The Life of a Deck Cadet

Sorry again for the long gap between posts, it has been a really busy time for me again. 

Since my last post, I completed my 30 days in the Maritime Operations Centre. This was a really good opportunity for me to learn about the inside workings of a port, how search and rescue is coordinated and getting experience using VHF radios. The officers who worked there were really friendly and made it an enjoyable experience in which I learnt a lot.

In my last week of work there, I received an email saying that I will be joining my first ship. The time between getting the email and joining ship was a nervous one. There was lots to think about with regards to packing and getting myself to the ship.

I joined the Marella Explorer 2 at anchor in Portland where she had been for 2 months prior to my arrival. A tender arrived at the dock to pick me up and take me on board.

There were already 2 cadets on the ship who welcomed me and helped me out by showing me around and how things worked on board.

We spent the majority of September at anchor in Portland although we went out to sea twice to produce fresh water. During the time at anchor, I was involved in assisting the Safety Officer with safety related checks around the vessel and inspecting the LSA with the 3rd Officer.

At the end of September, we set sail for Amsterdam where we were due to go into dry dock for the month of October. On the voyage, I was on the 8-12 watch with the 3rd Officer, Chief Officer and a QM. This was my first experience being on the bridge for a longer voyage with busy shipping. I really enjoyed it, I was keeping a lookout visually and on radar to identify any potential hazards. As we got closer to Amsterdam, there were a lot of ships around to keep track of.

The pilotage down the canal into the dock was also on my watch. This was a really interesting experience as I got to observe the navigation of the ship down the canal, with lots of small freighters around and other craft.

Once in the dock, I was assigned to maintenance of the tender boats. This was with the 4th Officer. During this, there was a lot of hands on maintenance to do which meant I could get some of those practical tasks signed off for my training.

In Amsterdam, there was no shore leave allowed due to the pandemic which was a shame as it would have been good to explore the city but it was for everyone’s safety.

I signed off the ship on the 20th October and flew to London where I stayed for the night and then flew up to Glasgow to begin college. I’ve been here just over a week now.

All of our classes are online using zoom and instead of exams, we have assignments to write instead. Personally I think this will be better as there will be less stress and cramming for exams.

There isn’t much to do in Glasgow due to restrictions at the moment but hopefully soon things will start to open up again.

Safe sailing,

There have been some changes since I last posted on here.

The majority of my class have now been moved onto online learning for Phase 3 and so won’t be going to sea until next year now. This has some benefits and some drawbacks.

I am staying on the original course layout and waiting to go to sea although I am working in the maritime operations centre at Jersey Coastguard with the VTS officers. This is giving me good experience in the maritime field and seeing shipping operations from a shore based view point. We are working 4 days on, 4 days off and not mixing with the other team to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The work is really diverse and no two days are the same. There is always something new happening that we have to deal with. I will make a page to talk about this as well

As part of my time there, I got the opportunity to go onboard the Ports of Jersey tug boat Duke of Normandy to Portland for 13 days to do ploughing of the sea bed inside the harbour. I will talk more about this on the Duke of Normandy page.

Safe sailing,

Since my last post, I have come out of my room. Thankfully I didn’t develop any symptoms of the virus and so was allowed to see my family.

The situation in Jersey isn’t too bad. We have 296 confirmed cases and sadly 27 deaths (as of 13/05/2020). We are starting to ease lockdown restrictions to get the economy going again but still taking precautions to stay safe.

I’ve been using my time to deliver meals for a local charity to vulnerable islanders and also exercising to start to get into better shape. I’m using a Couch to 5K app to give me a good fitness plan.

Being at home with family is nice as in the future I won’t be able to spend much time at home with being away at sea or university.

So far I don’t know anything more about when I will be going to sea as it all depends on the company and the restrictions on flights around the world.

Currently, there are over 1.5million seafarers stuck on board ships and unable to go home due to various restrictions and companies limiting crew change. Some of them have been at sea for 6 months already so hopefully they will be able to get home to their families soon.

This isn’t the way that I had planned for my cadetship to go but just have to go without and see what happens in the future.

Safe sailing,

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, I am now not on the ship. I had travelled to the mainland before I found out that I wasn’t to be joining. This meant that I had to fly home and spend the next 14 in quarantine in my bedroom.

This is specific local regulations to slow down the spread of the virus in the island. It is hard to be in my room but thankfully my family are able to bring me food and anything else that I need.

My fresh air comes from me sticking my head out the window and also getting exercise by walking around my room.

