For those of you working on tugs, why did you choose this path, as opposed to working on larger boats?
If you like working on tugs, why?
If you don’t like working on tugs, why?
I haven’t worked on a tug yet and am wondering from the guys actually working there what they like/dislike about their “office”…rather than be one of those youngins’ that says they know they want to and doesn’t have the slightest idea, I figure it best to ask open questions with an open mind.
Thanks
I like handling the boat and whatever we are moving manually, all boat handling skill with no reliance on software. Playing the elements to my advantage whenever possible. I like the oh shit crap my pants moments, although we keep them to a minimum, they happen. Slight of hand springline tricks, stuff like that.
In Addition I like short hitches and crewchange normally within a few hours drive from home. Having a small crew is great too. Easier to run a trouble maker off the boat and keep a solid crew when there are only a hand full of guys.
The lack of crazy company/customer policies is nice too. I carry a sharp knife, where flipflops, and don’t need ear plugs and goggles to go out on deck.
My family has done tugs from grandfather, father, uncles. Most of them ended up working on the ferry but all started on tugs. I like the short rotations compared to deep sea, the pay. I like the work and boatman skills it takes to do the job. Real boat handling.
thanks for the insights! In this industry, what is considered “short” rotations? I am coming from fishing…so I am not sure how it is working in other sectors.
1,2,3 weeks on and off
From a deckhand’s perspective, I enjoyed tugs immensely when I worked on them.
I had a stint as an AB towing dump scows. I enjoyed throwin lines, spider-monkeying up and down barges, making/breaking tow…very physical and fun, for me.
Then later, I did ship assist…definately less physical, but I never got bored watching a good tractor tug captain at work.
I’ve ran crewboats and OSVs, and yeah liveboating can be a challenge and it was fun for me. However, I always felt being a competent tug captain would be the pinnacle of small boat handling.
Shorter schedule, everyone speaks (some form of) English, pay is just as good for the most part, and no regimented training required to be an officer. Does that about sum it up?
Any of you here do longer runs, such as Tacoma to Dutch or Hawaii? That type of thing? Or any ATB work?
PaddyWest2012 , amen to that regimental stuff…doesn’t interest me.
Do you guys think the future of the industry looks bright?
I work 6 - 8 week rotations usually somewhere between PWS and Dutch. Scenery is beautiful when you can see it. Definitely suits me better than Mexico or Africa runs. I had a lot of fun doing dredge work, lots of boat handling made the time interesting and pass more quickly.
Which outfit are you sailing with?
Wrong question. I think anonymity is valued quite a bit round these parts.
Why did I choose tugs?
Well, I went for a ride when I was kid once back in the mid seventies and was hooked immediately. We had just undocked an American flagged freighter and I watched in amazement as the deckhands propped a ladder up against the hull of the ship and the tug captain/docking pilot came back aboard the tug. I KNEW at that moment I wanted to spend my life running tugs and piloting ships.
I thought working ship docking tugs in my hometown harbor was the greatest thing ever. And it was until the rug was yanked out from under us in the late eighties.
I sailed deep sea too when laid off from Curtis Bay as a relief man, but there was nothing like being back in the harbor and heading home after 12 or 14 hours of pushing ships around.
Nearly forty years later, I am still out here driving tugs. Not docking ships anymore, but I still get to enjoy the boat handling moving oil throughout the Northeast.
[QUOTE=wcrutch;158750]Which outfit are you sailing with?[/QUOTE]
Samson tug & Barge…Titans of the trade.
most of my time is on single screw harbor tugs as an AB. you had to be good with line work because you usually only had one chance to make it while landing a barge. I also enjoyed watching the skill it took to handle a single screw with a 9 second delay, those captains were some of the best I ever saw.
[QUOTE=Dawn patrol;159402]most of my time is on single screw harbor tugs as an AB. you had to be good with line work because you usually only had one chance to make it while landing a barge. I also enjoyed watching the skill it took to handle a single screw with a 9 second delay, those captains were some of the best I ever saw.[/QUOTE]
I heard this often coming up on deck; “a good deck hand can make you or break you”. How true!
Until the shipyards closed one by one in Baltimore Harbor, Curtis Bay might have 7 or 8 boats committed daily to shifting dead ships, graving dock caissons or the dry dock itself around the various yards.
No Z-drive boats and the docking pilots thought they had it made with a “Cape” (twin screw) boat or two. Strapping up and making fast (sometimes twice on the same job), long stern lines and playing the bow work was done with single screw boats ranging in power from 1750 to 2400 and the twin screw “Cape” boats of 3300hp.
Baker-Whiteley boats would be used as extras too.
Almost all of these boatmen, from deckhand to docking pilot, highly skilled professionals that made it look easy.
on the ol Samson mariner?
Roger. The one an only. As you know, she’s a lot nicer now than 12 months ago…
yessir, was glad to see them throw some $ into her, she’s a good boat.