What Do I Bring on an USCGC Eagle Voyage?
My inappropriate "monster duffle" was too big
no matter how you slice it (fills the entire trunk)
no matter how you slice it (fills the entire trunk)
If you have been lucky enough to be chosen as guest crew aboard the USCGC Eagle, one of the first things you realize is the quandary on what to pack. My first trip I brought a four foot duffle bag stuffed to the gills. On my second trip I packed almost perfectly based on my previous experience. I've been wanted to share this experience with others as I met many people who certainly could have used the advice.
The XO when communicating with you will send you a link to the Welcome Pack that contains some suggestions on what to wear and some essential items to pack. Let's look at that first.
Excerpts from the latest USCGC Eagle Welcome Pack (2013)
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PAPERWORK FIRST
There are two documents at the end of this booklet that must be completed prior to embarking EAGLE: the Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement, and the USCGC EAGLE Medical Questionnaire. Upon initialing and signing the Liability and Indemnity Agreement and receiving a signed medical opinion that you are fit to embark in EAGLE, you are eligible to sail. The medical form must be scanned and e-mailed to my executive officer at least two weeks prior to sailing. If you wish to go aloft, you must also have a medical opinion that you are fit to climb. The Executive Officer will meet with all guests immediately after Quarters prior to sailing. In addition to welcoming all guests and providing additional safety information, the Executive Officer will request and review these documents. Please do not forget these forms and take the time to fill them out. If they are not complete, you will not be permitted to sail.
APPROPRIATE CLOTHING AND MISCELLANEOUS:
a. You should bring comfortable, casual clothing to wear while aboard, including a pair of deck shoes, tennis shoes or comparable soft-soled shoes. Keep in mind that it is often cooler on the ocean than ashore and you should bring an appropriate foul weather jacket as well as a set of rain gear.
b. We request you refrain from cutoff or worn clothing. Collared and uncollared shirts are both appropriate, but T-shirts with inappropriate slogans are not. When dining in either the wardroom or cabin, collared shirts shall be worn.
c. If you like to read, you may wish to bring a few books, although we do have a small “nautical theme” library on board. Plan to bring a towel, a bath robe, pajamas, toiletries, shower shoes, sun screen, and any medications you will need. Linen for your rack will be provided. No alcoholic beverages please.
d. All guests shall bring two forms of picture identification. If you are on board while EAGLE is proceeding to/from a foreign port, ensure that one of the IDs is a passport. If your name in the welcome aboard letter does not match the spelling on your ID, please bring it to the Executive Officer’s attention upon embarking.
STORAGE:
b. A locker is provided for stowage of your personal gear, and I'm sure you are aware that at sea, things often don't stay put unless they are properly secured. You should therefore keep items (such as cameras) stowed when not in use. We also ask that you make your rack each day and keep your quarters shipshape, in accordance with seagoing custom. Bring enough clothing to last at least a week. To conserve our limited fresh water, you will only be able to do laundry if we are at sea for more than a week. Our ship's MAA will develop a laundry schedule for you to follow.
HEALTH:
a. We will always have a hospital corpsman in EAGLE, and normally a medical officer as well. If you have any medical conditions of which we should be aware, please see one of them as soon as possible after you come aboard. They can also provide you with anti-motion sickness medication.
PAYMENT:
- MEALS & PAYMENTS: Once aboard, you will be dining with your host. For family of crew and cadets, you will dine primarily on the messdeck, and may be invited to dine once or twice in the wardroom or cabin depending on schedules. Guests of officers will eat in the wardroom and possibly with the Captain in the cabin, depending on space availability. You will be charged $12.00 for meals and various consumables for each night you stay on board. You will need to make your payment upon arrival, during the in-briefing. Payments should be made by personal check payable to "EAGLE Special Projects.” Credit cards will not be accepted.
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What you may really need
What you need to pack depends entirely on what kind of guest crew you are. If you are working crew (like TSA trainers), then you will need more than the guests who are invited as a courtesy (like crew parents). You are provided with a small half locker and an better sized area underneath your bunk for unpacking. If there are other free bunks in your berth, it's ok to use them. Still try to use the rule of thumb to not pack too much.
So let's summarize what the USCG says you should pack:
Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement and the USCGC EAGLE Medical Questionnaire
Two forms of picture identification
Deck shoes
Appropriate foul weather jacket
Set of rain gear
Collared and uncollared shirts (not t-shirts with inappropriate slogans)
Bring a few books
Towel
Bath robe
Pajamas
Toiletries
Shower shoes
Sun screen
Any medications
Personal check payable to "EAGLE Special Projects.”
In a later email, the XO suggested also bringing steel toe boots. If you want to enter the engine room at any time, you will not be allowed to enter without these.
Comments on the suggested list with some of my own
USCG crew in their fair weather uniform
CLOTHES:
The clothes you wear give an immediate impression on the guests but more importantly the crew. How you present yourself to them for that first impression and onward is important.
