Thursday

Another day spent sick. It's a good thing I have already achieved my Day Skipper because I'm not with it today.

The rest of the crew practiced boat handling inside the harbor. Olag showed us a neat way to moor the boat single handed. The boat handling tricks I've learned are new to me and somewhat counter intuitive but they work great. I wish someone had taught me them 30 years ago.

Tonight we had our award ceremony. I recieved my Day Skipper certificate. Unfortunately, Dennis did not get the miles he was looking for because they said he did not perform adequately as skipper of the boat when it was his turn. The Russians were in a similar situation. They were told they needed to come back and take a class.

Sergie, Victor, Dave, and Ben took their Ocean Master test which they have been preparing for all week with Sue on Brego. Unfortunately, only Ben passed.

Sergie could not overcome the language barrier. When you take any RYA test, it must be done in English. Victor, another Russian, may have had the same problem. Dave was just not preparred. He has owned and operated boats all his life and he thought he could just take the course and get his certificate.

So, take heed from this. The RYA does not give certificates away. You have to earn them. If you do not take the RYA theory courses for the certificate you are trying to obtain, then you are going into the practical with a distinct disadvantage.