STCW Begins

Yesterday I had my first class in the week long STCW series (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers). This is like the general ed/pre-requisite for anyone looking to work on a seafaring vessel. All the students are fairly new to yachting with a few exceptions so it is nice to be on even ground with everyone. The teacher, Doug McDaniels, is an older gentlemen from the New England region who has been sailing his whole life. He has a very upbeat attitude and so far my favorite little saying of his is: "What is the difference between adventure and ordeal? Attitude!"

Day one was classroom based and focused on personal survival techniques. Some highlights include:

• Learning about the muster list, which is basically a document outlining emergency duties for each crew member and also which lifeboat you are assigned to. 
• What types of shipboard emergencies can potentially occur, including fire, collision, stranding (running aground), sinking, medical issues or injuries, falling overboard and heavy weather.
• What actions to take when the different emergencies arise, for example you should never abandon ship unless the captain gives the order verbally.
• The various safety and survival equipment that should always be on board - life jackets, buoys, rafts, etc.
• The incredibly important EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon)  and SART (search and rescue transponder) which will aid your rescue greatly using modern technologies.
• How to abandon ship into a life raft and tools such as immersion suits and various distress signals.
• What should be in your "ditch bag" which is basically the essentials you would try to take with you on the life raft (flares, medications, raft patch kit, water, food, flashlight, knives, fishing line, paddles, bailers, whistle, etc.)
• Lastly, we learned the seven steps of survival: Recognize emergency, use signals (EPIRB/SART), seek shelter, drinking water, will to survive, inventory of your supplies/ditch bag and of course food!

Examples of EPIRBs

Examples of EPIRBs

Day two we applied some of the techniques we discussed with an experiential portion in the school's pool. We donned life jackets and proceeded to enter the pool from a platform, do a swim/float test to show our abilities in keeping afloat and huddle in the water with our respective teams to practice a good method for retaining heat and stability should we be adrift. Then we got to put on immersion suits and see what they felt like. They looked almost like space suits and it was amazing how warm they can keep you. 

After the swimming portions we practiced working with the life raft. We boarded them from the side of the pool, from inside the pool and discussed the items we ideally needed to have on board in case of emergency. Then we practiced flipping them on their side and then righting them in the pool again. I enjoyed this part of the class and it was a great way to bring the group together as a bonding exercise. Everyone is friends after freezing in a pool together and helping each other into some really attractive space suits!

I also managed to visit my first crew agency this morning before class, Luxury Yacht Group. After submitting my CV and creating a profile one of the recruiters emailed me asking me to stop by. I went in for a chat and we discussed what I was looking for, my background and courses I was taking. She offered a few pieces of advice and told me to come back in once my STCW course was over. She also referred me to a website listing day work, daywork123.com. Basically a great way to get your foot in the door is to "walk the dock" looking for daytime gigs on ships to start building some experience. Pay is usually around $150 per day and you can make a lot of connections within the industry that way. I have registered with nearly 10 agencies already (there are a lot) and have heard back from a few and started receiving job notifications. Once I complete my STCW I plan to visit more of the agencies in person and start seeking day work as well in hopes I can get a great gig!

Looking forward to the fire training segment starting tomorrow at the Resolve Fire Training Facility.