coka Posted July 25, 2007 #1 Share Posted July 25, 2007 What is the difference between a Captain and a Skipper? Is it the size of the ship/boat? I was on 64 foot yacht in the Adriatic recently and the 'captain' called himself the skipper. Then I got thinking about Gilligan's Island...and the Skipper. They are smaller vessels compared to cruise ships. So...do any of you know the difference? Coka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongerob Posted July 25, 2007 #2 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Yes, it has to do with the quantity of scrambled eggs on their cap. And whether or not their shirt has been pressed. The exact formula is rather complex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraithe Posted July 25, 2007 #3 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Yes, it has to do with the quantity of scrambled eggs on their cap. And whether or not their shirt has been pressed. The exact formula is rather complex. ROTFL, in the Navy, Skipper is a term used for a ship's Captain that has been around for a while, somewhat more relaxed term for the Captain. If you really want to wrap your noodle around something confusing to civilians, submarine Commanding Officers are usually Commanders by rank, a tug could have a CPO as a Commanding Officer, aka Captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverpar Posted July 25, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 25, 2007 The Skipper gets lost on a 3 hour tour with Gilligan..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eh2zed Posted July 25, 2007 #5 Share Posted July 25, 2007 The Skipper is someone who captains a boat for a 3 hour cruise. A Captain captains a ship for cruises greater than 3 hours. :D :D :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCurry Posted July 25, 2007 #6 Share Posted July 25, 2007 About $200,000 a year, a multi-million dollar ship & crew, 3,000 new passengers every week or so and the responsibility and litigation that goes with that package!! I love the analogy QMII = Captain, Minnow = The Skipper. Hats off to the Navy and Coast Guard, as much or more responsibility on a fraction of the pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise_lover Posted July 25, 2007 #7 Share Posted July 25, 2007 What is the difference between a Captain and a Skipper? Is it the size of the ship/boat? I was on 64 foot yacht in the Adriatic recently and the 'captain' called himself the skipper. Then I got thinking about Gilligan's Island...and the Skipper. They are smaller vessels compared to cruise ships. So...do any of you know the difference? Coka Webster's II Dictionary has a Skipper has one who is the Master of a Ship. The same dictionary has a Master as the captain of a merchant ship. Now this is where it really gets confusing. Mr. Webster says; Merchant (n), of or relating to the merchant marine. If you don't mind, I think I'll skip looking up the meaning of captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseco Posted July 25, 2007 #8 Share Posted July 25, 2007 ROTFL, in the Navy, Skipper is a term used for a ship's Captain that has been around for a while, somewhat more relaxed term for the Captain. If you really want to wrap your noodle around something confusing to civilians, submarine Commanding Officers are usually Commanders by rank, a tug could have a CPO as a Commanding Officer, aka Captain. Why the navy uses the term "Captain" both as a rank and as a job description (but not necessarily interchangeable is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler353 Posted July 25, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 25, 2007 "Captain" is a job description, the person in command of a vessel. "Skipper" is a term of respect and is earned by only the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseco Posted July 25, 2007 #10 Share Posted July 25, 2007 "Captain" is a job description, the person in command of a vessel. "Skipper" is a term of respect and is earned by only the best. But "Captain" is also a rank, above a Commander and below a Rear Admiral. So a Captain (rank) can be a Captain (job description). But a Captain (rank) can have many non-ship -related postings -- aviator, lawyer, logistics, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted July 25, 2007 #11 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Skipper boats have BIG guns!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler353 Posted July 26, 2007 #12 Share Posted July 26, 2007 But "Captain" is also a rank, above a Commander and below a Rear Admiral. So a Captain (rank) can be a Captain (job description). But a Captain (rank) can have many non-ship -related postings -- aviator, lawyer, logistics, etc. Thank you for pointing that out. After 22 years in the Navy and 16 as a Licensed Maritine Captain(Unlimited) I was aware of that.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedQueen77 Posted July 26, 2007 #13 Share Posted July 26, 2007 I stumbled upon this thread and "moused" over the title to see the first few lines of the post just to see what it was all about. All I saw was this: "What is the difference between a Captain and a Skipper? Is it the size of..." So....since my perverted mind was piqued, I open the post and read it. Of course, it's not what I was expecting. I somehow knew it wasn't. ;) Then I see LHP's post about Skippers having "Big Guns" and I started rolling.....:D I'm sorry. I know this reply has no merit to it but I just had to share that because I'm still laughing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie J. Posted July 26, 2007 #14 Share Posted July 26, 2007 The captain of a cruise ship is the master. He is called the captain or master but you ask how long he's been the master, not captain. Don't know why but that's the way it is. Can anyone tell us why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpaul Posted July 26, 2007 #15 Share Posted July 26, 2007 If the Minnow with Gilligan on it had a Captain he would have fixed the boat and headed back to the mainland. But since the Skipper was in charge he figured why fix the boat since he was stuck on an island with Mary Ann and Ginger. Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eh2zed Posted July 26, 2007 #16 Share Posted July 26, 2007 If the Minnow with Gilligan on it had a Captain he would have fixed the boat and headed back to the mainland. But since the Skipper was in charge he figured why fix the boat since he was stuck on an island with Mary Ann and Ginger. Big difference. Grandpaul, you get my vote. I think you nailed it. Skippers are smarter than Captains and a bit more devious. You must have conferred with Mr. Webster and Oxford.:D :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coka Posted July 26, 2007 Author #17 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Oh my gosh, I am falling off my office chair laughing so hard! Believe me, I googled the question prior to asking it here and a precise answer was not to be found. Your answers are much better! I hope you keep em coming! I want to laugh more! Coka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted July 26, 2007 #18 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Just to confuse the issue even more....sometimes they are called Pilots. If my Dad were living, he would be 101. Dad was a River Boat Pilot (Mississippi River) for years, before he started his own Tug Boat manufactoring business in Vicksburg. He was also a Marine Surveyor (which is someone who engineers and builds boats.) Which begs to ask another question? Why do they call them TUG boats when they PUSH barges up and down the river? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCurry Posted July 26, 2007 #19 Share Posted July 26, 2007 The ships captain is not always the master. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_(nautical) Most ocean going tugs pull rather then push, off Hawaii or Alaska for example; or even in the Gulf you pull rigs out you don't push them. Why do they call them TUG boats when they PUSH barges up and down the river? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katerkat Posted July 26, 2007 #20 Share Posted July 26, 2007 But "Captain" is also a rank, above a Commander and below a Rear Admiral. So a Captain (rank) can be a Captain (job description). But a Captain (rank) can have many non-ship -related postings -- aviator, lawyer, logistics, etc. And of course, Navy people put Captains in the wrong order. My husband is currently a captain (and a pilot, but not a river boat pilot!) but he ranks far below a Navy captain! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurston Howell lll Posted June 18, 2008 #21 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Lovey and I will never use a "Skipper" again, we will insist on a "Captain" or higher!:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeljohn Posted June 18, 2008 #22 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Lovey and I will never use a "Skipper" again, we will insist on a "Captain" or higher!:eek: .........and I assume you'll cruise on something larger than the Minnow too...........At least Lovey had plenty of clothes for her stay............. I still think it would have been a nice stay on the island with Mary Ann.................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudos2Fly Posted June 19, 2008 #23 Share Posted June 19, 2008 About $200,000 a year, a multi-million dollar ship & crew, 3,000 new passengers every week or so and the responsibility and litigation that goes with that package!! I love the analogy QMII = Captain, Minnow = The Skipper. Hats off to the Navy and Coast Guard, as much or more responsibility on a fraction of the pay. Cruise Captains don't make that much money.. If that were the case my dad would be butting his app. in to work for the cruise lines... They only make between $100,000-120,000. My dad makes about that much as a merchant marine captain... with out having to worry about 3000 people either, other then his crew.. OF course he has other things to worry about. You can check that out on the internet by just typing in cruise ship jobs.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaJ+ Posted June 19, 2008 #24 Share Posted June 19, 2008 The "Captain" is the title of the guy who commands the ship. The "Skipper" is what the enlisted crew calls him in conversation (but not addressing him directly). The "Old Man" is what the Chiefs call him in conversation (but not addressing him directly). All this went out the window when LTJG Beverly Kelley became the first woman to command a U.S. military vessel. :D Linda 30 years service in the U.S. Coast Guard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiselover57 Posted June 19, 2008 #25 Share Posted June 19, 2008 If the Minnow with Gilligan on it had a Captain he would have fixed the boat and headed back to the mainland. But since the Skipper was in charge he figured why fix the boat since he was stuck on an island with Mary Ann and Ginger. Big difference. Everybody: "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale a tale of a fateful trip ...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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