Hey! I got bumped back to bosun! Sold my house in Michigan and moved back to bama. Currently at the luxurious Mariner motel in
Silver bay.MN. Waiting on the ship to arrive tommorow! I was on vacation …well packing stuff and driving 1400 miles. Next vacation is October. I found out I will get a 10% bonus in December based on how much I have earned for 2013. Fing sweet!
Ah, there you are. Thought you had fell off the earth!
[QUOTE=Swampfox;114502]Ah, there you are. Thought you had fell off the earth![/QUOTE]
YEAH! I was wondering the same thing? Hey Reb, while you’ve been gone dyaknow that I got me an M54A2 5 ton 6x6 the other day? The world is suddenly awash in great old Army trucks for great prices. Right now the DoD is disposing of all M923 and M925 trucks. You can pick up a sweet one for $4-5K!
Gonna turn my “Double Deuce” into a replica Gun Truck from Nam
Well, not really but I could! She is a perfect candidate but where the hell would I get the armament? That’s why I need you there Reb. Come in Raven Leader…Talk to me Johnny!
HELLO!!!
On my 2 month vacation! Damm ice and sub-zero temps were brutal!!! Off till mid-march gotta love the lakes. I was picked up for FULLTIME in Dec. Working as a Watchman (on deck) good job great pay what’s not to love?
*** got an EXTRA 5% bonus (total 15%) for working in the crap cold *** 
I earned EVERY dime!
There he is. Glad it is all working out good for you. And the old quote that I loved when working in Alaska, “That which doesn’t kill you, …”. It will at least make for some damn good stories.
Just a quick update. Still working for (ASC) Liberty Steamship on the Amercian Courage… Was Promoted to Bosun (DUAL) Iam now the deck leader. Just got home Sunday and am off till mid march/early april. We hauled 2,440.000+ TONS of cargo during the 2014 season. Our total loads for the season was OVER 126. I worked a total for 250 days and made + 65k. Pretty good for an Alabama redneck who did not graduate from high school. Don’t like the damm cold though and workboat docks suck! Lake Erie is freezing up we got stuck in the ice for several days.A 120 hour trip took two weeks.
If you travel up and down the cuyhoga river we put a sign up on one of the abuttments near the stone dock. (Osborne) “No Luck,All Skill Amercian Courage” Now time to kick back, deer,turkey hunt, fish and ride my electroglide and goto Mardi Gras!
Where in the HELL have you been man? You have been AWOL ever since Operation Liquidate Uniblab…we were counting on you to man those twin 50’s on the c.captain Merc Marquis Stealthmobile and the entire mission had to be scrubbed. Fraq was lucky to be able to get out alive! You got some serious splaining to do mister!
of course that old fart Sweat-n-Grease did the same as well as his brother Spike. Some “A Team” I ended up with…
oops! Sorry :-). On Vacation for a few months now. Gotta love the lakes. Just filed for my UC thru new york… paid vacation. Damm it’s good to be me. I was on the ship laughing at the “noobs” that were gonna go down south and strike it rich in the swamp. The great lakes must be the best kept secret in sailing. Shuush!!!
Still in the GL. Landed a full time job as the Bosun on a non-union boat. Socking 700 a month in my 401k hope to retire by 2030. On vacation this month till Aug. Very happy. 
Well. I just got my stuff out of continuity. I was working abroad under a foreign license. I am finishing advanced fire fighting and right after that, I’ll be getting my II/3 stcw renewed. I’ve got a PIC (DL) for tankbarges but according to the CG I need two loads and two discharges in order to pull the PIC out of continuity. I’ve got a 200 with Master of Towing Vessels Near Coastal. I’ve been in the industry for about 16 years and recently, I was working in Brazil. I would deeply appreciate the help. I worked for Moran and McAllister in Philadelphia back when they were union. I did work for K-Sea transportation as well.
Thank you all and God bless.
Tugboat jobs are hard to find these days (too many oil patch refugees, and tug and barge transport if off), but if you are persistent and not too selective you can find jobs.
You can find someplace to get a couple of loads and discharges to get your tankerman. That would be an advantage.
It’s also possible to use simulator time for one or maybe two loads and discharges. There are a few schools with tankerman simulators.
Ain’t that the truth.
Thanks for the reply brother. Yeah, I just finished a whole bunch of courses and requirements in order to get my stuff out of continuity. That was a hustle but it’s over with.
Really?! Could you name some of them? Thanks.
The NMC website is not working to show approved courses.
However, Star Center in Florida,and Northeast Maritime in Florida are two schools. The Tankerman simulator courses count for two loads and discharges, plus satisfy the training and exam requirements.
I seem to recall that several other schools also offer a tankerman simulator course. You might call one of the USCG RECs and ask them.
These days the USCG required courses never end. Nor do the additional courses that many companies require.
I just had a company HR staffer tell me that my application cannot be considered until I take another First Aid/CPR/AED course. It does not matter that I have all required USCG STCW certification and superior medical training, including USCG STCW Medical Care Provider. Employers want whatever they think might sounds good and HR staff works off a checklist.
The courses (and unreimbursed cash out of pocket expenses) are endless.
Thanks a bunch for the info. I do appreciate your attention.
It’s getting crazy isn’t it? I don’t know what’s coming next but eventually they will have to bring it back to onboard training because people will have to spend their off time in school in order to renew their stuff it seems.