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Right ho, this is almost cetrainly the wrong place for this however I am certain a kind soul will shift it at some point. Bear in mind this is written by a C/E and may or may not be totally relevant to all 
and in some cases the points are "personal" HOWEVER that said alot of my contemparories came through the same system and want the same things!
First up remember you are a cadet, and as such you arent expected you to know every thing, we do expect you to be somewhat green in certain respects. It would be awefully nice if you listened and didnt butt in telling us......"yeah we did that at college". Over confidence is as bad as under confidence.
So where to start?.......
I suppose getting a pen and notepad would be a good start, write stuff down...it at least gives the impression of paying attention.
Ask questions, if you didnt understans or arent sure ask. There are no silly questions though there are plenty of dumb answers!
Be safe, you may initially feel a right wally in boiler suit, boots, ear defenders, hard hats, goggles and gloves but belive me they are required.
Turn up on time to watches / day work......this traditionally means a few minutes BEFORE ie 0750 onwards for an 0800 start, then if you want a brew and a yarn great, wandering at 0759:30secs is not going to impress anyone.
Remember your alarm clock AND work out how to do Clox (ie advance/r_e_t_a_r_d them as ships time is altered) that was the point above can be adhered too
Your portfolio / distance learning projects are your responsability dont expect to be chased to much or too often, everyone has plenty of things to be doing without chasing up your homework.
Similarly do not turn up on the day before I or YOU pay off with a pile of projects needing checking and signing for, it is not going to happen.
Learn to type or have nice handwritting, learn how to roughly scale a drawing.....ie the main engine should look like it is bigger than a generator engine (on a large box boat for instance), the judicous application of colourd pens / pencils makes things look nice. I am sure they mention it in college that some marks are given for presentation, why give up free marks? They might make a difference between a Merit and Distinction
Your cabin WILL be inpected for cleanliness at some point. This is for all sorts of reasons, so collections of crockery should be ZERO, bins should be, if not empty then not overflowing, bathrooms count too..I had one cadet complain when he was bollocked for leaving "skid marks" in the toilet pan, he wanted to know why we where looking in there?!
If you feel you are being asked to do somthing which is well beyond your knowledge then say so.
It can be very lonely no matter how many people are on the ship, if you arent having a good time or feeling home sick etc talk to some one, anyone. The Chief / Second can be talked to, but you might not want to talk to them for all sorts of reasons, but there will be junior officers nearer the age of cadets, some wont have been out of time too long so "should" still remember we where all cadets once, and all of us did a first trip.
Try to "write" home to your friends/ family, pretty much all ships seem to have e-mail of some sort and for all it's limits even a small text only e-mail can be worth it's weight in gold
For the ladies starting out on this career....Personal Hygene Items are NOT to be put into the toilets as you may be used to doing at home, see the Medical type officer or get yourself a bin / liners for the bathroom, dispose of them as directed. I know this is a delicate matter BUT a blocked sewage system when you are the only female (or one of a very few) will not endear you to anyone!!! And most on ship can be quite.....blunt..... about this matter
In fact as a general rule if it itsnt "a natural waste product" then it dosent go dont the loo, this includes (in no particular order but all seen by me in a sewage system) Mars Bar wrappers, ciggarette butts, tee-shirts (no idea!), green scouring pads, smartie tube tops.
If you are that new to living away from home, get some one to show you how to use a washing machine and tumble drier. Get into the habit of washing your sheets /towels weekly or find out what the routine is, I know that some companies have diffferent ways of doing stuff.
Personal hygene... believe it or not I have sailed with people (not just cadets) who think that showering every other day or less is acceptable, if you are doing that little work then maybe being at sea isnt for you Engine Rooms are smelly and dirty.
