Name: Sam McDonald Date: 03/12/2010 Examiner: Captain Graham Result: Pass I arrrived at Tyne Dock at 0820 and

sat in the waiting area. I was then greeted by the receptionist who took all my paperwork. At approximately 0855 Captain Graham invited me into the Exam Room. He flicked through my Reports and Navigation Workbook and then gave me a gyro error to work out. He told me I had ten minutes and he then left the room. Captain Graham had the approach to the Tees Port chart out on the desk and all the relevant equipment. The question said: "You are approaching the River Tees on a Gyro heading of 208 degrees, you have just pased no2 buoy and you are on the leading lights, 1.6 nm from the fairway buoy. Plot your position and calculate your gyro error. I read off the course of the leading lights, ran it over to the compass rose, it read 210degrees therefore my gyro error was 2 degrees low. Captain Graham then returned to the room. Captain Graham then proceeded to ask: - so how would you fix your position entering the Tees? (He was looking for parrellel indexing) - so what would you use to parallel index? - why is this area green? (drying heights) - what does this symbol mean? (wreck swept by a line) Captain Graham then said "ok very good". - tell me about your last ship? - what LSA did you have on board? - go through the proceedure start to finish of launching a davit launch liferaft? - have you read MGN 77? (to which I replied yes) - so what does part b of MGN 77 state? - what is the most important secondary action in a liferaft? - what distress equipment do you have in your liferaft? - so how does an EPIRB work? - what equipment is now fitted to a SART that was not on a conventional SART? - so how does AIS work? - what are the limitaions of AIS? Captain Graham then said "ok we will move on". - You're waiting for the pilot to arrive and you are the Officer on deck, what would you check? (he was looking for communication with the bridge, lighting, clear area and mainly risk assesment) - so why do we go through a risk assesment? - what control measures did you have in place for rigging a pilot ladder? - why do we have control measures? - where would you find the information about a Pilot boarding arrangement? - where and how would you rig a pilot ladder? Captain Graham said "ok very good". - so your approaching the berth at Immingham what would you be doing? - what risks are involved with a mooring operation? - so tell me about snap back zones?

- what risks would you keep an eye on the crew for? - Captain Graham asked what else?, what else?, what else?, he was getting louder and closer - behind you what would be there? ( i finally realised what he was looking for, an AB flaking the rope as it comes off the drum) (safe manning levels) - so your about to leave port, as the OOW what is your duty? (pre departure checks) - so what systems do you have in place to ensure this is done? (SMS system in accordance with ISM) - so what would you do? ( print out a pre departure checklist) - whats on that checklist? - so tell me about tuning a radar? - ok so how would you have your radars set up for leaving port? - whats the advantage of ground stabilised? - what would appear to move on a ground stabilised radar? - what would appear to move on a sea stabilised radar? - what is the advantages of sea stabilised? Captain Graham then says "ok lets move on to some buoyage. Can you go through the buoyage set up on the filing cabinet"? (he told me to take my time and think about it) - it was region A with the flow, heading south he wanted the topmark, light colour and charicteristic and then action upon seeing each buoy it was set up: safe water mark port hand special mark East and West cardinal marks as to pass through the middle of the two isolated danger mark preffered channel to port mark (this was the only indication of region) Captain Graham said "right then we shall get onto some COLREGS" He had his smarty boards set up and as he asked one, he set up another on the other side. He asked for identification, length, fog signal and underway, making way and then on some he put into a situation and asked my action - vessel restricted in her ability to maneouvre seen dead ahead action? - under what rule? - vessel engaged in towing seen from the starboard side length of tow exceeds 200m, passing port to starboard action? - vessel constrained by her draft seen from the starboard side, probably more than 50m in length 4 points to port and in your in a TSS action? I said "consult the chart". He asked what this would show and I replied it could show his intended course with him having to follow a channel with him being CBD. He said "very well, so action". I replied "reduce speed". He replied "you wouldn't though in a real situation". I said "ok, check my starboard side, sound one short blast and parallel his course". He said " "what is alot easier than both of them"?. I replied "check my port side, sound two short blasts and alter course to port". - under what rule? (rule 18) - what does rule 18 state about vessels constrained by her draft? - vessel not under command seen from starboard side? - same situation could you go to port for this vessel? (yes). Under which rule? (rule18) - so what does rule 7 say? - and what does rule 8 say? - so your in a TSS what does rule 10 say? Captain Graham then started to use the model ships on the desk and marked out a TSS. He placed a sailing vessel 4 points abaft the beam on my starboard side and said action (take a series of compass bearing to assertain if risk of collision exists, as said for every situation, it exists).

I would maintain course and speed - under what rule? (rule 13) - what does it say in regard to the vessel being overtaken? - ok he is 0.5 nm away and on a steady bearing action? call the master - he wont be up in time whats your action? check my port side, sound two short blasts and alter to port to open up the cpa "Very good" he said. In the English Channel ferry crossing from starboard to port action reduce my speed under what rule? (rule 16) - ok what does rule 17 say? He set out a rain bank with 3 targets behind it and a vessel in sight on my port side crossing - which rules apply here? rule 19 applies to the vessels behind the rain bank but rule 15 applies to the crossing vessel - why doesn't rule 19 apply to them all? because the crossing vessel is in sight ok very good - what does rule 19 say? He then got a plotting sheet out and plotted two targets, he said "I'll give you 10 minutes and I will come back in. He wanted course, speed and cpa of the two vessels. He then asked action for vessel "A" only. As he was not a risk of collision, I said maintain course and speed and continue to monitor the situation. -ok very good what about vessel "B" alone I said, alter course to port - why? rule 19 says do not alter course towards a vessel abeam or abaft the beam - good so action for both vessels alteration of course to port, continue to monitor the situation. Captain Graham said "Very good Mr McDonald, I am happy to say that's a pass! I would like to thank all the Lads from our year and Jen for all the laughs and banter in the class and for an enjoyable 3 and a half years. Especially those who I studied with and the Lecturers that helped me. In particular, Lou Mitchell, Sharjan Luckose and Captain Perry. I would advise everyone to attend Captain Perry's Wednesday night sessions, as I found them to be really, really helpful. Good luck to everyone who is going to sit there orals and I hope this report helps. Just remember everyones exam is different, and just prepare the best you can. Make sure when you come out pass or fail you can honestly say to yourself I could not have worked any harder.