Experience is key to success

Scuttlebutt
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After a few “oh sh*t” experiences you learn how to avoid them (hopefully):

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What’s the best bit of advice you have ever been given or shown whilst working at sea?

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  1. Do not EVER loan out your foul weather gear. Sure as shit there will be an all-hands-on-deck 30 minutes after you do.

  2. Lights on buoys blink. Lights on back porches don’t. Explain this BEFORE you go off watch, beats waking up aground looking at some dude on his back porch.

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  1. It is best to learn from other people’s mistakes.
  2. Never ever under any circumstances hold nails or screws between your lips when you have the hiccups!
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Did you receive or give those good advises??

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Never sign the log book until you have finished your watch.

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Both of mine were given to others and learned the hard way.

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Never forget a good cotter pin in the tow shackle.

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  • Never trust an AB. They aren’t paid to be responsible. You are.
  • When your mouth is open your brain is off. (Keep that in mind when you have the watch in a dangerous passage with lots of traffic–but don’t talk to the lookout about it…)
  • Do you occasionally wake up from a dead sleep at zero-dark thirty, terrified you forgot to do something? Good. It means you’re a good officer.
  • There are two types of people: those that fear responsibility, and those that fear they are responsible. Good officers come from the second group.
  • First impressions are important; an erudite, sweetly-tempered, well-dressed sailor who tells you exactly what you want to hear should be mistrusted until proven otherwise.
  • People are more inclined to get hurt not when they are doing dangerous things but when switching to do something else.
  • Whatever a crew does in a drill, good or bad, they will do in real life.
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keep your stern free to maneuver.