The next lot

Today was open day here at Warsash, and a chance for us to showcase the career to 'the next lot'. I was placed on one of the simulators and took a Ro-Ro out of Portsmouth and down towards the Nab. Once I got the hang of the handling(not the same as a VLCC -that's for sure) it didn't go too badly at all. It seems this career is slowly becoming more and more popular, certainly most of the people here today had some background knowledge and understanding of the job, and showed a lot of interest. When I started in 2006 almost none of my class had any idea what life on a ship was, or indeed any idea if we would like it or not. Many didn't.

We have plenty of assignments to be getting on with, some of which are due before Easter. Our passage planning assignment has us planning the passage from USA East coast to Norway. The only chart we have to use is the final chart in the Norwegian port, but there is plenty of information to go on it. Our lecturer says the passage planning we are learning is only done in the RFA, and that most of us will never use the skills again. However I think that the passage plans I have seen on board are pretty close to that which we are being taught. Certainly not quite so comprehensive, but at least approaching the 'MCA template'. Many of my piers however sit with their mouths dropped open and eyes wide as the lecturer explains the use of margins of safety, clearing bearings etc. It seems many sail around oblivious of where they are, or indeed where they are going.

One thing I find interesting is the use of visual bearings on a wheel over position. Unless the bearing parallels your next course(which is often not possible), it is only of use if there is zero cross track error on the approach to the way point, not impossible or even improbable, but sometimes difficult.

Phase VII

Back in Warsash, starting a new term now, and the final one at that. Over the last week we have been introduced to the new subjects that we are to study until June. "We" now describes rather less cadets than it did when I made my first posts on this blog. It seems the sea just isn't 'cut out' for everyone, or perhaps them for the sea? Anyway, my sailing as a cadet is over, pending a successful oral exam, so now its time to get my head down and complete the last of my subjects. This term we are to study, bridge watch keeping (maneuvering mainly), Ship masters business (maritime law), shipboard management, further stability, further met, passage planning and wet/dry cargo. I'm fairly comfortable with those subjects, certainly my weakest is dry cargo (having never sailed with any) and I'm not that fond of the most difficult of stability questions.

My last vessel was Chevrons 'Cadet Ship' and it was a fantastic final trip. My first time at sea with a British Master, which made all the difference, especially with regard to practicing my ROR knowledge. I now feel confident going into our Orals prep sessions, at least on ROR anyway. Hopefully I'll not be asked about stowage of grain or Ro-Ro operations, well not until I have a chance to read up on them. Oil however is another subject I feel ready to be quizzed about. Our wet cargo lectures will hopefully endorse what I have learnt at sea. One of the problems I have noticed with the system for cadet training is that when we return from sea, we all have different ideas of how things should be done. Those ideas tend also to be different from how they are taught or examined here. As I have only sailed on Bahamas registered ships, and I am to take a licence as if I were under the red ensign, I now have to swot up on all the flag specific things I have not seen at sea. There seem to be quite a few of them. Bahamas is my no means the worse, or rather should I say Chevron do not allow it to detract from the professional operation of their vessels. Or so it seems to me. Some of my piers, on less reputable companies and under more convenient flags, have an awful lot of catching up to do, a big example is in passage planning. We now have 20 Cadets all with completely different ideas of what a passage plan should contain. Non (or very few) of these methods conform to the MCA/Warsash requirements. But no problem, we can learn them this phase.

The questions asked (and subsequently explained and discussed) during out Orals prep sessions will hopefully give us all a good idea of what to expect in the exam room in the summer. However as we are continuously reminded, "HE MAY ASK YOU ANYTHING" - That's a pretty scary thought, at this stage anyway.

More exams, and more things

This last week saw the end of lecturing for phase 5, next week is taken up with exams where we shall try to regurgitate the previous 5 months teachings. I feel well prepared for most of the exams, plenty of practice over the weekend ought to bring me up to speed with the ones I am less confident about. Unfortunately no amount of revision over the last few weeks prepared me for one mock exam we were given this last week. It was for the subject "NaRaSt Theory", which was to teach us the theory behind all the electronic aids to navigation (Echo sounders, Gps, Radar, Logs, Loran, AIS). However the mock paper may as well have been written in Greek, as I certainly didn't understand it! A little extract for you...

Question 5: If the identifier of a Loran C chain is 7950 then the GRI of the same chain is ............. .

I can answer this question, its 79,500 microseconds. But why would I ever need to know that?! Loran C isn't used anymore, in fact I don't think my last ship was even capable of receiving the signals. Why would it be.

I, unlike most other cadets here, am delighted to be taught how to use a sextant, how to do a manual radar plot, how to calculate a great circle sailing with a bit of paper, pen and a calculator. But I don't see the point of memorising infinite quantities of facts about out of date position fixing systems.

However, remember them I must and pass that exam.

I noticed on board that some Officers have vast knowledge of the contents of technical books and manuals, can quote all the performance standards for ARPA, know rule 38 so well you would think they had written it, etc etc.
However the other Officers seemed to fix more accurate positions, logged everything correctly, followed proper hand over procedures, kept the vessel beautifully on track whilst executing a turn, followed the rules confidently and knew which books to refer to should someone wish to know the altitude, quantity and orbit of Navstar satellites.

I know which of the above I strive to be like.

Rob