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Hello, my name is Marjolaine Grenier. I work for the Coast Guard
Guard on the Samuel Risley as Senior, which is second engineer.
I am in charge of all maintenance for the engine room.
We look after the motors, pumps, compressors, all the bridge machinery and also the hotel services.
I have five people reporting to me to help me with maintenance, two engineers
and three engine room assistants.
On a daily basis, we try to carry out preventive maintenance
and we also repair anything that may have become broken or worn out during the day.
I joined the Coast Guard because I had always wanted to sail.
But I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, navigation or mechanics
or in fact if I was going to be a mechanical engineer.
When I saw a letter of offer for the Coast Guard College I decided to apply.
I studied for a year and did my first sea phase. I liked it and since then I’ve never looked back.
We are now escorting a freighter in approximately two meters of slush ice and debris.
This means that we have to keep a very close watch on the temperature of the incoming water
because it can freeze our sea water suction which can cause the vessel to break down.
When we have an escort, often in cases such as this
when it is a big bulk freighter having trouble getting through the ice,
if the freighter keeps on going and we are broken down, there will definitely be an accident.
The Samuel Risley is equipped with four engines of 2000 kilowatts each.
We usually use two for sailing or working on buoys,
but when we are in icebreaking mode we use four engines.
We need all the power we can get to push against the ice and the friction.
What is enjoyable with the Coast Guard is that we have an opportunity to do all kinds of different things.
I can do work in electronics, hydraulics, mechanics etc.
But not only that, there is the contact with other groups, watching the bridge crew
on buoys, seeing the way the Captain carries out icebreaking.
This is all very interesting to me. And then we meet all sorts of people from different backgrounds
who decided on this life because it’s not just a career, it’s a lifestyle decision.
When we are away, there are negatives because we are far from our families,
but the Coast Guard becomes a second family too.
The Coast Guard is more than a career. It’s an adventure!