Well I am sure I will ruffle a few feathers with this post but please understand it comes from a place of respect. I love this forum, it’s been valuable to me on so many levels for someone new to the industry. Best advice I have gotten from this forum " Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut!!" And so far it’s been paying off. I am an AB with 100 tn and STCW moving from the private boat world to commercial. I am willing to do what it takes to prove myself and I don’t gripe about sanitary work, it’s my job and that’s what I am there to do. And I definitely don’t claim I know everything because I don’t!! I have been lucky, blessed even, to get on a tug with a master that’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and work alongside us lowly deckhands and he’s always got good advice. Now some of my more experienced engineers and relief captains that’s a whole different story… So I’ve decided to come up with my own code of conduct for experienced sailors…
Your point won’t be made by starting off screaming at the top of your lungs!!
(At least lets us screw up before you start yelling)
Doors and showers for the head are there for a reason use them!
Never start a sentence with “back in my day…” If back in your day was so good and right we would still be doing it that way.
Paperwork is part of your future embrace it, accept it, it’s not going anywhere. (but you may)
God D***, Mother F******, Son of B**** is not a sentence.
Communicate !! ! Communication is key we are not mind readers. (Some of you ex wife’s have told you this)
Being a professional mariner means conducting yourself in such a manner no matter what your rank or role on board the ship. It just amazes me meeting SOME (not all) of the experienced guys out there that don’t take pride in themselves, their vessels and their work. Yet these are the same goobers that complain about all the new regulations, rules etc. Never realizing they are the exact reason this industry is changing.
That’s an excellent start Keith. I would like to add to it if you don’t mind.
Remember there is a huge difference between twenty years of experience and one year of experience twenty times. By that I mean just because someone has been doing something for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean that they are very good at it.
I have two very simple rules for surviving at sea:
Never let anyone know what pisses you off.
and
Don’t fuck with who feeds you.
Follow those two rules and have a good work ethic and you will do fine.
The screamers are easy to sail with although it’s not necessarily always pleasant, with the back stabbers you have to be a little more careful.
I sailed with the difficult captains a lot as they are the ones that always have an opening. If it wasn’t for the assholes it would have taken forever to advance.
I always said that I would rather sail with a Asshole Captain over sailing with a Captain that is a “Good Guy”. My reason behind this is you know where you stand with the Asshole. With the Good Guy you just never know. Some of the worst back stabbers that I worked with were the men and women that were always nice face to face but were always up in the office talking behind your back.
At one time I was accused of having “Racial” problems with a couple of crew members. The first time that I heard about this was during a meeting in the office on something unrelated. Needless to say, I was floored as there was never anything said to me onboard. They two men whom I was supposedly against were great ship mates and when I told them that I was off that rig they both made sure that I had their Home numbers and Addressed before I left. For that matter one of them did not believe me until I got in a van with another crew to leave for the airport. I never said anything to these guys about what was said because I was not going to play that same games that the Captain had played. During the following years I had to work with this Captain from time to time and we got along fine and he turned into a decent guy,
My point of this you can never tell who is really a good guy and who will stab you. Working in a industry like this you will run into all type of people. Some will be great friend but at the end of the day we all have to work together.
The best advice I can give a new crew member is to keep your mouth shut, do your job, ask if you can help even if it’s not “your job” and Listen and Learn as much as you can. Please remember that the first impression that you make can and will follow you for quite a long time.
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]Well I am sure I will ruffle a few feathers with this post but please understand it comes from a place of respect. I love this forum, it’s been valuable to me on so many levels for someone new to the industry. Best advice I have gotten from this forum " Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut!!" And so far it’s been paying off. I am an AB with 100 tn and STCW moving from the private boat world to commercial. I am willing to do what it takes to prove myself and I don’t gripe about sanitary work, it’s my job and that’s what I am there to do. And I definitely don’t claim I know everything because I don’t!! I have been lucky, blessed even, to get on a tug with a master that’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and work alongside us lowly deckhands and he’s always got good advice. Now some of my more experienced engineers and relief captains that’s a whole different story… So I’ve decided to come up with my own code of conduct for experienced sailors…
Your point won’t be made by starting off screaming at the top of your lungs!!
