Drill Day

Well, today didn't involve a whole lot of work in the engine room. Other than doing the morning rounds, most of today was spent on safety drills. First we had a boat drill. The entire crew had to don their life jackets and collect their immersion suits and muster behind the lifeboat. As the newcomers to the group, Kate and I had the pleasure of actually climbing into the free-fall lifeboat. The free-fall lifeboat for those of you that don't know sits in a cradle high above the stern of the ship on a steep downward angle.

The next drill was a fire drill. While the rest of the crew responded to a muster station on the deck of the ship, Kate and the other engineers and I reported to the engine control room. In the event of a fire, it is our responsibility to ensure we have enough electrical power to run all of the fire pumps. While the rest of the crew practiced with the fire hoses, we talked through our fire control plan. Both of these drills were very informative and gave us a good insight into how we respond to emergency situations on the ship.

So, the most interesting part of the day came after lunch. When I reported to the engine room, I was told to grab my immersion suit and report to the stern of the ship. Because Kate and I had never practiced putting on an immersion suit before, the crew decided that it was necessary for me to give it a try. They also decided to take it a step further though. After I got stuffed into a suit that was probably too small for me, the crew tried to convince me that I was being tossed over the side so they could practice a man overboard drill. Eventually, they decided to let me in on the joke, and we all had some laughs about it. We did conduct a man overboard drill, but they decided to use a box instead.

Well, other than that, everything is going very well. Everyone here is very nice, and Kate and I are learning a lot. That's all for now!