Capt. Erica has a variety of experience on ships all over New England and the Caribbean but is also an educator with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
For the past thirteen years, Erica has been teaching middle and high school science and math while also working in the marine industry. She has coached sailing, rowing, and baseball, all while serving as a Wilderness First Responder and Lifeguard.
Spending her summers aboard boats, she additionally works salvage and towing through Safe/Sea, as well as shuttling with Rowes Wharf Water Taxi. A passionate teacher and leader, Erica enjoys sharing her love for the sea with people who want to learn. When she’s not on or in the water, she’s adventuring with her dog, doing a woodworking project, or exploring outside.
Q&A with Erica Bartos
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your background and how Confident Captain’s fit into your career?
A: I grew up flipping a canoe and a sailfish on a pond in New England, and camping aboard a 29’ monohull on Winnipasaukee for a week in the summers with my Dad. I studied Mechanical Engineering and was a coxswain for the Men’s Varsity rowing in college. A few years after that, I stumbled into teaching while trying to get a job on a tall ship in Boston Harbor. Teaching those middle school students onboard ships in the Boston Harbor was amazing, and how I learned that captains licenses existed. When I decided to get mine, I wanted to learn more formally, since all of my boating experience was the more informal kind. I took the 100-ton course at Confident Captain with Capt. Kent and learned a lot, especially about all of the resources, like the Light Lists, and the navigation problems.
Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to teaching Captains Courses?
A: Everyone comes in with their own background knowledge and experience. The purpose of taking a course is to find the holes in your knowledge and fill them, giving you the confidence to tell the US Coast Guard that you do in fact know what you are doing. Because you do, the licensing process is just confirming that.
Q: You have worked with a number of online students; what is one pitfall or speed bump they experienced while taking the course?
A: It can feel daunting to think about studying if you’ve been out of school for a while, and tricky to keep up with it when you are working and busy. It can also feel demeaning to have to “prove” your knowledge and experience to a multiple choice test. I think the biggest hurdle is learning how to read and interpret the Coast Guard’s questions.
Q: What would you say to someone considering enrolling in a course with Confident Captain?
A: If any of the above struck a chord, consider us your question translator and study-skills coach. It sounds simple, but it’s backed up by the combined knowledge and experience of people with many, many days on the water on a wide variety of boats in a lot of places.
Q: Where has your Captain’s License taken you? Are there any new goals or projects on the horizon for you?
A: So many places! I’ve worked on everything from tall ships to 50’ catamarans to a wooden electrical boat from 1912. I’ve taught middle school through college students how to sail, worked historical tours, harbor taxis, and towing and salvage. All of this in rivers, lakes, bays and offshore from New Hampshire to the Caribbean. I just started my newest project, which is teaching a course on Polynesian navigators (which makes me feel like a rookie seaman!). I’m excited to find out what my next adventure on the water turns out to be!
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