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Starpath Certification Programs

We offer several options for certification in Coastal Navigation and in Celestial Navigation. The Starpath course completion certificate, which includes ISSA certification, is accomplished from a take home exam after the courses are completed. This certification is recognized worldwide. Our certification tests are also designed to prepare students for similar tests of other agencies. We also offer Marine Weather and Advanced Marine Weather certification through our Weather Trainer software program.

Starpath Certificate for Coastal or Celestial Navigation

These certificates can be obtained after completing our home study courses or after our classroom courses. This certification requires that you have worked selected examples of all types of practice problems in the course along with achieving a 75% score on our take home test. If you want both coastal and celestial certification, you can do either certification first. Here is the procedure:

  1. When doing the courses, save all of your work and do not erase the charts or plotting sheets. We may need to see your original chart work as well as the certification test solutions in some cases.
  2. At the end of the course, purchase the certificate application (coastal or celestial) and we will provide you with a test that you work on your own at home. You can use any materials or references you like, but you should do your own work. This test will take approximately 4 to 6 hours to complete. It need not be done at one time, you have 3 months to complete the work. The coastwise test is worked on the same chart we use for the course (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca). The certification fee is $30 plus shipping fees if applicable—some tests are distributed and submitted electronically, but we may still have logbooks or other documents to ship back and forth to complete the certification. Detailed instructions for taking the test are provided.
  3. When the test is done and you have double checked your answers, return or submit to us the answer sheet and chart, along with all of your scratch paper used in the test showing actual solutions. You may also include a list of any questions or comments that might have arisen during the test. Instructions may vary for electronic tests.
  4. We will grade the exam and provide solutions or answer questions that may have arisen during the test. If the 75% score has been achieved, we will record your certification and mail back your chart and the certificate, which is a diploma-like document stating the contents of the course and notes on Starpath. We also include a sticker documenting the certification that will fit into most training record log books in the "Extra Training" sections. These tests will also qualify you for ISSA certification (see below), which would just require a logbook purchase.
  5. If you do not make the 75% score on the first try, you can apply to take the test again, or, at our discretion, we can offer you a few extra questions to solve in the problem areas.

Starpath Certification in Marine Weather

We offer a comprehensive course in marine weather within our Weather Trainer software program. The complete course and subsequent certification structure is automatically built into the program. It requires a certain level of documented study, followed by a unique exam that is generated and graded for you by the program itself. Family members or crew can use the same installation of the program to achieve certification.

The 100-question certification test requires a 90% score, but it can be taken numerous times and the certification is only paid for if achieved. The test is taken in four sittings of 25 questions each. The program generates unique tests on each trial and generates coded scores at the end to confirm the details of your testing. We know when we get the numbers back from you that you have passed the test. The certification fee is $15, plus shipping. There are separate certifications for Basic Marine Weather and for Advanced Marine Weather. No make up is required, as you only apply for the certificate and pay once you have succeeded at the exam. Once completed we provide the same type of document as given in our navigation courses.

Full details of the course contents, goals, and standards are explained within the program. Note that the Advanced certification will have confirmed that you know marine weather on the same level tested by the USCG for unlimited masters license, the highest license available. The basic level is more like the level of 500 Ton masters.

Registration of these certificates can be requested on the Order Certifications page. These weather certifications qualify for ISSA certification (see below), with the extra purchase of an ISSA logbook ($9.95).

International Sailing Schools Association

Starpath School of Navigation is a certified member of the ISSA and can therefore offer course completion certification stickers for the ISSA logbook to document any of our training programs. We have these available in Celestial Navigation, Coastal Navigation, Marine Weather, and Radar. The ISSA logbooks are in English, French, and Spanish; they are recognized worldwide. See International Sailing Association. ISSA certification is automatically included with any Starpath Certification. An ISSA logbook ($9.95) is required.

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