Date: 07/22/2011Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FLWeather: Sunny and HotTitle: Day 5 of STCW-95 All day today was our First Aid and CPR class. The instructor was very nice and very good at his job. But the curriculum itself did not come up to par with what I was taught through the Red Cross. The Red Cross takes the same amount of time but it is much less talking and video and more hands on. Then in the late afternoon, we took our final test and we all passed. I t...

Date: 07/21/2011Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FLWeather: Sunny and HotTitle: Day 4 of STCW-95 Course, Firefighting Practical Yesterday we had the theory part of the Firefighting training and today we completed the practical part. I must admit that there were parts of this that were tough. First we had to get our gear issue which consisted of heavy fire fighter's pants and coat, hood, boots and Scott SCBA and mask. Our first exercise didn't include the Scott. We...

Date: 07/19/2011Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FLWeather: Sunny and HotTitle: Day 2 of STCW-95 Course, Water Survival Practical Yesterday we had the theory portion of water survival and social responsibility. Today we completed the practical portion of the course. The practical took place at the Swimmers Hall of Fame down next to the Bahia Mar Marina a couple of blocks off the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the youngsters. Afte...

Date: 07/15/2011Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FLWeather: Sunny and HotTitle: Day 5 of Megayacht Deck Course Today was mostly a review of what we had covered and preparation for the final exam. I was more than ready to take the test. The test was multiple choice and no problem. I think I missed 3 questions. We all passed and were handed our certificates, then we went across the street to Waxy's Pub and had a couple of beers to celebrate.

Date: 07/14/2011Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FLWeather: Sunny and HotTitle: Day 4 of Megayacht Deck Course The day got off kind of slow with more classroom. Our instructor, Lou, was careful to cover everything that was going to be on the final exam. Finally, at about 10am, we left the IYT building and walked a couple of blocks to one of the canals where the school keeps their RIB. We inventoried the supplies and did the proper engine checks and I got to be firs...