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RAN man on trip of a lifetime
Volume 50, No. 12, July 12, 2007 |
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GOOD TIMES: SBLT Michael McDonald on the Esmeralda, which spent 10 days in Sydney, after stopping off for two days in Jervis Bay. “We are here to maintain close friendships with the Royal Australian Navy,” Esmeralda’s CO CAPT Humberto Ramirez Navarro said.
Photo: courtesy Esmeralda. |
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SBLT Michael McDonald only had a few weeks to prepare for the voyage of a lifetime.
The RAN junior officer left Australia to join the Chilean training ship Esmeralda on June 4 to sail from Wellington to Australia. On June 24 he sailed into Jervis Bay to spend a few days at HMAS Creswell.
He heard about Esmeralda in April when a call went out for phase 2-3 midshipmen who would like to experience the traditions Esmeralda had to offer. “They couldn’t find anyone at that level,” he said.
“But my CO had just finished telling us stories about Esmeralda and a week later he got an email to see if he knew anyone that would like to go on board. I put my hand up and three weeks later I was there.”
Although SBLT McDonald doesn’t speak any Spanish, his sponsors on the ship, Andres Escobar and Matias Michelson-Boschaner, have a pretty good grasp of English. The 24 international officers onboard Esmeralda take part in all the same activities as their Chilean colleagues and the experience is also a unique cultural exchange program.
SBLT McDonald will be onboard Esmeralda until August when the ship docks in Busan.
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