Right well I think that is a bit of a beginers guide, some readers will have completed thier first trips in which case feel free to add or subtract. This is by no means meant to be condecending or definative, just a view from the big cabin at the top with the nice furniture and views
the word spelt with underscores is a deliberate word filter evasion, seemingly the word is not approved and was replaced with "silly billy", which while amusing in this instance is wrong
and in some cases the points are "personal" HOWEVER that said alot of my contemparories came through the same system and want the same things! First up remember you are a cadet, and as such you arent expected you to know every thing, we do expect you to be somewhat green in certain respects. It would be awefully nice if you listened and didnt butt in telling us......"yeah we did that at college". Over confidence is as bad as under confidence.
So where to start?.......
I suppose getting a pen and notepad would be a good start, write stuff down...it at least gives the impression of paying attention.
Ask questions, if you didnt understans or arent sure ask. There are no silly questions though there are plenty of dumb answers!
Be safe, you may initially feel a right wally in boiler suit, boots, ear defenders, hard hats, goggles and gloves but belive me they are required.
Turn up on time to watches / day work......this traditionally means a few minutes BEFORE ie 0750 onwards for an 0800 start, then if you want a brew and a yarn great, wandering at 0759:30secs is not going to impress anyone.
Remember your alarm clock AND work out how to do Clox (ie advance/r_e_t_a_r_d them as ships time is altered) that was the point above can be adhered too
Your portfolio / distance learning projects are your responsability dont expect to be chased to much or too often, everyone has plenty of things to be doing without chasing up your homework.
Similarly do not turn up on the day before I or YOU pay off with a pile of projects needing checking and signing for, it is not going to happen.
Learn to type or have nice handwritting, learn how to roughly scale a drawing.....ie the main engine should look like it is bigger than a generator engine (on a large box boat for instance), the judicous application of colourd pens / pencils makes things look nice. I am sure they mention it in college that some marks are given for presentation, why give up free marks? They might make a difference between a Merit and Distinction
Your cabin WILL be inpected for cleanliness at some point. This is for all sorts of reasons, so collections of crockery should be ZERO, bins should be, if not empty then not overflowing, bathrooms count too..I had one cadet complain when he was bollocked for leaving "skid marks" in the toilet pan, he wanted to know why we where looking in there?!
If you feel you are being asked to do somthing which is well beyond your knowledge then say so.
It can be very lonely no matter how many people are on the ship, if you arent having a good time or feeling home sick etc talk to some one, anyone. The Chief / Second can be talked to, but you might not want to talk to them for all sorts of reasons, but there will be junior officers nearer the age of cadets, some wont have been out of time too long so "should" still remember we where all cadets once, and all of us did a first trip.
Try to "write" home to your friends/ family, pretty much all ships seem to have e-mail of some sort and for all it's limits even a small text only e-mail can be worth it's weight in gold
For the ladies starting out on this career....Personal Hygene Items are NOT to be put into the toilets as you may be used to doing at home, see the Medical type officer or get yourself a bin / liners for the bathroom, dispose of them as directed. I know this is a delicate matter BUT a blocked sewage system when you are the only female (or one of a very few) will not endear you to anyone!!! And most on ship can be quite.....blunt..... about this matter
In fact as a general rule if it itsnt "a natural waste product" then it dosent go dont the loo, this includes (in no particular order but all seen by me in a sewage system) Mars Bar wrappers, ciggarette butts, tee-shirts (no idea!), green scouring pads, smartie tube tops.
If you are that new to living away from home, get some one to show you how to use a washing machine and tumble drier. Get into the habit of washing your sheets /towels weekly or find out what the routine is, I know that some companies have diffferent ways of doing stuff.
Personal hygene... believe it or not I have sailed with people (not just cadets) who think that showering every other day or less is acceptable, if you are doing that little work then maybe being at sea isnt for you
Engine Rooms are smelly and dirty.Right well I think that is a bit of a beginers guide, some readers will have completed thier first trips in which case feel free to add or subtract. This is by no means meant to be condecending or definative, just a view from the big cabin at the top with the nice furniture and views
the word spelt with underscores is a deliberate word filter evasion, seemingly the word is not approved and was replaced with "silly billy", which while amusing in this instance is wrong
)
...don't make me say it! lol
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