04/08/2012

So this is my 100th post on here, which may make it the most long term thing I've kept writing in since livejournal. I'm not sure that it really requires any kind of commemoration, nor would I really know what to say about it; I just am a little pumped about it. Today was our coast guard inspection, which we passed fairly comfortably. The safety drill section got a little hectic, but they also presented us with a rather complex and unrealistic set of conditions to work with. I do not see this as a bad thing, however. Yes, we handled it about as well as could be expected, especially at this point in the season. We made a few glaring mistakes, and that shows us where we need to improve. There is a charm in that kind of training because it makes the real thing so much easier. It is also difficult to simulate the urgency and panic of a normal crisis, so by piling lots of things on top of each other, you better approximate the chaos. Train hard for easy combat. We are already getting faster and cleaner at setting sail and basic ships handling, and will hopefully continue to get better. We have the makings of a really crack crew, and if we can keep that going, we will get Niagara doing some really amazing things this summer. I look forward to the possibilities. Tomorrow evening the trainees arrive. We will see what that brings.