It was a beautiful morning by the time we approached the pilot station. Still dark, but clear skies and no wind. The temperature was a very cool 61o F/16oC; a good sign, indicating that it would not be a too warm a day. So it was to be as by lunch time the air temperature peaked at 75oF instead of the 90oF it can reach. Perfect weather for sightseeing and lingering around the pool on board. The pilot boat came out early and my fears about the party hangovers from the day before did not become reality. There was some effect though, because when we were docking it was clearly visible that the linesmen pulling the ropes ashore, were not as eager and spritely as usual. We were the only cruise ship in port and thus assigned to dock number one. If there are more ships, then there is a pecking order with the biggest ship being assigned to dock one and the others to dock 2 or 3. It is assumed by the authorities that dock 1 is the most preferable one. No doubt the shopkeepers in the flea market, just outside the gate agree with that but I prefer dock 2 as it is opposite Wall Mart and I know the crew love to go there.
Thus the ship settled down for a nice quiet day of shipboard routine. The ISM audit rumbled on today with navigation and lifesaving being under scrutiny, after me having been the subject of attention the day before. One question that always comes up, is “Captain, please prove to me that you are the captain of the ship and allowed to be so”? That might sound a bit strange as everybody just assumes that if there is a guy (or gal) on board who says that he/she is the captain and acts accordingly that must be it. Thus asking for proof that you are the captain and that you know what you should, can and are allowed to do is not such a strange question at all.
So how to prove that you are THE captain? First there is the license. That is known as a COC. A Certificate of Competency that shows that you are capable of commanding a ship of a certain size. For my situation it is unlimited and includes all ships except tankers for which an endorsement is needed. A COC is handed out by the Flag State (Dutch Government) after it has seen proof of schooling and additional certificates and qualifications. The next step is the assignment letter from the company, stating that you have been assigned a certain position on a ship. Those two things make it possible to step aboard a ship and say that you really are the captain.
Next question is, prove to us that what you do is legal, e.g. on what do you base your authority. That comes from two sources. A. the law, in our case the Dutch Law. That covers all and defers for details to Maritime laws, local laws and all sorts of other rules that a captain can use to exercise his command. B. Then there is what the company expects and what authority the company gives. That can be found in the company’s Safety Management System, which is a requirement on the ISM code (International Safety Management) To verify compliance with that code we now have this auditor on board and hence the reason for him to ask, captain are you really the captain?
Photo courtesy, unknown source on the internet.
Puerto Vallarta, since it has been dredged to a cruise ship draft depth of 10 meters(or 30 feet) it is also becoming more important as a navy port. So today we had two naval ships in there, A patrol vessel the Sonora (P 152) and a more unusual ship, the Mexican sailing training vessel, the Cuauhtemoc , she had been in port overnight and left at 0830 in the morning. A sailing ship does not go that fast so in the evening we overtook her around 20.00 I have never been a sailing ship fan, if there is no wind you do not get anywhere, but I do find it impressive to see a square rigger under full sail, sailing by. The Cuahtemoc (named after the last Aztec emperor) is a barque and has its official home port is Acapulco. The all knowing internet tells me it was built in Spain in 1982. She is 90 meters long, carries 186 officers and Crew and 90 trainees.
The Statendam has only two trainee’s or cadets on board. Both ladies and both on their first training period. So the first thing they have to learn is, is what keeps a ship together and that is paperwork and checklists. Not much different than the Navy I suppose.
Tomorrow we will be at sea. It looks like a beautiful day with clear skies, smooth seas and the temperature slowly climbing into the 80’s.
March 20, 2012 at 9:18 pm
The Cuahtemoc bears a striking resemblance to the USCGC Eagle that was built as the Horst Vessel in 1936 at Bloom and Voss in Hamburg. Having sailed on the Eagle while attending the US Coast Guard Academy, I can say that it is a unique experience.
March 20, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Another interesting day to share with you, thank you, It has been a wonderful day in Yorkshire, sunny and warm and even the heating was not required
March 21, 2012 at 12:09 am
Most interesting how to prove that you’re really THE Captain, Captain !!! I wonder if documented answers are even enough these days ??? 🙁
April 3, 2012 at 9:13 pm
We had the pleasure of visiting the Cuahtemoc during those days the ship was in P. Vallarta. Interesting to see how well maintained everything was on board. We were very surprised that one of the officers remembered his visit with this ship to Den Helder a few years ago.
We will see Statendam in port again in Vallarta on April 16, a few days before flying back to NL. Always nice to see the dutch flag while going to Walmart or Galeria Mall..