Petty Officer 1st Class Dimitar Manolov: The Unique Experience of First Time Sailing

"This is my first time sailing and it's quite an opportunity as we haven't had a chance like this before. The experience is unique," Petty Officer 1st Class Dimitar Manolov told BTA. He is one of the 23 cadets of the Varna Naval Academy who joined the crew of the Antarctica-bound military research ship Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) from Varna to Cartagena, Spain.

A native of Yambol, Manolov is a third-year cadet at the Naval Academy.

He hopes that similar practices on NAVAL RSV 421 will be included in the academy training programs in the future. "During our watches on the bridge we learned a lot of things from the commander, the senior assistance commander, the navigator. From each of them we learned something new and different. Absorbing a little bit of first-hand information from the officers on board, more and more experience is gained," Manolov said.

He believes that the most valuable quality of a naval officer is to be self-confident so that he can apply what he has learned over the years in real situations without hesitation. Dimitar believes that such initiatives are of great benefit to the Bulgarian Navy and hopes they will become more frequent.

BTA's Daily News editor Konstantin Karagyozov is the only member of the media who is travelling on board the ship to Livingston Island and back, and will cover the Bulgarian expedition on site throughout the stay in Antarctica.

All media outlets can use the Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log for free.