Down to the final stretch...

Developmental in the NABS (Navigation and Bridge Simulator) has been challenging. Today is our last day and then Thursday, Friday and Monday are assessed. We need to pass 2 out of three runs for each of the three positions (Officer of the Watch, 2nd Officer of the Watch, and Navigator). Some runs go better than others. Yesterday, we were "pre-assessed" and I would have passed all three runs. Today we have a big parade early in the afternoon, followed by a late night in the NABS. My days have been pretty much exactly the same for the past 3 weeks. Plan our passage (which can take up to 6-8 hours), execute the passage (or be one of the other positions for other team mates runs), go to sleep, wake up and do the same thing again. The end is now in site.

17 more days until I am back with my family. I can't wait!

Sea Phase is now done with

I am back on land and getting prepared for the next couple of weeks of conducting runs in the simulator. Two weeks of developmental and one week of assessed. This is where you pass or fail MARS III. There are three positions; Navigator, Officer of the Watch (OOW) and 2nd Officer of the Watch. You have to pass two out of three in each position. If you don't quite make it, there is a week after the assessed called Pause Week, where you get another crack at it. Hopefully, I won't have to do anything during this week.

The sea phase was interesting. Very, very little sleep and a lot of work each day planning your passage for the next day. The time it took to plan a passage slowly reduced as we became quicker at it. In the beginning, we would spend around 10 hours planning a 1 hour passage.

The first weekend that we were away, we were in Ladysmith and the second was in Vancouver. It was interesting going under the Lion's Gate Bridge and seeing Stanley Park and the Sea-Wall from the water side.

The countdown is now on....26 days until I am with my family again. I can't wait!!