# Familarization vs Proficiency **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [September 3, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/familarization-vs-proficiency/77234 "2026-09-03T13:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pwrmariner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pwrmariner](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/pwrmariner)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/familarization-vs-proficiency/77234/1 "2026-09-03T13:27:10Z")
Signing onto a ship you have never sailed on before, especially as a licensed officer can have someone full of Anxiety. Lifeboats / Davit systems, been on over 10 different ships. Always a different davit system. Life boats, some are easy to change the fuel and some leave you scratching your head at whoever designed such garbage. Engine room plants, a whole assortment of various machinery. Most of the time, is different that your last ship. While mariners can step onboard and get familar and be competent to operate a plant with a brief turnover. There is a difference between that level of “familiarized” vs Proficient. Example, you move into a new house and while your familiar with where all the light switches are. You may stumble around looking for a light switch. After awhile though you just instinctively know where all the light switched are and could find them all blind folded. Has anyone ever signed on a ship and felt like the expectation demanded that you be at a proficiency level, when by all realistic practical measures any person could only be at a familiar level ? ---
**Author:** ![Hornblower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@Hornblower](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Hornblower)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/familarization-vs-proficiency/77234/2 "2026-09-03T17:51:56Z")
It’s always fun when a bunch of newbies join a couple of days before a Port State Inspection. ---
**Author:** ![pwrmariner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pwrmariner](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/pwrmariner)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/familarization-vs-proficiency/77234/3 "2026-09-03T18:03:25Z")
it is even more fun to be the newbie, joining a ship. The first time starting the lifeboat in front of the captain, chief engineer, and a few inspectors. Then after successfully getting the vessel through the inspections. Get transferred to a different ship only to have to do the process again