Who's navigating? Shaping dreams into reality; making the most of life at sea

In this series, The Navigator speaks to current navigational personnel about their motivations, careers to date and thoughts for the future. Under the spotlight this issue is Company Cadet Training Officer, Eldine Chilembo.

Name: Eldine Chilembo AMNI
Current position: Company Cadet Training Officer
Training: S3 and S4 for Mates and Masters, Cape University of Technology, South Africa

What interested you in a career at sea?
My country, Angola, has a booming oil industry but not much of a maritime culture. At first, I hoped to break down the barriers that prevented women from moving forward in a male-dominated industry. Then I realised just how much I enjoyed the maritime industry.

What is the most enjoyable part of your working life?
Although my career is shore-based, I spend a lot of time on vessels, monitoring the progress of cadets. I love interacting with the crew. There is so much diversity and so many opportunities to exchange experience and techniques.

What do you enjoy most about working with cadets?
Having been a cadet myself not so long ago, I understand the struggles and challenges they might be facing as they try to shape their dreams into reality. It’s also very fulfilling, especially when I visit a vessel to check on the progress of a cadet and get good reviews from the Captain and crew. It’s nice to see them determined to get to the top.

What are the most important points for young cadets/navigators to remember?
Discipline is always at the top of my list. Life at sea has its social, physical and mental challenges and cadets who are just starting off have a lot to deal with. They need to get used to being away from home for long periods, being isolated and learning to understand different characters. This can only be made easy by staying focused on what they wish to achieve.

How has membership of The Nautical Institute helped you in your career?
I get great advice from a lot of the experienced minds out there. I have an opportunity to interact with people who are just as dedicated to the work they do, and to solving the problems we face as practicing and non-practicing mariners. I especially enjoy the discussions taking place in the NI groups on the various social websites.

Have you ever experienced mentoring at sea, or been a mentor? How important is this to the future of the industry and why?
I have had the privilege of being mentored by great and experienced captains, right from the time I joined the industry. They encouraged and advised me. They saw the potential in me to succeed and helped nurture it. Every cadet needs to find a person in the industry whom they wish to emulate, and grow under their guidance.

What do you think are the greatest challenges for future navigators?
As a training officer, it worries me that very little time is spent training the new additions to the industry. It is a challenge to encourage some officers to take a cadet under their wing. Not only is it an obligation for masters to train, it also ensures that experience is passed down to young minds. With less time devoted to training, more and more officers are graduating into the industry with less