Week 1 began with a whirlwind of activity for NORTHLAND! After saying goodbye to our friends and family, we set sail for the waters of District One, heading for New England. Our departure was one of mixed emotions, for as we were disappointed to be leaving behind our families, many looked upon this patrol with excitement. And exciting it most certainly has been so far! Our first day out to sea was packed with training, in the words of our Captain, “brushing off the verdigris.” After our very long inport time and a huge crew turnover, this day was a great opportunity to refresh and relearn. Among our drills, we included Man overboard training, fire drills and abandon ship training.

As we headed North, we rendezvoused with a helicopter and air crew from Air Station Atlantic City to conduct more training. The full day of evolutions resulted in a refresher for our old folks and 3 new qualifications. After the helo departed for the evening, our crew began to focus our attention and efforts on preparing for the plethora of boardings awaiting us up North.

Upon arriving in our primary patrol area, we jumped right into our Law Enforcement Operations. We were lucky enough to embark a shiprider from the Northeast Regional Fisheries Training Center, who greatly assisted in training our relatively new boarding teams. This week has been a hectic one, with all the training and LE Ops going on, but it has also been a fun one. As a cutter accustomed to Caribbean/counter-drug operations, this patrol is a unique opportunity for us to train and to experience new situations and areas. We are all looking forward to the adventure which awaits us in the upcoming weeks!