Am I wasting my time starting on a small boat?

[QUOTE=MariaW;118156]Because although I look 15 years younger than I am, I don’t have much time left in my working life according to U.S. standards, and this country suffers heavily from ageism, so I have to make my decisions carefully to optimize my time. Age on paper seems to be more important than physical capability and health. If I had heard about NOAA corps before I was 42, for example, I would have joined up. Sounds like a real sweet deal. Unfortunately they do a bad job of advertising their existence. From comments and complaints on gcaptain, I surmise this is probably on purpose… but I digress.[/QUOTE]

You limit yourself when you say you ‘don’t have much time left in your working life.’ While this may be true of several occupations that require youth and good looks, there are many more that don’t hinge on these superficialities. Any online job for instance. You can be an ebay seller or a stock trader, a medical transcriptionist or a muther fucking magnum p.i. No one gives a shit about your age, only performance matters. The same is true of occupations like this one.

I was just trying to answer the guy who is probably 20 years old and thinks time isn’t important. If they find the fountain of youth in my lifetime, he may be right. :slight_smile:

[QUOTE=MariaW;118132]I thought SOME of the time can be time on smaller GRT? In fact, in another thread, someone pointed out that you could spend three years on your sailboat to get an unlimited AB. It causes problems when you need an RFPNW, but I’m not planning to spend three years on small dinner boats! Anyway, this question is why I posted here. Does this time count for anything?[/QUOTE]

You can get unlimited AB with three years on a vessel of any tonnage. But AB-Limited requires 18 months, all of it over 100 GRT. Since many vessels require AB-Limited or AB-Unlimited, if your qualifying time was on vessels under 100 GRT you would not be able to work on those vessels until you have three years of sea time and can get AB-Unlimited. But if you get your decj hand/OS time on a vessel over 100 GRT, you can get AB-Limited in 18 months.

So yes, you can get some AB endorsementas with time less than 100 GRT, but you’ll have more options if you get your time on a vessel over 100 GRT.

I h ave worked with countless (and I mean HUNDREDS) of seamen who bloviate thus: I coulda got that license… I coulda had your job… I coulda got my unlimited AB… I coulda got a tankerman ticket… I coulda got pilotage… I coulda got that job…

Not to be mean, but there are tens of thousands of OSs and ABs. There are only a couple thousand actual competent officers. There are many tens of thousands of poseurs. Any Yacht Club is rife with them. heck even the company I work at has a few in the Wheelhouse.

One of the regulars on here has a great quote signature. It goes something like this: “When I say Eject, Eject, Eject on the third time you will be the pilot, because all you will hear then is the echo.”

Appropriate. You can only sit on the bench for so long. Eventually you HAVE to go out there and give it a try. Go on… Pull the RipCord before it’s too late. getting started somewhere is better than hanging on ‘waiting’. Waiting for what? A Better reason? Go.

I got the deckhand job with the tour boat company today. I’m pretty excited just to be out there on the water!

Good for you Maria. Good luck!

Yeah, here’s the thing. If you think you’re gonna come down here and start pulling a watch on the bridge… Think again. Most OSVs are running at Least three, and up to five deck Officers. Good luck trying to get some experience under those circumstances. Not trying to burst any bubbles, but it’s the industry now. Hate to say it, but if you want real wheel time, you might want to try a tug or a T-boat. aka: crew/utility.

[U]WAFI Alert[/U]—In the first post of this thread, “.My experience thus far has been sailboats and other small boats and as watchstanding crew on a few tall ships on longer trips. My true love is tall ships, but I’m having a hard time finding an open postion on one of those.”
[U]Victim Aler[/U]t— In MariaW’s most recent post —Because although I look 15 years younger than I am, I don’t have much time left in my working life according to U.S. standards, and this country suffers heavily from ageism"
[U]It’s Five O clock Somewhere![/U] Geez, wouldn’t it be cool to work on a merchant ship? Hope they don’t leave the toilet seats up or expect me to do sanitary duty…Oh, look, is that a whale over there? No that’s the fat captain.
[U]Anyone that hires this woman is nuts.[/U] She has her slip n fall, agesim attorney on speed dial & is ready to sue. She needs your cash to afford another season as a sailing school student in Ft Liquordale. Sorry, this is just my opinion.

For now on if a woman brags about how she looks she shall be required to post a body shot? Maybe?

[QUOTE=z-drive;118411]For now on if a woman brags about how she looks she shall be required to post a body shot? Maybe?[/QUOTE]
Strike the BRAVO flag and raise the SUYT flag!

Men also! We don’t want to appear sexist. I did say appear.

Stop thinking about it.
Stop hoping.
Stop dreaming.
Stop fearing rejection.
Stop getting ready.
And go.
Go get that job.
Go get that future.

[QUOTE=charlottehard;118453]Men also! We don’t want to appear sexist. I did say appear.[/QUOTE]
I don’t see any men posting here about their looks. That sort of thing seems to be more prevalent among some of the females that post here.

Are you fucking kidding me??

Ok Maria, dont take this the wrong way, but I have heard plenty from you on this subject and its wearing thin. Yes, there is somewhat of an age bias but I have experienced little of it in this industry, whether on shore or on ship. There are ABs and QMEDs running round age 65+ male and female. What counts is your overall health and ability to work a strenuous job. So stop this nonsense about looks already. You will give folks the impression that you’ve spent your life getting over based on your looks and that is not the impression you want people to get. Stand tall and be confident.

You need to get out and APPLY. Apply to more jobs and do some door knocking too, and show some moxie, you’ll get a job. Have you applied anywhere besides N0AA?

Whoa! What happened to this thread. I was answering the guy who asked me why my time was so precious, and it was meant tongue in cheek. I never said anything about my “looks”. You can be young and ugly, you know. :slight_smile: Yeah, I got a small job. I’m not too proud for this work, and I am grateful. The people my level I work with view it as “just a job” and not a stepping stone. I think I’ll be fine.