Background:
I am 28 years old and live up in Juneau, Alaska. I have been working for the same company seasonally for 7 years now working my way up from galley to engineer, and finally captain. I have about 900 days of sea time, my 100 ton Inland, and an AB Special. Ill include all my documents at the bottom.
I am looking to work anywhere that will let me work on getting my Near Coastal and hopefully have more than 100 ton boats so i can work towards upgrading my endorsements. I do not mind flying to/from jobs and I have a valid passport etc. I am equally comfortable with deck or bridge work.
The question i have for you all is this…Where do i go from here? Should i be trying to get into a Union? Pounding docks? Looking online? Are there specific companies I should be trying to put most of my energy into getting hired with? Are there companies that take mid level guys and help pay to train us up and promote from within?
Sorry for all the questions but I wanted to wait until i had all my ducks in a row before asking and now that I do i am trying to hit the ground running! Thank you all for your time!
sailing on deck on the tugs is the only real option for you but I do not know the current hiring climate at the West Coast tug companies for seamen
I don’t blame you wanting to leave low paying passenger vessels but there still is a pretty big industry in them and they provide many jobs…both seasonal and permanent. Have you ever spoken with the people at UnCruise in Seattle? I think they are already hiring people to work on the vessels to get then ready for next year.
Funny you should mention them! I just filled out an application with them. Their website and jobs looked promising last year but I wanted to have more than a season as a captain under my belt and my AB to help round out my hireability.
So i should start looking for Tugboat companies on google and start shooting off my resume? Are maritime recruiters worth my time? The only one i tried in the past told me that with my experience i should pick up welding or refrigeration so i could get a nice landside factory job in Seattle. Not really what i would expect to hear from a specifically maritime recruiter but maybe i should try again?
Start with google, but “tugboatinformation” lists most of the westcoast tug companys, be a good reference to start with. The jobs are out there, even with the GOM slow i see more jobs out there than most companys can fill, at least here in NYC.
well they are the successor to Cruise West in the Alaska and West Coast small cruise vessel business and the company to work for if that is the part of the industry you want to work in. Know the money isn’t the same as working vessels but very nice fringe benefits if you understand my meaning
So i should start looking for Tugboat companies on google and start shooting off my resume?
absolutely
Are maritime recruiters worth my time?
avoid the ones that charge the mariner like they have Ebola!
The only one i tried in the past told me that with my experience i should pick up welding or refrigeration so i could get a nice landside factory job in Seattle. Not really what i would expect to hear from a specifically maritime recruiter but maybe i should try again?
I believe they are speaking of “fisheries” factory vessels…good money to be made there if you have a skillset like mending trawls or repairing machinery. The work can be brutally hard though and you don’t want to work for a scumbag company that uses up their crews. Companies like Fishing Company of Alaska (FCoA)
Definitely! I am looking for a company that i can actually work on getting decent bennies and retirement as i have not had that luxury so far. I will send my resume to those companies and see what they have to say.
Hoping that with those two endorsements it will at least get my foot in the door. Thank you guys for pointing me in the right direction and if you know of any others please let me know
If you want to stay in Alaska try Southeast Stevedoring/Amak Towing. They have pilot boats for your 100 ton and a bunch of tugs to deckhand on. Also with the recent rule changes for licensing, I believe time on the inside passage can be used for a near coastal now. With 900 days you should be able to upgrade now.
I’ve worked as a Mate with Un-Cruise for the past two seasons and expect to be back this year. There will almost certainly be some availabilities with several Captains and Mates moving on or moving up. It’s a pretty good company but still seasonal. Depending on the vessel you’ll start as early as March or as late as late-April. Seasons end from mid-September to the end of October. The money is pretty lame until you count tips, and you can’t count on the tips. They vary week-to-week and ship-to-ship. Some consistently run $800-1000 per week, others are closer to $500 per week. Rotations are advertised as 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off, but those vary as well; I never did get a 6 week rotation last season. As with all companies there’s some good and some bad. We not only have our job responsibilities, we’re entertainers so if that appeals to you you should have a good time.
You might also check out Lindblad Expeditions. They’re based in Seattle as well.
I got on Crowleys Website but as an unlicensed deck person with no Tankerman endorsement it said they didnt need me. Seems like i still dont quite have all the certs i need to open all the doors.
You have more than enough to get started. You also live in Alaska and have seven seasons of seagoing experience in Alaska, which is a HUGE advantage? You just need to send out a bunch of resumes, and go knock on doors, especially in Seattle.
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[/li][li]ShadowIf you want to stay in Alaska try Southeast Stevedoring/Amak Towing. They have pilot boats for your 100 ton and a bunch of tugs to deckhand on. Also with the recent rule changes for licensing, I believe time on the inside passage can be used for a near coastal now. With 900 days you should be able to upgrade now.
[/li][li]A friend of mine was recently telling me that our sea time in the inside passage would now count for Near Coastal. can anyone point me to official documents listing this change? my search of the CFR’s, this forum, and other internet sources all claim that the waters from puget sound to cape spencer are considered inland. possible that this info just hasn’t been updated. i’m curious because i’ll be applying for some upgrades soon and would like to have all of my ducks in a row regarding my sea time. my area of operation is Ketchikan Ak and the surrounding waters, it would be excellent if this was now considered near coastal.
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Good thread. I will apply to UnCruises. Is their steamship really a steamship?
Also, does anyone have contact info for Alaska Marine Hwy?
One more ques…I tried to research this myself but I can’t find the answer: Is the Cape May- Lowes ferry for locals only? They are large ferries but I can’t determine if they have crew cabins. They are a little out of commuter range for me.
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[QUOTE=skycowboy;149927]Did you try tug jobs.com[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=lymanlouis;149928]I’ve worked as a Mate with Un-Cruise for the past two seasons and expect to be back this year. There will almost certainly be some availabilities with several Captains and Mates moving on or moving up. It’s a pretty good company but still seasonal. Depending on the vessel you’ll start as early as March or as late as late-April. Seasons end from mid-September to the end of October. The money is pretty lame until you count tips, and you can’t count on the tips. They vary week-to-week and ship-to-ship. Some consistently run $800-1000 per week, others are closer to $500 per week. Rotations are advertised as 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off, but those vary as well; I never did get a 6 week rotation last season. As with all companies there’s some good and some bad. We not only have our job responsibilities, we’re entertainers so if that appeals to you you should have a good time.
You might also check out Lindblad Expeditions. They’re based in Seattle as well.
Good luck.[/QUOTE]
The Cape May Lewis Ferries are crewed out of Cape May, N.J. where they shut down and tie up ever night. Years ago, I was offered a Job as Chief on them. At this time they were thinking about tying on up in Lewis, De. at night. I was living on the Eastern Shore of MD and thought it might be a nice way to make some money on my Time Off. Planes changed and they decided to keep them all in Cape May, so that ended it for me. If I remember correctly they paid by the hour and it was not bad money at the time.
