NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC in COLOMBIA – more lessons than nm

Whats new? Check it out, my latest opportunity- I’ve just completed a project as Chief Mate onboard National Geographic- Lindblad expeditions ships! I joined M/V “QUEST” this fall for Cruising in Panama- Colombia – Costa Rica.

QUEST is a Nichols Bros passenger ship built in Washington state in 2018. She’s 74 meter 100 pax ship – full outfit includes 50-60 crew, with 13 of us in the DECK DEPARTMENT: Captain, Chief Mate, 2nd + 3rd Mates, Boson, and 8 Deckhands.

QUEST is Coast Guard inspected, fully SOLAS-compliant with a rigourous schedule of weekly, monthly, safety inspections, drills, and equipment. The essential duties of the Chief Mate are the piloting and navigation of the ship, safety, security, and medical emergencies along side the Doctor. Principally, I supervise the deck team, coordinating daily activities, crew training, and Zodiac operations.

Weekly transits through several countries and the Panama Canal have been a learning experience for me. Due to the size of the “Quest” it is compulsury to onboard harbor pilots and agents everywhere we go. The way this looks can vary WIDELY depending on where we are and where we’re headed…

As one might imagine, approaches to the Canal are highly regulated. A typical day will consist of “standing by” in the outside anchorage, awaiting both a pilot-boarding-time-assignment and a canal inspector. This waiting game is regardless of having an appointment on the schedule or not. Furthermore, we’ll be assigned a time slot but still wait around for hours for to the pilot to show. Canal inspectors come aboard with an extensive check list ranging from testing steering to Windshield wipers, to bilge pumps, to compass deviation cards.

I love when we onboard local Pilots: this process looks like the PILOT BOAT approaches the ship alongside while both are making way (carrying the pilot boat’s dictated course and speed), deckies open the boarding door, pilot boat closes the gap and they leap across, escorted to the bridge and greeted with coffee, sodas, and snacks (hot meal if its chew time). They plug their laptop, special radio, and tracking device into our ship, and we’re off, chatting small talk. All good until we reach close-quarters passing arrangement with other ships, which is decided by Vessel traffic control far enough in advance for everyone to transit safely.

The pilots are typically retirees from other maritime professions and the bridge is usually filled with light-hearted sea stories and A LOT of selfies – “for the memory”. In smaller villages in Colombia, sometimes the pilots come onboard accompanied by their families, children, and small town authorities. In any corner of the world, Natural Geographic has a world following of fans, and it’s not out of the realm to make the 5 o’clock news in some of these little villages.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of my time was the opportunity to interact with some of the children in our smallest ports of call. Many of the villages we visited are not connected to the main road system or major airports, and therefore are quite isolated from the influence of outside modernization. In Caporgana our local guide relayed to us the entire school had practiced all year long to perform a cultural dance performance to celebrate our arrival to their village! I attended and these girls were so star-struck to meet -me! a woman in uniform, the GIRL RUNNING THE SHIP, treated as a guest of honor to their open-air outdoor school yard. They called me into the finale of their dance to spin me around and surround me with love and hugs. What a grounding experience- to have 30 little girls (and boys) staring at you like an absolute celebrity and simply wanting to touch your face and your hair and jump into your lap because for them, you represent “something else” a dream that is so foreign and exciting, a foreign visitor that might excite one’s imagination of the endless possibilities of life if you GO FOR IT. Meeting these girls is something I will remember for all my life.

I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the privilege to be here to experience the openness, trust, and outpouring of love in being a guest to such a foreign place, where every interaction feels like a bridge connecting diverse cultures and perspectives. The warmth of the locals, their willingness to share stories and traditions, enriches my journey in ways I never anticipated. As I walk through the vibrant streets and immerse myself in the local customs, I am reminded of the beauty of our shared humanity and the powerful bonds that can form, transcending borders and backgrounds. This experience not only broadens my worldview but also deepens my appreciation for the myriad ways people express kindness and connection.