While Trevor was getting comfortable with compass headings and deviation calculations, I headed off to a different location for an internationally known marine safety courses: STCW. Our friend Paola on SV Ostrika was also enrolled to take this class as she is headed off to be a chef on another boat coming up in April so you can imagine how happy I was to be attending classes with a familiar face : )
First day of school for all of us! 
The STCW training location
I may be “cheeky” in my comments below but I actually learned a lot in the 10 straight days (yes Saturday and Sunday too). There is a new 2010 version of course which included the following classes:
Fire prevention and Fire fighting – aka “Fires are BAD!!!”
The ladies of our class in our gear….I am taking the photo : ) 
Where our contained fire practical was to take place in.
Ok seriously..?! I was not prepared to do this course and in fact I was incredibly nervous. Mostly the theory part of this course was to explain how a fires are ignited, behaviors of fires, and of course fire prevention. But the goal of the practical activities was to place you in a situation to feel what it is like to be in a smoky, HOT, space while carrying a fully deployed water hose, climb up/down ladders and face a proper “flame” and “water” it down. WTF..!!!
This 3-day course taught both theory and practical applications…this is what we did in a nut shell:
Put out a fire with an extinguisher. 
Full gear, water hoses… 
went into a container, down ladders, and put out a fire.
Other practical activities we did that are not depicted above was how to maneuver with a team in a blacked out, confined space to find an exit (it was a maze of sort), proper hose deployment, and of course setting up our breathing apparatus and tanks.
Now that it’s over, this was the best class in the series and I am glad we did it first.
Designated Security Duties – aka “a man with gun doesn’t make him a pirate…”
The US was a large part of our conversations 
Acronyms…. 
…and MORE acronyms!
Actually, for a possibly boring subject matter, our instructor made it a lot of fun by being interested in all of our stories and futures and sharing his as well. Basically, this 2 day theory course was mainly about how security should be handled on a vessel and the laws surrounding international piracy. There can be multiple situations where one can feel threatened but you can’t always assume the intention is harm….One could argue that if they saw a man/men with a gun/s in a boat headed towards them on the sea that they are pirates, but unfortunately, as 1 Russian patrol vessel did, shot armed men BEFORE they were “engaged”, and the officers were imprisoned (I think)…NOTE TO SELF….
Personal Survival Techniques – aka “definition of survival is….not dying!”
This was another theory/practical based course. In 2 days, we learned about critical elements of surviving in the water and put them to the test in a pool.
In the classroom – Group presentations on different topics….
But the fun began in the pool!
Full immersion suits on…. 
…I look like a orange Teletubby!
In our practical “man over board” activities in the pool, as a group, we had to exhibit different “lifesaving” exercises to promote staying together as a team. The hardest part was keeping folks, either afraid of water or who couldn’t swim well, calm to perform the exercise. Secondly, without full immersion suits on, we practiced jumping from a 1m platform and into a fully inflated life raft….this is harder than you think. I don’t know why our instructor asked me to be in “charge” of the life raft…but he did. I had help each classmate into the raft (I was sore the next day) and direct/give orders to move the raft to a rope net to climb up and out of the raft. Holy cow! Again, harder than you think!
This class was super fun and I really learned a lot. I had never put on an immersion suit before and never been in a inflated life raft in the water….I can’t imagine trying to get into one of these in the middle of the night with 3 meter swell…? It was hard enough in a darn POOL!
Personal Safety and Social Responsibility – aka “don’t get hurt and don’t throw your garbage overboard”
This 2 day theory only course was probably the most boring but our class was small and our instructor was personable. I did however learn certain vessels have to have a “garbage plan”….good to know…
Elementary First Aid – aka “
This 2 day theory/practical course is basic first aid: body structure, CPR, bandages, splints, and burns. I guess because these courses are “marine” based…I probably found this class much more informative than back in high school. Did you know that if you are treating someone with a burn in their mouth/throat you put ice in front of their mouth to cool their inhale breath to the infected area…..didn’t know..?!
Wow…it’s been at least 2 decades since I have done CPR on a dummy. 
In class practical double splinted legs.
A few drinks with some of my fire fighting classmates…..note their age….I was like Mama Kimi…figure that!
That’s a wrap…Big thanks to Paola (English is her second language)! We would study together every night until 10pm or so. It was a brutal 10 days but we made it through..together. Thank you Paola for putting up with me, I know it wasn’t easy trying to memorize acronyms and very specific language in these exams…but I couldn’t of done it without you by my side!
Next Up: Cape Town Paddlesnappers Dragon Boat Club – my Saturday routine