The Marine Society & Sea Cadets

It was about this exact time when I joined my first ship as cadet back in 2003 and now here I am back as junior engineer almost 3 years later. I remember my first time joining the British Trader as being one of the scariest but most exciting times of my career so far. I can still remember sailing up to the ship on a launch off Fujairah and seeing nothing but a wall of black which I soon discovered was the ship side. I looked up and saw the third engineer, who is now the second engineer sunning himself on the Bridge deck while he watched the three new cadets join their first ship.

We were soon up the accommodation ladder and on the ship being shown around by the second engineer at the time. We then met the chief engineer, who is also my current Chief and also Captain Fred Wilkinson who I also met a few times during the course of my training.

I recall being so nervous that I could barely eat my dinner that night and it took some time to get used to all the new faces. I think I must have got lost about 20 times, and still do now (only kidding Chief, honest!).

My first day in the engine room and I couldn’t get over the heat there, which was pushing about 40 degrees at the time. So we were told to drink plenty of water and if we ever felt ill we were to tell the second engineer and he would let us take a breather. This was much needed after running after him up and down stairs most of the day, while we got to familiarised with the engine room layout and the location of fire extinguishers and emergency exits.

Work then was fairly hard going as the ship had not long been constructed and there were a few teething problems. These seem to have ironed themselves out since I was here as a cadet. I will probably regret that statement on my next duty night as saying things like that always seems to upset the machinery.

As a cadet I spent most days tracing lines, which is every engineers bread and butter. I still try and trace lines when I get the time off from doing planned maintenance routines, or when I have a spare hour or so during the day.

At that time the ship was trading solely between Trinidad and Savannah in the USA and it seems that we could be on that same voyage for the near future. Not that I am complaining as I can think of worse ways to spend four months than steaming around the Caribbean in amazing weather and turquoise seas.

Joining the ship for the second time was a lot less nerve-racking and as I’d been here before, and have sailed with a few of the current staff so it took me less time to settle into life at sea. It can be hard at times but when you have a familiar face or two it makes it so much easier.

As a second trip junior my job description has changed and I am mostly involved in shadowing the fourth engineer in order to make my next step up. Having said this I am also responsible for bilges and the incinerator so there is a fair level of responsibility, even at my level of certification. Coming back to a ship that I have been on before makes me feel more responsibility for the plant and the ship as a whole.

Anyway I am on duty tonight so its time for me to get suited and booted and get down to the pit.

Kevin Young

Junior Engineer