The Tall Ship Elissa
A few years ago I took on a new hobby: Tall Ship Sailing. As hobbies go it was a complete removal from my comfort zone for me. Not only had I never done anything so physically demanding before, I had never tackled a volunteer job that was this serious, that involved so much responsibility and danger. I can easily say it was a lifechanging experience that marked a new era for me in my personal growth.
While sailing a ship of any size is a recreational occupation for most of us, as it was for me, it also carries with it many challenges and grave responsibilities. The ship in question was the SS Elissa birthed out of Galveston Texas, and she is 210 feet long, with three masts and a crew of 60 people.
Sailing a Tall Ship involves at least four major skill sets: Team work and Communication, Safety Awareness, Physical Endurance, and Attention to Detail. Since this experience I have found myself tapping into this training over and over again in my jobs, and feel that even going into nursing it will prove invaluable.
When a ship of this size is sailed it takes a lot of physical coordination to make any manoever happen. People have to move swiftly and accurately, and together. The work is physically extremely hard, and can be very dangerous if not done properly. Communication between the mast captain and their crew is vital, and commands have to be followed through immediately, accurately, and without hesitation. We had to trust, and obey our mast captain, and she in turn showed us the respect we needed to do our job.
There are an extraordinary number of "lines" on a ship of this size, and each one is attached to a certain part of a sail, or yard arm. We were taught the names of all of these, and then tested on our knowledge of them. We had to know exactly where to run to when a command was called and what to do when we got there. In addition to knowing all the rigging, we had to know a large variety of knots, and which ones to use in what situation. Attention to detail is important in many situations, and it was driven home to me quite well that a mistake could be very dangerious if not fatal.
We had to work as a team in many other ways, encouraging each other, watching out for each other's well being, and respecting the safety rules.
As mates on the ship, we relied on each other to stay safe, sober, and responsible. I was trained and certified as a "High Climber" which meant that I was declared fit and competent to go aloft, or up into the rigging - to a total of 110 feet off the ground. That's almost 12 stories above the deck! I developed a healthy respect for life and safety doing this, and learned that I had to be absolutely able to trust those I worked with, and to be trustworthy myself, or it could literally mean life or death.
I learned many things from this experience as a whole, but one of the things I learned the most is that there will always be new challenges in my work, and that if I just try, with the help of a good team and sometimes a lot of courage, anything is possible.
I also learned that there will be many times especially in nursing work when protocol has to be followed, and that there is usually a very good reason for it. I learned that in some types of work physical and mental discipline is a very high priority, and that I liked working in that environment.
I truly feel that my experience with the Elissa has prepared me a bit better for becoming a nurse.
While sailing a ship of any size is a recreational occupation for most of us, as it was for me, it also carries with it many challenges and grave responsibilities. The ship in question was the SS Elissa birthed out of Galveston Texas, and she is 210 feet long, with three masts and a crew of 60 people.
Sailing a Tall Ship involves at least four major skill sets: Team work and Communication, Safety Awareness, Physical Endurance, and Attention to Detail. Since this experience I have found myself tapping into this training over and over again in my jobs, and feel that even going into nursing it will prove invaluable.
When a ship of this size is sailed it takes a lot of physical coordination to make any manoever happen. People have to move swiftly and accurately, and together. The work is physically extremely hard, and can be very dangerous if not done properly. Communication between the mast captain and their crew is vital, and commands have to be followed through immediately, accurately, and without hesitation. We had to trust, and obey our mast captain, and she in turn showed us the respect we needed to do our job.
There are an extraordinary number of "lines" on a ship of this size, and each one is attached to a certain part of a sail, or yard arm. We were taught the names of all of these, and then tested on our knowledge of them. We had to know exactly where to run to when a command was called and what to do when we got there. In addition to knowing all the rigging, we had to know a large variety of knots, and which ones to use in what situation. Attention to detail is important in many situations, and it was driven home to me quite well that a mistake could be very dangerious if not fatal.
We had to work as a team in many other ways, encouraging each other, watching out for each other's well being, and respecting the safety rules.
As mates on the ship, we relied on each other to stay safe, sober, and responsible. I was trained and certified as a "High Climber" which meant that I was declared fit and competent to go aloft, or up into the rigging - to a total of 110 feet off the ground. That's almost 12 stories above the deck! I developed a healthy respect for life and safety doing this, and learned that I had to be absolutely able to trust those I worked with, and to be trustworthy myself, or it could literally mean life or death.
I learned many things from this experience as a whole, but one of the things I learned the most is that there will always be new challenges in my work, and that if I just try, with the help of a good team and sometimes a lot of courage, anything is possible.
I also learned that there will be many times especially in nursing work when protocol has to be followed, and that there is usually a very good reason for it. I learned that in some types of work physical and mental discipline is a very high priority, and that I liked working in that environment.
I truly feel that my experience with the Elissa has prepared me a bit better for becoming a nurse.