(At least lets us screw up before you start yelling)
Doors and showers for the head are there for a reason use them!
Never start a sentence with “back in my day…” If back in your day was so good and right we would still be doing it that way.
Paperwork is part of your future embrace it, accept it, it’s not going anywhere. (but you may)
God D***, Mother F******, Son of B**** is not a sentence.
Communicate !! ! Communication is key we are not mind readers. (Some of you ex wife’s have told you this)
Being a professional mariner means conducting yourself in such a manner no matter what your rank or role on board the ship. It just amazes me meeting SOME (not all) of the experienced guys out there that don’t take pride in themselves, their vessels and their work. Yet these are the same goobers that complain about all the new regulations, rules etc. Never realizing they are the exact reason this industry is changing.
Thanks
!"[/QUOTE]
There are three kinds of captains, captain asshole, captain cool, and captain nervous. and some times you have to be all three.
I may also add to that: Often in my career I’d hear that Capt so and so is a real a-hole, only to find out he was fine to sail with. You just never know until you sail together. I’ve also sailed with masters and mates while coming up that I personally didn’t like, but I respected their abilities. While I may not have formed a life long relationship I did learn from them. I found as master that people want stability and order more than praise, especially if the praise if seen as false. I always appreciated someone being strait with me. No frills… Just the facts.
I have to agree with the above post. I have heard things like ’ god , capt so and so is a dick’, ‘mate so and so is an asshole’ . I find I usually get along just fine with those guys, and inversely some guys that people love, I cant stand to sail with. Make up your own mind about guys/ boats/companies, etc, dont let people make up your mind for you.
[QUOTE=Xmsccapt(ret);118752]I may also add to that: Often in my career I’d hear that Capt so and so is a real a-hole, only to find out he was fine to sail with. You just never know until you sail together. I’ve also sailed with masters and mates while coming up that I personally didn’t like, but I respected their abilities. While I may not have formed a life long relationship I did learn from them. I found as master that people want stability and order more than praise, especially if the praise if seen as false. I always appreciated someone being strait with me. No frills… Just the facts.[/QUOTE]
That’s right, no mate is going to leave a ship saying the capt didn’t like me because I couldn’t cut it, they are going to say the capt was impossible to deal with.
My experience is that the demanding unfriendly type often just want the job done right and once they see that’s what your doing they relax. On the other hand I don’t like guys that bully the new mates for entertainment and I don’t like being micro-managed once I learn my way around.
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
Your point won’t be made by starting off screaming at the top of your lungs!!
(At least lets us screw up before you start yelling) [/QUOTE]
this works for me, perhaps you’re not yelling loud enough
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
Doors and showers for the head are there for a reason use them![/QUOTE]
You must have been raised by your mother
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
Never start a sentence with “back in my day…” If back in your day was so good and right we would still be doing it that way.[/QUOTE]
Untrue, if not for your mom crying to the principal and setting a foundation based on acting like a little baby we would still be doing it that way. You kids today are soft. That’s not meant to be an insult, it’s pretty much fact. I’ve never met a larger group of vaginas as the young guys getting on board today
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
Paperwork is part of your future embrace it, accept it, it’s not going anywhere. (but you may)[/QUOTE]
Wrong again, the computer is part of our future, trust me I have a hard time getting these old bastards to embrace this as well
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
God D***, Mother F******, Son of B**** is not a sentence. [/QUOTE]
Yet you understand when I say it
[QUOTE=keithboyer;118586]
Communicate !! ! Communication is key we are not mind readers. (Some of you ex wife’s have told you this)[/QUOTE]
Do you really want to be compared to my ex wife mr. ex deckhand?
