Almost for Real

When James Cook was a boy he ran away to sea. Eventually he made captain after years of rough and tumble on sailing ships. In 2009 young New Zealand men and women planning a nautical career do so with the help of the latest ship simulator technology at the New Zealand Maritime School in Auckland.

First year student Nicole is dead set on becoming a captain within a decade. Tom and Jack have already spent several months serving on cruise ships as part of their training and are still bubbling about it. But they all must spend more time on the bridge simulator under the watchful eye of master mariner and instructor Kees Buckens.