On the 9th April, I can leave my room provided I don’t have any symptoms of the virus. After that I will be able to isolate at home with the rest of my family until the situation improves. Hopefully after that I will be able to go to sea.

Safe Sailing,

Wow I am really bad at keeping this updated.

Since my last post, I have completed all my exams (only having to resit one of them so I am happy with that), done the safety courses that are required to go to sea and spent some time at home relaxing.

The exam period was intense with 6 exams in two weeks. We just got our heads down and got through the work with some long days but it paid off so I am glad I did it that way.

Our short courses consisted of: firefighting, sea survival, first aid, social responsibility, tanker safety and security. They were a combination of classroom based theory and practical training.

The Coronavirus outbreak has been making things hard for everyone. Lots of my friends aren’t able to join their ship due to travel restrictions and lots of seafarers aren’t allowed to go home and so are having to work at sea for even longer than their usual contract. They are helping to keep the world moving at this hard time.

I am going to be joining my first ship on the 25th March. It is the THV Galatea. The ship is a lighthouse tender and her main function is maintaining the navigation marks and lighthouses around the UK to keep shipping safe. I will probably be on board for a period of about 3 months. After speaking to a cadet currently serving on board, it seems like a really great ship to get especially for a first trip.

I’ve been spending my time packing to make sure I have everything I need for a 12 week trip on board.

Travelling is going to be a bit worrying in the current situation but I am just going to be very cautious about making sure my hands are clean and that I keep my distance from people.

I will try to post an update when I am onboard the ship but for now, take care, wash your hands and stay inside as much as possible. Isolating and social distancing is the only way this virus will disappear.

Safe sailing,

I just realised that I haven’t posted to this since the middle of October so apologies for that.

A lot has happened this term, we have had 6 exams and thankfully I have passed them all so far (Scraped through one of them but we won’t talk about that now 😂).

Other than that, it’s mostly been the same in terms of academics. We are coming to the end of the syllabus in most of our subjects now in preparation for our exams at the end of January. Once we’ve done those 6 exams - Bridge Watchkeeping, Celestial Navigaion, Ship Stability, Marine Cargo Operations, Chartwork and Tides and Graded Unit, that is the academics of Phase 1 complete by the 31st January of everything goes to plan.

Unfortunately I have had to spend time over the Christmas break studying for the upcoming exams however it will be worth it. My aim is to not have any resits and so once the exams are over, I won’t have to worry about needing resits.

February is used to do our STCW short courses including Security, fire fighting, sea survival and lifeboat handling. I’ll be back in Jerey by the beginning of March to prepare for my first phase at sea which will be beginning later on in the month.

Away from day to day college life, I have now received my Seamen’s Discharge Book which is a permanent record of the time I spend aboard ships. It’s used to calculate my sea time when applying to be promoted to higher ranks.

The final piece of documentation that I need is my US Crewman’s Visa which I’ll be getting at the end of next week when I travel down to the US Embassy in London to complete the application process for it.

On my last night in Glasgow before travelling home for Christmas, my friends and I cooked a roast dinner as our Christmas meal which was a nice way to end the term.

At the beginning of December, the European Short Course Swimming Championships were held in Glasgow so I decided to go with my friend. It was a great event to go to and inspired us to get in the pool to swim and get fit again.

When I was younger, I never wanted to go to university but I have had some amazing experiences already that I will never forget, got some incredible memories and made friends that I know I will have for life so to everyone that has helped me on this crazy journey so far - a massive thank you to you.

The past 16 weeks have gone so quickly because I have been kept busy and enjoying the course. I highly recommend it to anyone considering a career at sea.

It has been lovely to be home with my family and friends from school and have a break from uni life although it has felt like quite a short break.

I think that is all for now and I will try to post more regularly (I’ve probably said that on every post so far but I will do my best).

Please get in contact with me if you have any questions about the career or course so far.

Safe Sailing,

Sorry for not updating this recently. It has been a really busy month for me.

At the beginning of October I went to the Isle of Cumbrae for a Powerboat Level two course which was great fun. This is a course I have already done so I used it as an opportunity to practice my skills. The scenery there was amazing and our instructor (Mark) made the course really enjoyable and fun.

The weekend after that was the start of our October break so I decided to fly home to spend some time with my family. We still had quite a bit of work to do during that week so I spent the days doing that and relaxing in the evening. 

