SYLLABUS FOR INTERNSHIPS PER

Section 1. Safety and checks before going to sea
  • Safety equipment. Stowage and maintenance of safety equipment. Use of life jackets and identification of their components. Importance of proper fit and placement. Use of inflatable life jackets. Lifebuoys: their use and stowage. Flares and rockets: precautions for handling them and explanation of their use. Operation of the foghorn and heliograph. The radar reflector. The bilge pump and buckets. The onboard first-aid kit and its contents.

  • Pre-departure checks. Inspection of critical points of the vessel: seacocks, horn, rudder stock, portholes, and other openings in the hull. Pre-departure checks: general condition of the vessel, bilge pumping, checking for empty spaces, fuel level, fresh water level, battery charge, and navigation lights. Documentation on board: Certificate of Seaworthiness, Navigation Permit, boating license, and proof of payment of the mandatory insurance premium for the current period. Verification of the maximum number of people on board and the validity of safety equipment.
Section 2. Defeat planning and firefighting
  • Route planning. Weather forecast and sea state. Checking prevailing wind and its intensity. Sea state and the possibility of breaking waves. Tides: consulting tables and quickly determining height using the twelfth rule. Checking the chart of the area to be navigated, including shallow waters and navigational hazards. Physical and mental condition of the crew. Preventing seasickness. Importance of proper stowage.

  • Firefighting. The type of fuel on board the vessel. Use of flames and lighters on board. Accumulation of rags, grease, and fuel. Risks of leaks. Gas installation on board and its detector. Risks of the electrical installation. Extinguishing agents: powder, CO2, foam, and water. Types of fires. Stowage, checking the condition of the fire extinguisher, and precautions before use. Optimal use of fire extinguishers and how to attack flames. Cabin fires and deck fires: specific characteristics.
Section 3. Motors and electrical installation
  • Engines. Checking the seawater intakes are open. Cooling pump. Checking for leaks of water, oil, or fuel. Oil level. Glow plugs. Coolant cooler. Coolant level for closed-circuit engines. Scale buildup in the seawater circuit. Fuel level, presence of water and impurities in the tank. Fuel filter and separator. Bleeding the fuel circuit if air is present. Fuel consumption and engine speed. Calculating navigable distance based on fuel, engine speed, and sea conditions. Importance of reserve fuel. Outboard motors: peculiarities and precautions for their operation. Pre-start checks: absence of explosive atmospheres, fluid levels, neutral, and starter battery charge. Overheating and oil level alarm. Starting the engine and checking the operation of the cooling pump, exhaust smoke color, and engine sound.
  • Electrical installation. Batteries. Types and maintenance. Fluid and gas levels. Use of petroleum jelly on terminals. Cable insulation. Battery boxes and securing. Lubrication and moisture prevention. Electrical panel and fuses. Navigation and compass lights. Sulfating of cables and terminals. Battery charging, preventing over-discharge. The alternator. Belt replacement. Current rectifier and surge protection. Power consumption of lights, radio, and onboard equipment. Electric bilge pumps. Solar panels, wind turbines, and hydrogenerators.
Section 4. Vessel maintenance, pollution prevention and ropework.
    • Vessel maintenance and pollution prevention. Vessel materials: FRP, iron, aluminum, and wood. Precautions for FRP maintenance: cracks, osmosis, and gelcoat coverage. Precautions for iron maintenance: rust and galvanic corrosion. Precautions for aluminum maintenance: galvanic corrosion. Precautions for wood maintenance: painting and varnishing, caulking, and wood cracking and rot. Antifouling paint and condition of the underwater hull. Sacrificial anodes on metal hulls and submerged shafts. Condition of the vessel’s steering system, rudder, and seawater intakes. Installation of sewage retention systems on board. Annual obligation to declare the delivery of oily waste. Garbage and its treatment.
  • Ropework. Types of ropes and their uses. Materials. Laid and braided ropes. Precautions when using ropes. Basic knots: half hitch, overhand knot, bowline, clove hitch, square knot, and daisy chain. Explanation of their uses. How to secure a rope to bollards and cleats. Basic rope splicing. Securing a towline. Coiling. Preventing kinks.
Section 5. Maneuvers.
  • Maneuvering in the harbor. Precautions before leaving the mooring: other vessels, obstacles, or ropes in the water. Undocking maneuver depending on wind and current. Effects of propeller rotation on the maneuver. Turning forward and astern. Turning. Turning curve. Safe speed. Angles of vision and maneuvering at breakwater tips and other areas with limited visibility. Stopping the boat.

