Sea Captains: San Francisco 1800s

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H. B. Colbey

Captain H. B. Colbey, and old sea captain, and also an old hunter and sportsman, narrowly escaped death while out hunting near Calistoga.

The Press says: "It appears that he shot and wounded a large buck; the animal fell, and the Captain supposing him mortally wounded, went up to it and cut his throat. The wounded animal rallied and attacked the Captain, when a desperate tussle ensued; the deer furiously attempting to gore the hunter with his horns.

The scene where the conflict first commenced was on a small plateau, but soon the combatants neared a slope of the mountain, where both toppled over and fell and rolled down a steep declivity some thirty or forty feet. Regaining his feet first, Captain Colby opened on the deer with a revolver. The buck getting upoin his feet, again renewed the fight with his antlers, but finally the Captain got in a "centre shot" and came out victorious, not, however, without receiving numerous wounds about his person.

The Captain, as we before remarked, is an old hunter, but we doubt if he is particularly anxious for just such another encounter. His deership, on being weighted, pulled down the beam at one hundred and thirty pounds, and was one of the largest ever killed in this section of country.

The Authority to Sail: The History of U.S. Maritime Licenses and Seamen's Papers
Robert Stanley Bates, George Marsh (Editor), John F. Whiteley (Forward) (Batek Marine Publishing, 2011; Nominated in 2012 for a Pulitzer Prize)
This book depicts important aspects of our maritime history as a result of original research done by the author, Commodore Bates, the holder of an unlimited master's license who has enjoyed a distinguished fifty-year career in both the Coast Guard and the American Merchant Marine.

The U.S. Coast Guard issues all Captain Licenses for U.S. Ports.
Note: Other countries have different regulations, i.e. the RYA (Royal Yachting Association), conducts certification for Britain and Ireland. As of 2011, they did not recognize the USCG certification; certification through their courses was required.

Master Unlimited is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of a vessel any gross tons. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws. All persons on board, including officers and crew, other shipboard staff members, passengers, guests and pilots, are under the captain's authority and are his or her ultimate responsibility. The STCW defines the Master as Person having command of the ship.

The Sea Chart
The Illustrated History of Nautical Maps and Navigational Charts

John Blake
The sea chart was one of the key tools by which ships of trade, transport and conquest navigated their course across the oceans. Herein is a history and development of the chart and the related nautical map, in both scientific and aesthetic terms, as a means of safe and accurate seaborne navigation. 150 color illustrations including the earliest charts of the Mediterranean made by 13th-century Italian merchant adventurers, as well as 18th-century charts that became strategic naval and commercial requirements and led to Cook's voyages in the Pacific, the search for the Northwest Passage, and races to the Arctic and Antarctic.

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Charlie Wing
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