Fourteen participants drawn from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Auxiliaries, the Special Services Unit (SSU), and the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) have successfully completed the rigorous Basic Seamanship Course 1 of 2026. The graduation ceremony, held on Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Coast Guard Base in Calliaqua, marked the culmination of an intensive six-week residential training program designed to sharpen foundational seamanship skills, operational discipline, and law enforcement readiness across the nation’s maritime domain.
Commencing on September 7, 2026, the comprehensive curriculum challenged participants across a wide spectrum of maritime disciplines. Trainees underwent rigorous instruction in nautical terminology, knots and splices, towing, anchoring, boat handling, helmsman and lookout duties, ship husbandry, navigation, survival at sea, firefighting, basic first aid, and damage control.
Additionally, the course integrated crucial legal and operational modules, including international maritime law, maritime law enforcement, use of force, the Powercraft Act, customs and immigration regulations, basic engineering troubleshooting, aids to navigation, international rules of the road for preventing collisions, and weapons familiarization. All 14 candidates successfully met or exceeded the demanding 83 percent passing standard.
A central highlight of the training was an intensive practical sea trial aboard the Coast Guard patrol vessel Captain Hugh Mulzac, which journeyed to St. Lucia and back. Under direct instructor supervision, trainees applied their classroom knowledge to real-world operational scenarios, taking full command of vessel navigation, helmsman duties, engine room checks, docking procedures, and onboard meal preparation.
Course Officer Sub Lieutenant Daniel commended the graduates for their perseverance, evoking the words of author Isaac Dinesen that “the cure for anything is salt water—sweat, tears, or the sea,” representing the hard work, sacrifice, and maritime dedication exhibited by the cohort.
The ceremony also celebrated two decades of institutional growth, marking 20 years since retired Commander James initiated the Coast Guard’s first basic seamanship course in 2006. Commissioner of Police Trevor Bailey praised the in-house coordination of the program, noting that conducting such high-caliber training locally proves that St. Vincent and the Grenadines possesses the internal expertise to build world-class security professionals.
Highlighting that the nation’s economic and security interests are deeply tied to its vast territorial waters, Commissioner Bailey charged the graduates to uphold the core values of integrity, loyalty, discipline, teamwork, and devotion to duty as guardians of the nation’s shores.
