Page 158 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

quite amused at this, unquestionably because this was evidently not the first such
occasion upon which this had occurred (or not occurred, as the case might be)
and we parted with a laugh.

Two days later I was in the Ministry’s office for the first day of the exam. It
started off with Seamanship (which included an oral exam by a rather mean-
looking little man whom, I thought, had probably had an argument with
somebody earlier that day), and concluded with Chart-work. This was a good
deal easier than I anticipated, my having only to recite Rule 18 (the longest, but
somehow the most ‘poetic’, of them all). I did not look forward to the next day,
however, as it included Maths and Navigation. However, I am glad to say that
the questions were not really difficult and with the final day, including the essay
question, I returned to Warsash reasonably confident.

The response was commendably quick. On February 4th, I received notice
that I had passed the Ticket. Coincidentally, on the way to pick up the document,
I bumped into Peter Ward. He recognised me with, “I didn’t know you were
here!”. I responded that I had been there since the New Year but that day had been
told of my having passed 2nd mates. “But it’s a three-month course!” he said.
Upon my saying that I had been ‘fairly’ diligent in my correspondence course,
he lamented that so few took that opportunity while at sea. I felt quite chuffed
and told him that I expected to see him in a couple of years for my 1st mates. We
parted on the best of jocular terms.

157