Time away

[Wilamanjaro]

Been considering OT for a little while. I am from Victoria and am getting tired of these plains. I have a wife and two dogs though and am just wondering, typically, how much time is spent at sea in a year?

Trades considering (and originally on my application, but you know how it is)
-Hull tech
-E Tech

 

[NavyShooter]

The honest answer is....it depends.

In 22 years, I've picked up almost 1300 days at sea. 

But.

Some years have been gogogo, with 8+ months off the wall.

Others, such as in a refit time, have been mostly alongside.

Sometimes you get a shore posting, and you'll be on land for a bit, but when a ship sails, and is short, they might come looking for you to backfill.

Note, the 1300 days is "Days at sea"....not days away from homeport.  Coming alongside in a foreign port for a weekend doesn't count as a sailing day, but you're still away from home.

The worst schedules are those in a trial period for a ship.  You're in and out, late, early, 3 days here, 5 days there, the plan changes if there's something that doesn't go right.

The times I prefer are the longer sails.  Give me a 6 month trip, let me get into a routine.  Let my family get into the routine of me being gone.

So....it all depends on what ship you're on.

NS

 

[dimsum]

Alternatively, if a posting on the coast is what you're looking for without the sailing, Comox is only 3 hours away.  There are pros and cons for each location/element, of course. 

 

[Electric Ian]

If you're looking into the ETech trade, plan on being gone and posted to a ship for the majority of your career. In my 23 years, I have 1700+ sea days and counting. I believe the HT trade is a little better with respect to sea/shore ratio, and there are a lot more shore positions for them particularly at the lower ranks. In the electrical trade, forget about a shore posting (other than courses) until you reach MS. Currently, the ET trade is severely short of people, that in itself lends to a lot of empty shore billets. IMO, it's the best trade in the Navy, but there are trade-offs.