For the last 5 years, I have been volunteering as a Sea Scout Leader, beginning as a Young Leader but since I turned 18, I have been doing my training to become an adult leader. I completed all the modules for this at the beginning of summer and was presented with my certificate and wood beads while I was home. This was great to receive as it was presented to me by the leadership team that I have worked with over the last 5 years, and they have really helped me to succeed and I’m using skills that I learnt from them on this course. If any of the leadership team are reading this - thank you for all your help and I’ll be back to help out when I can be. If any of the scouts are reading this - thank you for making it an enjoyable 5 years and being a great group to work with.

After the half term, I came back up to Glasgow and we had two exams. The first of these was Celestial Navigation LO1 and the second one was Ship Stability LO1 and 2.

Cel Nav was about the use of the sextant and applying basic time principles to work out the time at your ship based on your longitude.

Ship Stability focused on loading a ship to the maximum possible draught while taking into account differences in water density between harbour and open ocean.

Both of these exams went really well (I got over 90% in both). We have another set of exams coming up in mid November which I am now starting to prepare for..

This week is the first of our Bridge Ready lessons which is all about preparing us to be a watch assistant and understand the operation of the bridge while the ship is at sea. We get to spend 3 hours in the simulator on Friday morning.

I’m sure there is other bits that I have missed out but so much has happened that I can’t remember it all. 

If you have any questions about what I am doing or how I got into it, follow me on Instagram and send me a message on there/. My username is @deck_officer_julian

Safe Sailing,

Sorry for not posting here for a couple of weeks - it has been really busy but in a good way.

We have been in classes for three weeks now and covered a lot in that time. The material we are learning is very varied but also interesting as we know that it is going to directly relate to our experiences at sea when we begin Phase 2 in March.

Our lecturers are all former Captains and so have lots of knowledge and first hand experiences to pass on to us. Hearing some of their stories to accompany the theoretical information that they are teaching us helps to understand it and picture what is meant.

Two of my favourite subjects at the moment are Chartwork + Tides and Navigational Maths because that is something I enjoyed doing while doing the RYA Powerboat Scheme but this time we are applying the same techniques on a much larger scale. The nav maths is challenging but interesting, calculating routes around the globe and compensating for the curvature of the earth as well.

We also got to have our first go in the bridge simulators which was great fun. The first exercise was a race from the sea, up a river to a bridge - 3/4 ships crashed/caught fire while my ship nearly ran aground. We had several faults and incidents develop that we had to deal with as part of the scenario. We were back in the simulator last night for a SAR situation. As officers on a ferry we had to deploy the fast rescue boat and pick up casualties from the sea after a collision between a tanker and a fishing vessel. Being in the simulator is a lot of fun and gives us an idea of what we will be doing when we go to sea.

Two of the training officers from Chiltern Maritime came up to visit us and make sure that we were settling in well and give us the chance to ask them any questions. 

We have two weeks left to go until half term when I will be returning to Jersey for a week to see my family however I will have to take some work with me to study. 

This weekend, both the Friday and Monday are Bank Holiday’s in Glasgow so yesterday I went to Edinburgh with two of my friends for a day trip. It is a lovely city and we had a great time there. I’m using the rest of the weekend to catch up on work from last week and do some reading ahead for next week. 

I feel like I’ve been in Glasgow for ages because I’ve settled in well and am enjoying my time here but it also feels like its flying by really quickly because of how busy we are. I prefer being busy so I don’t mind it.

Safe Sailing,

Wow it’s been a mad few days up here in Glasgow.

Yesterday we had induction talks from several members of staff at the college where they introduced themselves and talked about the course. We then had a tour of the campus although I feel like I’m going to get lost a couple of times before I learn my way around. Everyone here is really friendly and happy to help with any issues.

Today we were invited to a Merchant Navy day ceremony in George Square. This is an important event for us to attend as it gives us a chance to remember seafarers before us who had lost their lives during various conflicts around the world. Their job was just as hard going as serving in the navy on occasion as they would be sailing in convoy with other ships but unarmed and unable to defend themselves.

The afternoon was a lesson on safety aboard a ship and how we need to be able to identify risks and take appropriate action, even if it means challenging a command issued by the Captain of the ship - we were given a way of doing this in a professional and respectful manner.

The rest of the week is leadership style tasks to help us bond as a group. Getting along with the rest of our class is something that we’ve been told will massively help us in the long run. Our course is going to be tough at times and so having classmates that we can turn to for support is going to be invaluable.