As a guest, you almost always have one lunch or dinner with the Captain. Bring at least one set of clothes for that meal. A collared shirt and slacks if possible. If you want to make a good impression, bring short (polo) and long sleeve collared shirts to wear daily. Remember, you are here among a full USCG crew that has to wear their uniform all the time. I brought t-shirts only to sleep in and for "Daywork" (galley, scullery etc...). Due to some good friends, I always wore a coast guard polo or navy blue collared shirts.
A hat is never mentioned, everyone wears one. In fair weather, you should wear a ball cap. In cold weather, you should wear a wool cap. In fair weather I always wore a ball cap that had my ships (The Friendship) logo on it so I could show who I was representing. In cold weather I always wore a wool watch cap. Some guests wore a USCG ball cap. You will need a lanyard for your ball cap if you want to wear it aloft. Note: You can NOT wear any official USCG uniform items unless you are USCG. These are not easy to obtain for the public so most things you find USCG online should be fine.
Shoes are arguably the most important items on this list. I prefer a good set of hard boots for extended periods of time going aloft while some sailors prefer soft shoes for it. This time around I compared what the USCG crew wears daily and picked up a similar pair of steel toed, water proof boots. Despite the soft soled shoes I brought, I wore these most of the voyage.
Thermal garments - If you're traveling through cold weather, be sure to bring some thermal undergarments. I found some thermals that are thin, light and keep moisture from the body. I would wear multiple layers of this depending on how cold it would be. Even on warm trips some nights get unusually cold on the water so it's always good to pack a set anyway.
Socks - Seems silly to mention them but if you end up traveling through bad weather, you won't regret bringing some extra dry ones. For really cold weather, warm wool ones are great!
Gloves - If traveling through snow, be sure to bring warm gloves or you're going to have one heck of a long WoD. I brought leather rigging gloves (no fingers) which was good for the cool but not cold nights. My cold weather gloves are waterproof and warm.
Foul weather gear - Always have a good rain coat and a separate warm/light(depending on the weather) coat. A set of foulies that has a separate rain coat is perfect. However you will want another type of coat for regular weather.
Pajamas and bath robe? I never brought either. You should know that many of the berths are located forward of the mess deck and the only public WC is located aft of it. On both of my trips, I was located in the forward berths which meant traveling a few hundred feet just to use the WC. This is important because you are not allowed to travel through the mess deck in a towel or other inappropriate clothing. So to get to your shower, wearing a robe would be considered inappropriate. So unless you want to go up to the waist and then walk aft to get to the shower, bring some "shower clothes" such as nice shorts and a t-shirt. I certainly couldn't imagine walking the deck in a robe or pajamas....
As a quick aside, please do not be that guest who decides to almost never shower or not even shower at all. Plan on showering daily if possible. I would often take my showers before or right after a late shift to minimize hassle. Believe me, people will notice.
One last suggestion on clothes. Check the weather before you leave for the port you're leaving from to the port you are going to. My first voyage had me traveling from a snow storm to incredibly warm weather. Even in fair weather, the USCG crew still has a minimum casual uniform to wear. They do NOT wear shorts (ok, except to the shower). Always long pants and boots. So if traveling to warm weather, bring some light pants such as thin jeans. I decided to do what I could to not stick out like a sore thumb.
OTHER ITEMS:
"Bring a few books" seems almost laughable if you're one of the working guest crew. You're schedule will be hard and leisure time at a minimum. However if you need something to read to go to sleep, I suggest bringing a tablet. That way you can entertain yourself without taking up a lot of room. My iPad has hundreds of books loaded on it and I couldn't resist reading a little "Captains Courageous" while aboard.
That also falls into loading music or movies. You are NOT allowed to wear headphones on deck. You can certainly listen to music on the mess deck or in your berth. I used my iPad for reading, writing, music and games. You will very rarely be in range of a cellular signal so make sure everything you want is preloaded. Try NOT to bring a laptop. You will find it hard to find a safe place to stow it.
"They can also provide you with anti-motion sickness medication.". Most seasoned sailors know that once you get seasick, there is no pill to take to eliminate the nausea once it starts. Many of the OC's got sick and reported to the M.O finding all they got for help was "suck it up!". So if you're afraid you might get sick, be sure to bring some "Bonine". It doesn't get you drowsy and is very effective. As a rule of thumb I always start a trip eating light until I get my sea legs back. I might take one or two at the beginning of the trip to be safe. I also made a lot of friends when I passed out the extra Bonine I had with me to the OC's.
HOW TO ACT:
This one is tougher to pin down but I believe the key word here is "respect". Don't go there trying to impress or make it a one man show. For instance the crew still talks about a guest who did nothing but constantly sing sea chanties, even at dinner. There are appropriate times for certain activities and fun so try to be aware of the other crew.
When you are wondering how to act, look to how the permanent crew is behaving. If they are quiet and tight lipped, they're probably doing it because of military etiquette. If everyone is saluting an officer, show some respect and do the same.
