Recently, I had an opportunity to fly our to Connecticut and “audition” for a cruise ship company, which includes several interviews and also operating a very realistic cruise ship simulator, complete with an identical bridge representing their fleet. I was very humbled by such an opportunity, and the company made all the travel arrangements. This company cruises the coasts, rivers, and even the Great Lakes, so it would be a great opportunity for me to broaden my maritime skills as a captain.
I was flying into Connecticut in the early afternoon on a Sunday, with the interviews on Monday. I had a short layover in Philadelphia, where I noticed how calm the Atlantic Ocean looked that day. From the plane, I was able to get on the Freedom Boat Club website, get the contact information, text the dock, and book a boat 10-minutes from my hotel in Branford, Ct. They did have an electric boat available, but I chose the center console for my exploring.
As soon as I landed, I raced to the rental car counter, and I was out on the boat within an hour. I cruised the harbor, river and some of the coves in the area. The river had the typical New England style boats, such as Boston Whalers and Grady Whites. I was at the bottom end of low tide, so I was very thankful that the 23’ center console had an awesome GPS charting & navigation system. Having boated in the ocean and Gulf before, I am reminded of the stacks of propellers outside FBC dock offices as a reminder to the freshwater members that there are tides! Freedom Boat Club of Yarmouth, ME had a 12’ tide swing last time we were there.
As the sun began to set behind me, I took the 23’ center console back through the harbor, waving at the fishing boats heading out to the sound. Families were fishing off the jetties and it was almost tranquil with no wind and the smell of the salty sea. The FBC dock staff was super friendly, and he even gave me recommendations on where to get the best seafood in the area. The next day, I surprised the HR team by repeating my Sunday afternoon adventures with Freedom Boat Club. I declined the companies offer for now, as I had several projects come up, such as the Boat Safe Chicago program. Regardless, it was another great opportunity to take advantage of my Freedom Boat Club membership!
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