[icedcappucino]

If you are given the choice to sail with your friend, would you?

Writing from personal experience and observation of others, the short answer is “it depends”.

Factors to consider:
– Rank: Unless both are cadets or different dept, you or your friend will be higher rank than the other. We all know how the chain of command works onboard, and sometimes it’s not advisable to mix work and personal friendships. Hierarchy has different meaning(s) to different people, which comes to the next point-
– Maturity level / Ego: Are you and your friend reasonably mature and not overly egoistic? * Note the difference between confidence and arrogance.
– Experience and knowledge: Related to previous point, are both of you comfortable admitting mistakes and learning from each other?
– Dynamics of friendship: One of you might have been used to perceived as the superior (in whatever aspect, e.g. background, character, ability, looks etc), but what if that turns out to be not true?

Not a bad idea for you and your friend to find out how does each other respond to extreme stress and fatigue, which happens time to time onboard?
And how do you and your friend support others who are under such extreme stress and fatigue?

[Author]

Posts