A day of rest
It’s hard to imagine how a 24 hour exam could turn out to be fun but in spite of the stress, or perhaps because of it, I did enjoy myself. Phil, the course examiner, set a relaxed mood for the exam almost immediately and even though I knew that every facet of what we were doing on board, including how we all interacted with one another, was being closely monitored and judged, I was not particularly nervous. Fortunately, the effort I put into preparing for the exam paid off and although it was far from perfect, Phil felt confident recommending me for Yachtmaster.
What’s next? Today, at least, I am going to chill out and enjoy “not thinking” for a bit, perhaps relaxing at Roger’s Beach with Rebecca and some other friends. At some point in the near future I will need to do a Sea Survival course and get a medical in order to get a commercial endorsement on the Yachtmaster license. That I’ll think about later though.
Huge thanks to all those who helped me through this including Alex from Bluewater Sailing, Pete and Daniel from Coral, Phil from Marimar Sailing and last but in no way ever least, my ever-supportive wife Rebecca.
Sunrise in Clarke’s Court Bay, where we anchored for the night during the exam.
Well, Cap’n Mike, I can’t say I’m surprised. You don’t seem like the type to half-ass things or to give up. So enjoy a cold beer or two, revel in the moment, spend some quality time with Rebecca. And brace yourself for the sure-to-come questions of “does this mean I can hire you as charter captain?”
Cheers 🙂
Thanks Matt. I am braced. 🙂
Congratulations again, Mike. You not only passed, you survived! I’m not so sure that Rebecca thought you had survived last night, but she did let you back on the boat, so now you have to do some fast making up! 🙂
No making up required. She knew roughly where I was.
Hey Mike (forgive commenting on old posts, I’m reading from day 1).
I’m impressed with the work you have to put in to get that license. It’s more rigorous then the USCG masters! Great job!
Thanks very much, Amy. It was a bunch of work but I had a very patient instructor!