“Don’t waste your time”

Well, the last day of my level 2 course in June came, it was hot, we were already berthed and we had the deep-clean to look forward to. Truth is no-one particularly looks forward to it, exactly, but it is, a bit like emptying the bilges, necessary.

The entire boat is emptied and every surface is cleaned and then it is all put back together. Every crew I have ever been a part of is convinced that the dirt we find cannot be the result of only one week at sea, that a particular deckboard has not been lifted for several months, you get the picture, and that the crew is leaving the boat in a better state than that in which it was found. Which cannot be true, not for every crew.

In amongst all of this chaos, the skipper is trying to find somewhere private to have a one-to-one with each crew member in turn. On this course it was on the bow of the upper deck amongst all the cushions from the saloon area. At least, we did have cushions until they had to be put away.

In my one-to-one, he told me not to waste my time. Not to waste any more of my time doing more Level 1 and Level 2 courses. Because I am ready. For the next step. For my Level 3 course. Just as well really – that’s where I am at the moment!

A debrief, after the cushions were put away