Sea Year Gear

Hi. I'm an incoming cadet for the class of 2020, and am very excited to start my time at the USMMA. My parents and I are looking at things to buy for sea year, and one of the "necessities" is a watch.

I have looked at the G-Shock series of watches, but they seem very cluttered with features. I have also looked at the Wenger (Swiss Army) "Sea Force" watch, which has a sapphire crystal and is WR up to 200m. Does anybody have any reviews/opinions or even other ideas for watches that would be good to bring along on sea year?

Thanks in advance.

There's another "Watch thread" somewhere - search for it (it's for USAFA but could be applicable). I always like the Timex 1440 sport generic watches. Handles almost anything (I wore it swimming several times a week) and is <$15, so replacing it is cheap. Casio's sport watches are similar. Both offer alarms, timer, stopwatch, back-light, and a 2d time zone. And the time.

Does the watch have to be a certain color? Also, does it have to be gshock?

phlyBOY8 said:

Hi. I'm an incoming cadet for the class of 2020, and am very excited to start my time at the USMMA. My parents and I are looking at things to buy for sea year, and one of the "necessities" is a watch.

I have looked at the G-Shock series of watches, but they seem very cluttered with features. I have also looked at the Wenger (Swiss Army) "Sea Force" watch, which has a sapphire crystal and is WR up to 200m. Does anybody have any reviews/opinions or even other ideas for watches that would be good to bring along on sea year?

Thanks in advance.

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I wouldn't spend too much on a watch. It's probably going to be beat up pretty good at sea anyway [especially if you're an engineer]. Just get a cheap one that has a lighted face and alarm feature and you'll be good to go. Tell mom and dad to spend their money getting you some good oilskins [Grundens are a favorite of mine] and for go bringing the KP issued stuff. A multi-tool is also another good item that they can get you. I like the Leatherman, but there are other makes that will suffice. Plebe year isn't a cakewalk, so you might tell your folks to at least hold off until you get past recognition before they purchase any of this stuff..

Also a light box for some of the sketch work you will have to do while on ship.

Kinda early to think about Sea Year gear, to be honest. . . . take it one step at a time. . . I know for my Sea Year, I am glad I had a cheap watch. . . I lost one somewhere in Manila. . . kinda know where. . .these days I don't even wear a watch. . . smart phones kind of make them redundant and I found that onboard there are clocks in just about every space. . . will need to know the time when ashore, though. . . . I am leaning toward engine, but a couple good pairs of coveralls is essential. Not sure what KP is issuing these days, but make sure that they are cotton and if you take the KP ones, might want to take off some patches. Pens, pencils and note pads. . . not sure a light box is really necessary, but if you need one, it can be made with stuff found onboard. . . I always try to keep what I pack to a minimum. When I was sailing, I used an old green sea bag I got from the surplus store. Now, if I have to spend some time offshore, I bring a medium sized bag with about three days worth of clothes and just to laundry. Multitool? Sure, why not. . . I used to travel with a pair of channel locks until I found out how badly they can knurl a bolt head. . . . but can be handy in a pinch. Most tools you need will already be on board. Oh, and back to the cotton coveralls. . . besides the comfort, there is a safety factor. I remember a fellow alumni that got badly burned from a boiler front fire. She was wearing some polyester coveralls and they melted and burned her skin pretty badly. . . . just a thought. . .

No Sea Year without Plebe Year, don’t get ahead of yourself.

If you end up going engine I wouldn’t spend my money on retail clothes. Buy 3-5 sets of old clothes at Goodwill or Salvation Army, then just toss them on your way back to KP.

A watch seems superfluous … shipboard life revolves around coffee time and meal time. There will be a clock in both the wheelhouse and Engine Control room so you are good either way.

A good multi-tool can be useful but make sure you are using the right tool for the job. Don't rely on the multi tool just to save you trips to the workshop and end up stripping bolts or screws in the process. And don’t let the Chief catch you with channellocks in your pocket.

When packing for sea year, lay out everything you think you need then put half of it back. You will still overpack.

Okay. Thank you for all of the ideas. I know Sea Year is a while away for me, but I just can't wait for it!