Life lessons

Bellamia Burgos

In Vessel Operations, there is always something new for you to learn. However, it’s not always something Aaron tells us directly. Learning from the actions of people around you is just as important. The Vessel Operations is obviously a dangerous program. There are rules in place to ensure our safety. However accidents do happen. When Xamier was boarding Indy 7, a wake came and pushed Indy out from the floating dock a bit. Just enough for Xamier to fall in... and he almost did. However Kendall yanked him back, so he only fell in up to his knees. This event alone can teach you a lot about our program. The maritime industry can be dangerous. That is why there are certain rules in place. However, nobody is perfect; we are only human. It is important to have safety procedures in place in case an accident does happen. Such as man overboard drills. Drills also stress the importance of teamwork. You have to trust the people you are working with, because your lives are in each others hands. Another accident that occurred, was Eric dropping his phone in the water. He was tossing a line, and as he threw the line, his phone fell. After that, everyone started leaving all of their electronics (cellphones, earbuds, Airpods etc.) upstairs at the mast center. You are responsible for your own belongings, no one else is. During another day of ins and outs, (leaving the dock, then coming in a series of times to practice line handling) we all saw a large cloud of smoke coming from manhattan. Everyone stopped what they were doing to get a better look. That is something that should NEVER happen. Although this was only a dumpster fire; when an accident happens in the vicinity of your vessel, you have to worry about your crew first. Otherwise you can cause an accident on the vessel you are on. Making mistakes is obviously something that’s going to happen. With each mistake comes a learning experience. Nobody’s perfect. Learning from those mistakes is what’s important, as well as learning from the people around you.