Location: Peter Island, BVI
Today was Day 2 of the end-of-semester finals for Ocean Star shipmates, with both the OCE final and the MTE navigation exam. As a result, there was no morning lie-in as charts and textbooks were out early doors, and students tried desperately to get some last-minute knowledge into their brains. After giving my final Marine Biology exams yesterday, today was my turn to be a student again, as I also took the MTE navigation exam. The exam itself was a 20-question affair involving plotting fixes on the charts, calculating running times, speeds, and distances traveled, and theoretically navigating your way around the Chesapeake Bay! The 2 hours to complete the exam proved perfect timing as despite two brief delays (one for rain and one to watch Bridget’s chart exam papers blow off the boat and into the sea!), I was able to answer everything. Fortunately, I didn’t have to take a second exam, instead of moving back into my closet-like bunk to continue marking! For those who did have two exams to take, it was a long, long day (hopefully, in the end, one that will be worthwhile for everyone!) with lots of head-scratching, some deep thinking, and a large amount of frantic scribbling onto answer sheets! Fortunately, after the exams were completed, the rest of the day was free, with some much-needed and greatly appreciated time to relax after two days of exams and the culmination of a semester’s work!