Regarding Concordia

We should not leap to conclusions about what happened, and I await the report, as should the media. However, I fear there is a catalogue of failures that led to this sad and terrible situation, and more than that I fear the majority of those failures came from poor leadership on the part of the Captain and his officers. However the rest of the crew should not be penalised in the media for a few people's shortcomings, and it should be bourne in mind that the majority of passengers were evacuated, in extremely difficult circumstances, well beyond any situation you would expect to simulate in a drill. I hope that as a (newly qualified) bridge officer I will never have to be in such a situation, but if I am I will remember my position and responsibility and behave in a manner that reflects that. Moreover, I will do my level best throughout my career to ensure that every member of crew understands how best to react in an emergency, that they are confident with that understanding, and that they know I will always be there beside them.

New Year, New Life!

I'm sitting here with a glass of hot spiced cider, and realising that, as Dorothy said to Toto, I'm not in Kansas anymore. It's strange, I feel rather lost at the moment, for the first time in three years I have no schedule, no deadline and, most importantly of all, no idea where my next wage is going to come from. (This has not stopped me from purchasing far too many pairs of boots on ebay mind!) So my New Years resolutions are quite simple-

1. Get a job - this will provide me with the money to do the next resolution.

2. Learn to drive - this will enable me to get to jobs and see friends without having to deal with trains all the time. It will also give me something to do when on leave.

3. Go to the on-board gym more than once in a blue moon - this will balance out the fact that driving means I no longer have to lug cases through stations, which is one of my primary sources of exercise. That and cycling to and from college, which I also no longer have to do.

I haven't started looking for a job until now because a) I wanted Christmas and New Year with my loved ones and b) I felt that I deserved a break. I had a wonderful family Christmas at home, with not only Ma, Pa, Sister and her new husband, but also the Beast and his mother. I had a completely tech free day, (although we had to watch the Queen's Speech) full of exquisite food, fancy drinks (including a 1927 port and a 1906 brandy), a roaring log fire and scrabble to round it all off (which of course I lost!). New Years was seen in with friends and also included an gluttony of food and drink. My waistline has somewhat expanded over the last few weeks!

Now however, with January looming cold and bleak I am finding my feet are starting to itch a little and I am resolved to get my paperwork in order and begin the process of applications and interviews. If anyone knows of any jobs going out there, please do let me know!!

Meanwhile I wish you and yours all the very best for 2012, and hope to see you on the high seas soon.

S4 xx