Monday I had the opportunity to lead a tour of the bridge,
or the control center for the ship. I wanted to see the bridge anyway so when
the call went out for volunteers, I said “why not?!”
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| Captain's hat on the bridge. |
The tour was about 30 minutes in length and our guide, a
Deck Cadet, showed us all the instruments and tools used to navigate the ship.
The crew navigates using a combination of paper maps, computer models as well
as the stars and other astrological “land marks.” The Deck Cadet also showed us
how the ship’s systems, like the lightening, water purification, etc., can be
controlled from the bridge.
During our tour the ship was on “autopilot.” There was a
Second Captain at the helm but the ship was being steered by a computer.
Another crew member was on lookout, which means that this person stares out
into the open ocean and watches for debris and objects in the ocean that could
harm the ship. This guy has a 4 hour lookout shift. Can you imagine staring out
into the open ocean for 4 hours each day with most likely nothing to see?!
I was asked to lead three more bridge tours so my time
exploring the bridge is not over. More updates later if I learn anything new in
my additional tours. For now, enjoy the photos of the M.V. Explorer bridge.
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| The Deck Cadet, our bridge guide, showing us the map that has been used since we left Hilo. |
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| Controls on the bridge. |
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| Driver's seat and steering wheel. Much to the dismay of many people in my tour group there is not a big wooden steering wheel, only this small one. |
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| The many maps and manuals needed for our voyage. |
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| Trying my hand as the Captain. What do you think?! |
