In the seventies and eighties to become a captain in the mineral and oil trade was a difficult task. The Coast Guard was just beginning to establish the rules and regulations that would govern the trade. The exams were being designed to test the mariner in a trade specific manner. We were the first to face the new battery of test that were being produced by the C.G. and either you knew the subject matter or you failed the exam. Some exams included obsolete materials.
The battery of exams covered many subjects like navigation, weather, medicine chest at sea, rules of the road, chart plotting, ship structure and stability, machinery spaces, legal issues, firefighting, and safety. Quickly, prep schools sprang up to help mariners to prepare for the exams. They would cover much of what was believed to be covered by the exams, but it was up to us to master the knowledge necessary to pass the exams.
During my over thirty years at sea, I accomplished all my expectations and more. I became an anchor boat captain and traveled around the world, accomplishments most captains only dreamed about, but few ever realize. The opportunity to go through the Panama Canal, Straits of Hormuz, and work in places like Mexico, Africa, Trinidad, Tunisia, Eritrea, and the Middle East were things I never thought about until after doing them.
Since 2009, one awesome adventure was traded for another. In 2016, I earned a bachelor's degree. I have traded my charting tools for a desktop computer. I no longer live out of a suitcase. I have traded the troubles of the sea for what I hope to be a peaceful home life.
Life is good, but better still, God is Great.