If you have come aboard to be with the working guest crew, then work! You are there to teach and impart your own sailing experience to a less experienced crew. You won't do so by standing on the side lines or locked away in your berth. More importantly you are setting an example to the USCG Eagle officers of just how valuable a guest crew can be. There has been talk of a few guest crew who used it more of a vacation than as a learning and teaching experience. That type of behavior endangers the entire guest crew program and could ruin it for future crew.
OTHER THINGS I SUGGEST:
There are plenty of things that make you slap your head "d'oh!" after you're aboard. Here are some necessities I found I wanted:
Duffle bag with shoulder straps - I bought a large duffle from an Army/Navy store that you could carry as a bag or wear as a back pack. Sometimes you will have to carry your duffle a loonnngggg way to get on or off the ship. Having it double as a backpack is worth it. DO NOT bring luggage! You will not have a place to store it as it will need to roll up.
Sunglasses - Make sure you bring sunglasses with a lanyard strap. This should be listed under necessary equipment.
Small red flashlight - Only thing you can use at night on deck so you do not effect anyones night vision.
Watch - The last trip they outlawed cell phones during the voyage so I felt a bit conspicuous whenever I brought it out to check the time. Get a good all weather watch. Remember per the USCG saying if you get there on time, you're late. I did use my iPhone alarm to wake me early for my shifts.
Blunt rigging knife - If you're going to work the rigging at all, then you should only bring a blunt ended rigging knife. The teak deck is insured for $40 million so you can understand this requirement. Again, make sure it has a lanyard...
Ear plugs - The MO has a dispenser outside medical for the engineering crew when going below. I suggest bringing your own for sleeping because it's a steel ship and it's noisy. You also have no idea who in your berth snores loud enough to wake the dead so you won't regret it.
Chain for rings - You are not allowed to wear jewelry aloft so if you don't want to keep taking off those rings, get them on a chain under your shirt.
Hair gel and hair ties - Remember that you are on a USCG ship. Any long hair is put up out of the way. As a guest you are not required to but why flaunt it?
Camera with lanyard - Almost nothing goes aloft without a lanyard. You are allowed to bring a camera aloft as long as it has one. I bought a specialized lanyard for my iPhone that worked great.
Quarters for soda - While the meals and drinks you are provided are great, they normally do not have soda. If you prefer to get your caffeine kick from soda, be sure to bring plenty of quarters for the soda machine. I got a soda a day and also gave quarters to friends who did not have any. The soda machine does accept dollar bills but you never know if those will work.
Cash for ships store - They open the ships store at least once a week. My first trip they had Eagle ball caps, t-shirts, collared shirts, Christmas ornaments, engraved zippos, coffee mugs, travel cups, stickers, candy etc... On my second trip the selection was much less but still worth having a few bucks on me. If I had bought everything I wanted to on the first trip, I probably would have spent $150. You should probably have $75 or so and don't forget cash for a taxi when you get to port!
Suggested Sites for Clothes/Equipment
Here are some sites that I found were extremely helpful for getting the things I needed or wanted:
MyBunjee.com - Lanyards made for just about any phone
www.mybunjee.com
Army Barracks Army/Navy store - Where I manage to find the perfect duffle
http://www.armybarracks.com
West Marine - Got some incredibly expensive foulies here on sale for an amazing price. Also picked up a red flashlight and blunt rigging knife.
http://www.westmarine.com
Soldier City - Where a friend picked up a warm USCG coat
http://www.soldiercity.com
Cafe Press - Navy USCG Polo's (don't get white!)
http://www.cafepress.com
Military boots direct - Where I picked up my black steel toed water proof boots
www.MilitaryBootsDirect.com
Picked up my thermals on Amazon - 2 of Duofold Men's Mid Weight Single-Layer Thermal Tagless Crew, Black, Large and 2 of Duofold Varitherm Men's Mid Weight Thermal Bottom, Black, Large
as well as Bonine and long sleeved navy blue shirts Port Authority Long Sleeve Twill Shirt (S600T) X-Large Classic Navy
www.amazon.com
So that's it, I hope you find this information useful!
Fair winds and following seas!
MyBunjee.com - Lanyards made for just about any phone
www.mybunjee.com
Army Barracks Army/Navy store - Where I manage to find the perfect duffle
http://www.armybarracks.com
West Marine - Got some incredibly expensive foulies here on sale for an amazing price. Also picked up a red flashlight and blunt rigging knife.
http://www.westmarine.com
Soldier City - Where a friend picked up a warm USCG coat
http://www.soldiercity.com
Cafe Press - Navy USCG Polo's (don't get white!)
http://www.cafepress.com
Military boots direct - Where I picked up my black steel toed water proof boots
www.MilitaryBootsDirect.com
Picked up my thermals on Amazon - 2 of Duofold Men's Mid Weight Single-Layer Thermal Tagless Crew, Black, Large and 2 of Duofold Varitherm Men's Mid Weight Thermal Bottom, Black, Large
as well as Bonine and long sleeved navy blue shirts Port Authority Long Sleeve Twill Shirt (S600T) X-Large Classic Navy
www.amazon.com
So that's it, I hope you find this information useful!
Fair winds and following seas!