OP REGULUS Chile Post Deployment Report
Host Country - Chile, BRS SLIGHT	Dates Participated - 09 Feb -10 Jul 13
Participant - SLt Gilmore, Blair		Home Unit - NOTC Venture
Occupation - MARS			Postion Filled - OOW
General
	I spent five months in various Chilean locations while participating in  OP REGULUS. For the first 4 weeks the 6 participants in our group attended language training in Vina Del Mar. After that, I proceeded to my Chilean ship's homeport of Puerto Montt. I was assigned originally to a patrol ship in Puerto Montt but mistakenly was sent to BRS SLIGHT, a buoy tender which was north in Tacahuano. I caught a bus with the XO of the ship and caught up with it in dry dock. Upon arriving, my Captain had me start on a Spanish 'Know Your Ship' package with a test scheduled for 3 weeks later. I was left to  my own devices to explore the ship and to get to know its systems and equipment.
	After 2 weeks we finally left drydock and began work by the nearby island of Quirquiri of setting some new buoys for a naval fuelling depot. This work took about 2 weeks to complete and then it was time to head south to Puerto Montt. The trip was uneventful and we reached Puerto Montt on 15 April.
	From 15 Apr to 21 May, the ship and her crew participated in annual work-up drills and routine maintenace. The crew went through numerous boat and fire drills and was eventually tested on their readiness. This period of training lasted until the Chilean Naval Day of 21 May. After that, the ship was scheduled for a 'commission' south to the Punta Arenas area on a month long buoy tending trip. We departed Puerto Montt 22 May, travelled mostly through the canals (fjords) of Southern Chile tending and replacing buoys and resupplying lighthouses along the way. Extreme weather was an issue at times. It affected the ship's work and our return to Puerto Montt was delayed until 06 Jul, whereupon I departed the ship and began the journey back to Canada.
Logistics, Planning, Execution
	I was literally a last second addition to this Op REGULUS rotation. The FDC bent over backwards to get my travel documents and DAG process finalized in the two weeks I had before leaving and they should be commended. The flights down to and within Chile went well. We were always met at the airport or dropped off by Chiliean Navy personnel. In Vina Del Mar, all six of us were put up in one room. It was a little cramped but manageable for the 4 weeks. Chilean naval food was a bit of an issue. Breakfast is Nescafe coffee and toast. The main meals of lunch and supper are served at 1230 and 1930. They are generally smaller portion sizes and heavy on poor cuts of meats, lots of starch and almost non-existent fruits and vegetables. We supplemented our diets with store bought food, eating out and multivitamins. The water country-wide did not seem to cause any intestinal issues. 
	Laundry is an issue. In Vina del Mar, we had to walk 30 minutes into town to drop off clothing to an overnight service. There are no irons or ironing boards available on base or the ships. I would recomend buying irons once you arrive. Even with a convertor, the iron I had brought burnt out. In Puerto Montt, an overnight laundry service is located close to the barracks. The ships have washers and dryers but generally don't work.
	There were no issues with travelling within the country. We were set up with Chilean Naval ID's in Vina del Mar and these were sufficient ID on any transport within Chile.
	As previously mentioned, I was supposed to be assigned to another ship other then SLIGHT. The mistake wasn't rectified so I just remained aboard. I was given a cabin of my own with its own head and a small refrigerator. There were no issues on board with accomodations. While in Puerto Montt though, it was a couple of weeks before accomodations were finally sorted out and I had a bunk of my own. Also in Puerto Montt, it was a bit of an issue getting back and forth from barracks to the ship. You either had to flag someone down with a car who was headed your way or take a crowded city bus for a dollar. Walking was an option but it took approximately 45 minutes.
	The only really bad logistical hiccup was at the Santiago Airport on the way back  to Canada. We had contacted the Canadian Foreign Liason office in Santiago about the fact that our 90 day visas were going to expire while in-country. The resolution to the issue was to show up to the airport, possibly pay a small fine and things would be fine. Instead, at the airport we were told that we would have to go downtown to get the visas renewed and we could not leave the countrty until then. After calling every number we could think of to ask for help, we eventually gained permission through the Chilean Navy to leave the country but we had missed our flight. Sgt Henry of the FDC in Ottawa came to our rescue and rebooked flights for us for the next day. There were no issues after that.
	As for communication, in general there are WIFI hotspots in the barracks and towns. I found Skyping was a cheap, effective way to keep in contact with people back in Canada. Setting up a cell phone in country was another option that was available. Mailing parcels and letters back to Canada was easy and reliable from most major centers. Receiving mail would have been difficult. One parcel was sent to us but never received and it was difficult to pin down exact addresses of where the ships would be.
	Banking was not too difficult especially if you have a Scotia Bank account. Every major center had at least one Scotia branch which saved on banking fees if you wanted pesos. It cost about $10 per withdrawal if you wanted to carry cash. Most businesses took Visa but if you wanted to shop the smaller markets, they took Chilean pesos.  Before departing Canada, make sure your bank understands that there will be charges in Chile. A couple of the guys had their accounts frozen and it was almost impossible to fix the situation from down there. 1-800 numbers for North America do not work from Chile.
Personnel Assessment
- the language barrier was the single biggest reason for the majority of challenges with this deployment
- 4 weeks of 'resort' spanish with a bit of 'naval' spanish thrown in at the end did not prepare me adequately to function on board an all Spanish vessel
- other than 40 days of sea time, there was little value for me to gain while with BRS SLIGHT. I could not participate in drills and generally there was no plans to include me. There was no training plan for me other than being given a list of OOW prerequisites and told to do them. There was no guidance, no English references and very little help.
Recommendations
- Start learning Spanish early! Personel could be selected with language abilities in mind ahead of time. There could be at least one dedicated English speaker on board their ship. While in home port, a portion of the week could be spent with a proper Spanish tutor. We could have more study resources made available. Anything would be better then the unhelpful directive of 'You must learn Spanish'.
- We should not be farmed out to buoy tenders and hydrography vessels. The tasks that I was asked to do could have been done by a MARS III student. And although somewhat interesting, buoy tending is pretty boring to continously watch when you have no duties.
- There should have been more of a plan to involve me in the operations of the ship but with the language barrier and the crew being too busy with work-ups there was not much for me to do and no one willing or able to help me.