer trainee must accompany licensed state pilots, becoming thoroughly familiar with all of the waters, the channels, the harbor, and the port under varied conditions.

(b) The observer trainee must obtain a valid United States Coast Guard first-class unlimited pilot’s license covering all of the waters of the port before the board may authorize him or her to pilot vessels within the limits and specifications established by the licensed state pilots of the port.

(2) Upon completion of the observer-trainee period, the deputy pilot must submit to the board a deputy pilot vessel handling form for each vessel upon which he or she has accompanied a licensed state pilot. Each such form must be signed by the pilot in charge who accompanied the deputy pilot and must accurately recite:

(a) The vessel’s registry, length, gross tonnage, and draft;

(b) The name of the berth from which or to which the vessel was piloted;

(c) The weather and sea conditions encountered;

(d) The time of day;

(e) Any marine incidents required to be reported under s. 310.111; and

(f) The comments of the pilot in charge, including whether, under his or her supervision, the pilot in charge turned the navigation of the vessel over to the deputy pilot.

(3) Each request to increase the limits and specifications under which a deputy pilot is authorized to pilot must be submitted to the board and must be accompanied by a deputy pilot vessel handling form as provided in subsection (2) for each vessel the deputy pilot has piloted since his or her limits and specifications were last increased by the board.

(4) For successful completion of the deputy pilot training program, a deputy pilot must have gradually been increased in his or her authorized limits and specifications until the deputy pilot has been authorized by the board to pilot vessels with a maximum draft of not more than 3 feet less than the normal maximum draft allowable in the port in which the deputy pilot is authorized to pilot, as proposed by the licensed state pilots in that port and approved by the board.

History.—ss. 5, 11, ch. 86-280; s. 2, ch. 89-262; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 281, ch. 95-148.