I’m looking forward to next week when the academic work really begins and we can start to gain the knowledge we need for this exciting career.

We’ve had a lot of rain over the last couple of days (almost continuously raining to some extent, either a light drizzle or heavier rain) which has been annoying but something I’ll need to get used to.

I’ve found being away from home quite tough especially in the evenings when I’ve not got anything to do or there is no one else in my flat. It will get easier over the next week I hope but I’ve got some great friends who are happy to support me while I get used to it.

Safe sailing,

I’m in Glasgow now. I flew up yesterday afternoon with EasyJet. We decided to get to the airport with plenty of spare time so we could get some lunch. That plan didn’t go very well as I got stopped in security.

I’d packed my chart dividers in my hand luggage so I had them for the first day of the course in case my suitcase got lost. I hadn’t considered the fact that they are quite pointy and sharp. I now had two choices, have them confiscated or check the bag in. I was then escorted out of security so that I could check a bag in containing the dividers. (Useful note to all future cadets and any navigators in general, chart dividers will get you stopped and searched by airport security). For those that don’t know, the picture below is a pair of chart dividers.

Since I’ve got to Glasgow, I’ve been doing some last minute shopping for things I didn’t bring over like stationary and toiletries. While doing this, I’ve been learning my way around the city so I don’t get too lost when I’m trying to get around.

Glasgow is a really nice city and I’m going to enjoy spending the college phases over the next 3 years here. Below is a picture of the campus (right hand side) and the Riverside accommodation on the left (I’ll be in St. Luke’s accommodation).

Move in day for the accommodation is on Sunday so I’ll get to meet my flat mates then and possibly going out for a drink that evening with some of the other cadets.

Safe sailing,

Today was my last day in my current job as a watersports instructor. We’d had a busy weekend as it was a hot bank holiday and it was a lot of fun. I spent a lot of it either driving the speedboat or leading jetski adventure’s down the coast. This morning’s jetski adventure had the flattest conditions I’ve ever seen as shown in the photo. This is the type of weather that will make travelling the world on ships perfect. 

In other news, my family held a leaving bbq for me last night which was a lovely way to say goodbye to everyone.

The next 2 days are going to be filled with packing, saying goodbye and making sure I have everything I need. 

I’m leaving Jersey on Thursday lunch time with my parents to spend a couple of days in Glasgow before I begin the course.

I’ll hopefully be able to post an update later this week once I am in Glasgow.

Safe sailing,

2 weeks today I will be leaving Jersey to go to Glasgow. It’s coming a lot closer now.

755 days ago I sat down and had a meeting with a former captain and he was the one to put me onto the career path of the merchant navy. With just 17 days left until the course begins, it seems like ages ago that I decided this is what I want to do.

I’ve handed my notice in at work and will be leaving on the 26th.

Last week my uniform was delivered and mostly fit me with a couple of alterations needed. These have been done and collecting it tomorrow.

I now need to focus on packing and making sure I have everything I need without taking unnecessary stuff which will just make a mess in my room.

Safe sailing,

Morning everyone,

Today marks 4 weeks until I will begin my Deck Officer Cadetship in Glasgow.

For people that don’t know, the cadetship is split into 5 phases.

Phase 1: At College. In this phase we complete a HND in Nautical Science as well as some of the required short courses which are vital for our safety and the safety of the ship while at sea. Some of the units that we cover under Nautical Science are: chartwork and tides, navigational maths, meteorology, bridge watchkeeping, cargo operations, ship stability and celestial navigation.

Phase 2: At Sea. This phase is about learning the operation of the ship and generally getting used to life on board. A lot of time will be spent with the Able Bodied Seamen carrying out deck work to get an understanding of what they do. Then beginning watches on the bridge with a qualified Officer.

Phase 3: At College. Learning becomes more intense in this phase as there is a lot to cover. The work is now towards a Foundation Degree in Nautical Science. The academic units we cover are: Maritime Emergency Response and Communication, Passage Planning, Bridge Management, COLREGs, shipmasters business and several more. This sounds like a lot but I’m sure once we’ve had the experience of life at sea and get back into college life, we will be keen to learn as much as we can to get qualified.

Phase 4: At Sea. Back to sea in Phase 4 to get all the tasks in my Training Record Book finished off as well as building up my hours on the bridge doing watches and steering the ship.

Phase 5: At College. Time to finish off any academic units that didn’t get done before phase 4, a few more short courses and then preparing for the oral exams. The oral exams are the exams that determine whether I qualify as an officer or not. They are assessed by an MCA examiner to prove that I am competent in the role of a Deck Officer and will be able to safely navigate the ship for 8 hours a day.

