Optimism and burpees: How the crew of HMCS Calgary got ready for deployment
Lt Jeff KlassenHMCS Calgary PAO––In late January and early February, the crew of HMCS Calgary were quarantining at a local hotel in preparation of their upcoming seven-month Operation Artemis and Operation Projection deployment to the Asia-Pacific region and Middle Eastern waters.For much of the crew, this will be their first deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means significantly curtailed foreign port visits.The quarantine process, although a necessary measure to keep people healthy, came with its own frustrations. For a crew that will be away for over half the year, having to spend more time away from home confined to a single room was difficult. Everyone found their own ways of staying busy and remaining virtually connected to family and friends.––Sailor Second Class (S2) Matthew Jones, Marine TechnicianFrom Port Moody, BC“With the internet and all the technology we have today, quarantining isn’t really isolating,” says S2 Jones, who spent his quarantine reading and video-chatting with his girlfriend.“Our team does daily check-ins and there are Facebook group chats. I wouldn’t say it’s a blast, but it’s fine,” he said.Over the last year, Calgary has spent a lot of time training with various workups and exercises dating back to spring 2020. All that training has made him eager to deploy.“Even with all the challenges of COVID, even if we don’t do many port visits, this deployment has been long in the coming, so I’m very upbeat about the whole thing.”[caption id="attachment_25300" align="aligncenter" width="400"] S2 Matthew Jones read Lord of the Rings while in quarantine.[/caption]Captain (Capt) Eric Jurski,CH-148 Cyclone PilotFrom Mississauga, ON In 2020, Capt Jurski completed his Cyclone pilot training during the COVID-19 pandemic, so now he’s pretty well-adapted to the quarantine process. “I spent a good chunk of this pandemic in the Shearwater shacks isolating and just working out, so this is kind of a walk in the park for me. After working out, reading, looking over notes, and calling friends and family, it’s pretty easy to kill a whole day,” he said....