St. Ignace resident Tom Sayles charts a course through Block Island Sound in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The U.S. Coast Guard requires potential captains to learn navigation on ocean charts, rather than lake charts. “It's fun, but it's stressful,” Mr. Sayles said. “You have a week to learn all this information.” In the background, Dave Stanaway of Sault Ste. Marie works on his charts. Mr. Stanaway is interested in getting a charter license for launching his own charter company on Lake Superior and the St. Marys River. Within a stone's throw of Lake Huron, the morning light streaming through the windows of the Great Waters Center could be a scene from a distant nautical time. A man pores over a sprawling sea chart, compass in hand, during a class to train men and women for a Great Lakes master's license.

Another man in plaid leans over the chart, too, as does a woman, who studies it, then looks for guidance from the instructor circling the room.

Captain Jim Winks is available to answer questions students may have on their navigational charts. Here, St. Ignace resident Mariah Horn summons Mr. Winks to assist her with compass figures. Ms. Horn, a senior deckhand on Star Line, was encouraged by one of that fleet's captains to strive for captainship herself. That man is Great Lakes Charter Training instructor Jim Winks of the Grand Rapids area, who has been training boat captains for 10 years. From Saturday, March 6, through Monday, March 15, he conducted a 100-gross-ton Master's Course in St. Ignace to prepare northern Michigan residents to become captains of commercial vessels.

“You cannot do anything on the water for pay without a license,” Mr. Winks said.

If the seven individuals studying the charts master the necessary skills, they will be able to command boats ranging from six-passenger fishing boats to ferryboats. The required skills include knowing the rules of lakes navigation, safety procedures, firefighting, first aid, ship handling, and line handling.

According to Mr. Winks, the hardest part of the program is chart plotting, navigating from point to point without the use of electronic aids.

“Most of them have never been exposed to this. On ships today, almost all the navigation is electronic,” Captain Winks said. “It is a necessary skill. It doesn't take much, though; a little corrosion on a connection and the entire electric system goes down. Then, you are bringing in the boat using the charts.”

Students attempted to navigate Block Island Sound in Connecticut and Rhode Island, per Coast Guard requirements that potential captains learn on a series of ocean charts, rather than on lake charts. After completing the Block Island chart problem, the students find several more three-foot by four-foot maps that lie in wait.

Tom Sayles of St. Ignace took a moment to digest all that he had been required to learn in a brief amount of time.

“It's a lot harder than I expected it to be,” he said. “People think driving a boat is going to be just like driving a car, but that's not the case with the charting.”

Mr. Sayles had kicked around the idea of getting a captain's license for several years before seeing the course advertisement in the newspaper.

“I've thought about working up to piloting a freighter, but the paperwork was too time-consuming and the sources were too far away. Fingerprinting was in Grand Rapids. Other requirements were in Ohio. I saw in the paper that a captain's class was going to be offered in St. Ignace and jumped at the opportunity.”

The potential captain is familiar with boats, as he previously worked for Arnold Line Transit and his father worked on Great Lakes freighters.

“There's not anything that compares to being out on the lake, being behind the wheel or in the pilothouse,” he said. “It feels like your own little world.”

Between tapping points on the charts, instructing, and simplifying the mathematics equations involved in navigation, Captain Winks gave a rundown of all of the skills necessary to be in charge of a boat.

“A good captain has knowledge of the required area and a calm demeanor,” he said. “They don't let emergencies get to them. Every day is something new; you have to be prepared for the unexpected.”

Awareness must extend to watching all the other vessels on the water and compensating for, and anticipating, the weather.

“It's somewhat similar to driving a car, but with no roads,” he said. “Traffic is also coming from every angle. Add to that the fact the captains are navigating a 100-foot, 75- ton vessel that does not maneuver or stop quickly.”

No matter what happens, Mr. Winks reiterated that maintaining the collected demeanor is key.

“Through all of it, captains must display a great deal of professionalism.”

The licensing fees from the U.S. Coast Guard are $145 and the captain's license is good for five years.

“From the time they pass the course, if students get their paperwork in right away, they can be on a boat within six weeks,” Captain Winks said. “They must prove they've operated or crewed on a boat for a total of 560 days, which can take some time to figure out. They can go all the way back to age 15.”

Nearly 100% of students pass the captain's course, according to Mr. Winks. Students get three tries to pass each of five examinations.

“Most pass on the first or second try,” he said.