This is turning out to be a very good cruise, certainly weather wise. How much the guests are enjoying it, we will find out at the end of the cruise when the ratings come in. However everybody seems to be very happy and that is what we are aiming for. Today turned out to be another glorious day. No wind, sunny and warm. The ship provided 17 knots of wind blowing over the deck, a gentle breeze to enjoy. With no real wind out there, the weather turned very hazy and by lunch time, when abeam of Acapulco 10 miles away, we could not see the land. We knew it was there as we saw a lot of six-pack navigators messing around with boats doing what some people would call fishing. Looking at the erratic behavior of some of them, I found that very questionable. Still it keep the navigators on their toes and we altered course a few times, just to make the margins a bit larger just in case their behavior would become even more erratic. It would not be the first time that these speedboats would think it prudent to cross our bow at a short distance just to get quicker to the other side. After Acapulco the next cluster of these boats will be off Zihuantenego at 19:00 hrs but that will be less of an issue as that is around cocktail time and then most of them are back in the Marina.
While the guests were enjoying a perfect day at sea, the crew was working hard. Not only working but also studying and training. We now have so much to comply with nowadays that for the crew it is one drill after the other, and training after training to stay abreast of the latest developments and to get to the level (and stay there) that the company requires. Some of these trainings are computer based and for that we have a training room on board with 6 computers. Each function has a number of required trainings and courses that have to be complied with and that is monitored very closely.
Training in the bo’sun store and in the ships training room by shore side trainers. In this case safe working (left) and lifeboat handling course (right)
Then there is the other training. Some of it is done by the officers on board and for some training we get company trainers who hop from ship to ship. This cruise we have two on board who give survival at sea training and a lot of “safe working” instruction. Courses for: entering and working in confined spaces, safe working aloft, proper use of personal protection gear. Cherry picker operations, Fork lift handling. (The latter we consider very dangerous machinery as the forklifts are being used inside the ship where there is not much room with a lot of crew going to and from).
Practical classes such as here training in the ships pool for the lifesaving proficiency Certificate. Learning how to wear Survival suits and group movement in the water, trying to stay together.
The classes run all day long in small groups all with the aim to offer a safer and better operation at all times. If you train hard in routine, then that routine will take over during an emergency when the adrenaline goes up and emotions start to run high. If somebody falls into a tank everybody wants to jump in to get that person out. If you are drilled in the procedures then that 30 seconds delay for focusing on safely accessing that person down there and that 2 minute delay in putting on a safety harness, will prevent you from becoming a second person down in that tank.
Thus we drill and we train; we train and we drill. As there is a turnover of crew in each port, it never stops and we are never satisfied. If you want steady performance on a satisfactory level you have to ensure that you “peak” regularly so that when you slow down a bit, you settle on that level that you want to maintain at all times.
For those of you who asked for the local address in San Diego here it is. Everything you make available to us will be gratefully accepted.
Ships agent: Tom Jenkins
Paxton, Shreve & Hays, Inc.
453 54th St., Suite 101
San Diego, Ca. 92114
Tel: 619-232-8941
Fax: 619-232-3006
Tomorrow we will have a second sea day and it should be as good as this one. Maybe a little wind when we cross the Golfo de California.
And the hardest of them all. One little man to turn over one big liferaft. But with the right position and the right movement it is easily doable.
May 10, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Captain Albert
My wife and I are frequent cruisers. Not yet with HAL but many times on Carnival and Princess. I look forward to your daily postings as I learn something new nearly every time and have fun with each one. Thanks for teaching us about the sea and the sailors who work there.
Regards
Roger T
May 11, 2012 at 1:06 am
Thanks for the address. Little messages are going back and forth among us, as we try to figure out how best we can help. Thank you for giving us the opportunity.
May 11, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Captain, great training! I did an offshore survival training with my divebuddys, a bit similar like this. It was a great and usefull experience and it was also great fun. Good to see the crew gets so well trained.