  • Berthing and unberthing. Choosing a berth based on draft, depth, and length. Monitoring tide height, wind, and current. Identifying mooring points on land. Choosing the berth side. Preparing mooring lines on board. Deploying fenders and taking precautions when alongside. Approaching the berth. Berthing alongside, bow-to, and bow-to. Using a boat hook. Using mooring lines: longlines, crosslines, and spring lines. How to secure to cleats, bollards, and rings. Unberthing based on wind and current.
Section 6. Anchoring, watch and control of the route
  • Anchoring. Factors for choosing an anchorage: shelter, wind, current, and holding power. Sand, mud, and gravel anchorages: their characteristics. Anchorage depth and vessel draft. Tide monitoring. Determining swing. Precautions regarding shallows, breakwaters, cables, or other vessels. Preparing for anchoring: anchor in position and chain slack. Anchoring speed, overshooting the anchorage, and heading. Anchoring at full slack. Dropping anchor. Chain length depending on the seabed and sea and wind conditions. Securing the anchor and verifying its effectiveness using bearings and leading lines. Anchor alarms on the GNSS equipment and depth sounder. Anchoring the anchor. Securing the anchor. Weighing anchor.

  • Precautions for swimmers and divers: When approaching and leaving the anchorage, and when starting the engine while anchored.

  • Track monitoring and control. Identification of marks and buoys. Navigable areas. COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea). Lights and shapes. Visibility and its limitations due to objects on board. Circular check before a change of course. Monitoring the bearings of nearby vessels and the risk of collision. Precautions for navigation in reduced visibility. Precautions for night navigation. Precautions for using the autopilot. Effects of sunlight on vision. How to catch waves.

Section 7. Navigation

  • Course and bearing. Compass reading. Navigation on a given bearing. Opposite bearing. Use of the sounding lead and log. Steering the vessel according to sea and wind conditions, and their influence on the course. Compass and true bearing. Calculating declination on the chart. Determining the total correction for bearings. How to create a deviation table. Plotting bearings on the chart. Safety depth. Identifying the coastline and navigational hazards. Chart corrections and notices to mariners.
  • Position. Position by two simultaneous bearings. Position by leading and following. Position by GNSS equipment. Quick position on the chart by bearing and distance with reference to a fixed point on the chart taken as a waypoint. Graphical estimate on the chart based on heading and speed. Position by isobaths.
Section 8. Safety maneuvers
  • Man overboard maneuver. Identification of different risks of falling into the sea. Procedures to follow in case of a man overboard. Throwing an object simulating a man overboard and a recovery exercise emphasizing the importance of visual control, stopping the engine, throwing a lifebuoy or floating object into the water, approaching the man overboard while controlling leeway, speed, and rudder inputs to clear the stern; using a boat hook, choosing the most practical location for hoisting the person on board, and retrieving them. Precautions in case of hypothermia. Man overboard maneuver using the MOB function of the GNSS equipment.

  • Towing. Identifying breakdowns that require towing: steering failures, propulsion system failures, and lack of fuel. Precautions when approaching to provide a tow, monitoring sea and wind conditions. Risk of collision. Selecting the appropriate towline based on vessel size and sea conditions. Throwing the lead line and determining the tow length based on wave height. Receiving a tow. Choosing the location where the towline is secured. Precautions for rescue using lifeboats. Precautions for helicopter rescue: prior communication, vessel heading, helicopter slipstream drift, taking precautions against touching the rescuer’s line and ensuring it does not become tangled or take hold on the vessel, and making the rescuer available. Rescue from deck and from the water.