Chapter Called Damn Young Navigator

Until today, the best luck I had had as cadet was that day. The officer assigned to me as company’s tutor with the time, has also become a friend, and an important mentor. For me this man is an example as merchant marine, a great professional who knows his labor environment perfectly, and somebody who speak with you about ship’s theory, anchoring or navigation with a deep knowledge, even with maths or facts. I, as you can imagine, have a great illusion about the career I have chosen, but it was with him when I developed myself until find out this passion. As i singed on my first cadet ship is SS Puteri Firus Satu, it's a LNG Carrier vessel basically.

The first day, you know, nervous appearing everywhere, everybody look at you because they have never seen you before, you got introduced to a lot of people, you got a lot of information that you need to absorb quickly, and you, if you are a novice as I was, feels like a cat in a garage. That day, and the days after it, people were really comprehensive with me, they helped me a lot and they explained me everything I wanted or needed, so my adaptation was easy.

Here I didn’t start doing officer’s stuff. One of the mistakes most people do, as cadets, and as officers in charge of cadets, is to give the cadet officer’s tasks. Teaching him directly how to correct charts, how to navigate, or how to do all the paperwork, and because of that many cadets become officers and don’t know even where are situated their own faces.

Thanks to that time, today I’m not an expert, but I know what the engine department do, how they work, and I even know a bit about how the engines work. All this time was really helpful for the next vessel I went on board as deck cadet, and where I am at the time I am writing this, the MT Bunga Allium.

After the time I spent with the ABs and with the Pumpman I started to spend more time with the second officers. I had just seen them around the ship or in the maneuvers (I always went to maneuvers, most of the time I went with the second officer to the aft maneuver but I also went with the bosun to the fore maneuver  for a while). At that time I was spending more time on the bridge with the captain and the OOW, doing maintenance to the LSA / FF equipment, correcting publications, or being the delivery boy of the Chief mate. Since then I learned many things, mainly administrative stuff, stationery, second officer tasks, because at the end that is the position I will be able to hold when I will finish my cadet period, so I am really grateful for all I learn there, because, being honest, I don’t know how is it in other ships.

The cadet time is passing and is not coming back, and this time is the perfect time to be “silly”, once you become an officer, to not know something can be a problem, especially if you’re getting paid for knowing it.This vessel was really special for me, I experienced there many first times on a ship, and the people I met have helped me very much to improve myself and to find out what I want  to do in relation to the maritime world. For some her can be only a ferry, boring, full of maneuvers, and with a very short route, but for me, the MT Bunga Allium will always be something else, she will always be the vessel where I spent my first days as Cadet, and for this she will be always special for me.

#EveryLegendWasABeginner