Man thanks a bunch for all the advice.

I'm very lucky to work for a captain right now who is very capable but at the same time is very willing to let me get into trouble and back out of it again with the company's boat. It certainly gives me the willies to have 40+ lives pretty much in my hands, but I feel like in the long run it will give me more confidence when there isn't somebody to turn to.

How did you learn to overcome ugly situations where you weren't sure what to do?

IE Did you become more skillful, understand the limits of your vessel better, gain confidence.....?