Marine
My earliest salt water memories are with my Dad onboard navy ships in Halifax and on the Atlantic Ocean.
At 19 I was a deckhand on the icebreaker Terry Fox in the Beaufort Sea. On the bridge, with much patience and amusement, Captain Peter Kimmerly taught me the art of using a sextant.
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After a year of preparation, with a bit of knowledge and a lot of youthful courage, Dale Gann and I sailed his 30 foot sloop Peg Leg to Hawaii in 24 glorious days.
On the West Coast, time with the Canadian Coast Guard parlayed into a vibrant towboat experience with Seaspan. The cumulative seatime along with a bunch of studying resulted in officer certification.
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Currently I am preparing to write the exams for the Master 150 GT, Domestic Certificate and Celestial Navigation.
Along the way, I also trained as a scuba diver.
HMCS Iroquois
My father, Bob George, was the CO from 1977-79. The stairs are steep; one hand for you and one for the ship; safety at sea is paramount. There were also early lessons in the immense importance of trusting those around you.
BeauDrill
It was on the icebreaker Terry Fox that the marine education continued under the watchful eye of Ray James from Rencontre, Newfoundland. Celestial navigation lessons were taught by Peter Kimmerly.
Seaspan Planet & Officer Certification
Captain Dennis Overstall led a four man dynamic crew around the south coast on the Planet. An officer and a deckhand on 6 hour shifts allowed us to run 24/7 for 2 weeks at a time. Always a believer in experiential learning, Dennis ensured there was time at the helm to figure it out.
