Kind of goes hand-in-hand with the "Call me Captain" thread...
Buddy (non-denominational, non-aviation type) is getting married this summer, and came to me asking if I could conduct the service.
WHAT? I says!
He figures that because pilots get to carry the title of "Captain" that I was therefore qualified to conduct the service! I figured he was nuts, but he assured me that it happens on-board cruise ships all the time, and defied me to find a real reason why I was refusing.
I just thought it was pretty hilarious, so would throw it out here to the masses to see if there are any stories about this.
Tids
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Aviation- the hardest way possible to make an easy living!
"You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace!" Michael Franti- Spearhead
"Trust everyone, but cut the cards". My Grandma.
I used to glide with a pilot we called "reverend". Morning briefing he would pull out a little black book and read to us. We all bowed our heads and he would preach to us the "thou shalts and shalt nots" of the day.
It varies across the country but pretty much - NO. In Ontario - "Civil Marriage -An Ontario judge, justice of the peace or municipal clerk may perform a marriage under the authority of a marriage licence."
In order for a Captain of a ship to perform a marriage, he must be a judge, a justice of the peace, a minister or an officially recognize officiant such as a Notary Public. In all cases you, or them, has to be 'authorized'.
Bushav8er wrote:In all cases you, or them, has to be 'authorized'.
I think that goes without saying. You just can't have Joe from across the block conducting a wedding just because he has step foot in a church recently and knows the color of the priests gown.
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Just a shot in the dark here, but I've always heard that thing about ship's captains marrying people too. But I think it matters if the ship is in international waters. Sure, to get married in Canada you need to get a justice or notary public, but if the ship doesn't happen to be IN Canada, .....?
I can't see why an aeroplane captain and a ship captain would have any different legal status. The only thing I can think of is the criminal code, which defines who is considered to be a "peace officer". Both the captain of a ship, and an aeroplane captain are on this list, but only while it's under weigh. Maybe a ship in international waters is considered to be a little piece of Canada, and the skipper is sort of the highest-ranking official on the scene, so this makes him the go-to guy for those last minute weddings. I don't know. It would be interesting to hear if it's still legal. It would be interesting to see it proved or disproved that a skipper can perform weddings, and if not, when did the law change. I bet if it's still legal, the applicable law dates back to before there were any aeroplanes, and therefore it (assuming it exists at all) probably just says "the Captain of a SHIP on the high seas" or something like that. Is an aeroplane a "ship"? I've always thought it was nice to think so, but in law...?
I'm really just babbling here. What I know about law is just enough to avoid jail, on a good day.
Right, I forgot to add my concluding statement. In my opinion, as a pilot, you are probably NOT good to perform weddings, unless you get ordained by one of those on-line churches....
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In Alberta, I beleive there is a provision for people to get special authority to perform weddings. Some conditions apply but if you want your favourite uncle to marry you it's just same paperwork.
The whole thing is a myth to begin with. Not only is there no such authority given to sea captains - the practics is specifically prohibited by the laws of many countries.
So I guess back to your question, the answer is no, you can't.
Declaring yourself to be a clergy member of your own made-up religion would give you more authority to perform marriages than being a pilot (or a "captain") does.
p.s. Just to clarify - declaring yourself to be a clergy member doesn't actually give you any authority either.
Nice research, Brew Guy. Somehow it comes as a relief to find out the whole thing is a myth. I wonder about Fischer VS Fischer... did Mr. Fischer try to back out on Mrs Fischer when the ship docked?
I spent some time trying to think of a crack about Gay Marriage here, but decided I was above that kind of humour. I still want to boast about being above such humour however.
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That was ME! I'm glad the story is so popular. Let me tell you a bit more about it. See, I had just been released from the Black Hole of Calcutta, and was looking for some hookers. By chance, I ran into a friend of mine who was leading a donkey on a long rope. Riding the donkey were two eighteen-year-old girls, each of them wearing nothing but a towel and these strange shoes with bells on them. I said, hey, how much do you want for the Don
Crap, here comes my wife. I'll continue this story later.
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If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself
Meatservo wrote:The only thing I can think of is the criminal code, which defines who is considered to be a "peace officer". Both the captain of a ship, and an aeroplane captain are on this list, but only while it's under weigh.
Please show me where the Criminal Code of Canada says that the captain of a ship is a peace officer.
(f) the pilot in command of an aircraft
(i) registered in Canada under regulations made under the Aeronautics Act, or
(ii) leased without crew and operated by a person who is qualified under regulations made under the Aeronautics Act to be registered as owner of an aircraft registered in Canada under those regulations, while the aircraft is in flight,
But there is no mention of a (nautical) ship's captain.
Hey, you're right. I just looked it up too. I haven't read the criminal code since college, I always remembered the part about pilots and must have assumed it extended to ship's masters too, for the same reasons. But you're right, it doesn't mention nautical captains. You'd think it would.
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If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself
You just can't have Joe from across the block conducting a wedding just because he has step foot in a church recently and knows the color of the priests gown.