After passing my orals (hopefully), it’s time to come home, celebrate with family and friends and then get a job on a ship.

So this is what the next 3 years have in store for me and I can’t wait to get started. I thought I would use this post to talk about what I’ll be doing and to give an idea of what goes on for anyone considering this career.

Safe Sailing,

With only 26 days left in Jersey, I decided to make the most of them. Last night I met up with one of my oldest friends and we took a RIB out to go and get pizza from a restaurant right on the edge of the beach. We have huge tides at the moment (high last night was 11.6m) so we came close in to the bay to get close to the headland. On our way back into the harbour, we were treated to a stunning sunset. Unfortunately there were no dolphins to be seen but the flat calm conditions and unusually high tide made it a great evening.

Today at work was a great day. Got to spend an hour driving the speedboat for 3 monoskiers who all did very well considering it was a bit choppy for monoskiing. As soon as were done with that, I got kitted up and led a coastal jetski tour. Blasting down the coastline at 45mph and bouncing over waves is such an exhilerating feeling. On the way back to the beach, we took it a bit slower and weaved our way through rocks and gullies to get different views of Jersey’s amazing south coast. The customers that I took on the tour today loved it and have said they will be coming back to do it again.

Hopefully I will get to enjoy a couple more evenings on the water before heading off to Glasgow although tomorrow night I will be starting to do some maths revision as we have a maths test within the first week to see what our ability is. It’s been over a year since I last did any maths so need to get some practice in.

Safe Sailing,

A month before my face-to-face interview, I had a brief chat on the phone with someone from Chiltern asking some basic questions about why I wanted to join the Merchant Navy, my qualifications and any experience I had (along with a couple of others that I can’t remember).

They then gave me a time and date for a face-to-face interview. The interview was in Southampton so I had to fly over that morning which meant being at the airport for 5:30am - I don’t remember much until the plane started to take off as I was still half asleep at that point. 

After spending the morning in Southampton, I went to the Chiltern Office for my interview. I was nervous about my interview as I’d not had a proper interview before however it went well. I had made sure to research Trinity House and the Merchant Navy in general. I had also thought of examples of answers to typical interview questions such as “Talk about a time where you successfully led a team to complete a task”.

Shortly after my interview was over, they told me that they were prepared to offer me a cadetship.

Since then, I’ve been starting to get things in order to leave such as filling in all the paperwork needed, getting my vaccinations up to date, thinking about luggage, also got my ENG1 medical certificate to allow me to work at sea and seeing family and friends.

I’ve also been doing a lot of research on the OfficerCadet.com forums which gave me some helpful advice on what to expect when I start. It also allowed me to meet a group of cadets who will be starting at the same time as me.

Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be busy packing, revising some maths, navigation and COLREGs so that the first couple of weeks should be a bit easier. We have a maths test in the first week to see what level we are at.

Until next time,

Safe sailing,

Hi everyone,

It’s now 29 days until I leave my home on the Island of Jersey to begin my Deck Officer Cadetship at the City of Glasgow College.

I thought I would start a blog to share my experiences with everyone and hopefully inspire others to follow the route that I’m taking. Also thanks to sunsetoutatsea for giving me the idea to do this - go and check out her blog as well, I’m sure you will enjoy it.

A bit about me:

I’ve lived in Jersey my whole life and always loved being on the sea, whether that was going fishing with my grandad, working as a watersports instructor, volunteering as a Sea Scout Leader or just going to the beach to relax. For a while I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life until 2017 when I met a former Captain who had been to sea and seen a lot of the world. It sounded fascinating and so with his support and encouragement I began pursuing a career as a Deck Officer - you know who you are so if you are reading this then I would like to say a massive thank you to you.

Being from Jersey rather limits my options due to government funding so there were only two companies available to sponsor me: Trinity House (managed by Chiltern Maritime) and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. I applied to both and after a successful interview with Chiltern and Trinity House, I was delighted to be told that they would like to offer me a cadetship. I will write more about my interview and what’s happened since in the next post as I’m aware this is getting quite long now.

Photo here is the sunset from being out on the RIB earlier this month. The two vessels in the photo are MV Arrow (left side) and a motorcruiser (right side). There was a great sized wake to jump the RIB over coming from the back of the motorcruiser and I got the RIB completely out the water from it.

Safe sailing,