I’m very happy with where I am right now but some little nagging thing in the back of my head has me thinking of going offshore. I have no idea why except that I want to upgrade and I’ll need unlimited time to do that, it might be just to see if I can, I’m really not sure. I worked briefly on an AMO contract but $63 a day sure wasn’t cutting it. I’m not even sure the jobs are there now or if they can compare to what I’m making in the tug fleet. I’m not even sure what I’m looking for in an answer other than to see if someone else made the jump after being well established at a company (16+ years). It might just be my version of a mid - life crisis.
I just went from blue to brown and love it. Deep sea has it’s positives but I like my local gig more now.
Where did you end up?
[QUOTE=Tugboater203;143215]I’m very happy with where I am right now but some little nagging thing in the back of my head has me thinking of going offshore. I have no idea why except that I want to upgrade and I’ll need unlimited time to do that, it might be just to see if I can, I’m really not sure. I worked briefly on an AMO contract but $63 a day sure wasn’t cutting it. I’m not even sure the jobs are there now or if they can compare to what I’m making in the tug fleet. I’m not even sure what I’m looking for in an answer other than to see if someone else made the jump after being well established at a company (16+ years). It might just be my version of a mid - life crisis.[/QUOTE]
What are you hoping for? In my experience deep sea was very routine with the occasional port and after a while the ports all look alike. But then I was/am still fairly green.
I say go for it, I went from working at a sewer plant to offshore…does that count as brown water?
That’s freaking hilarious!!!
In my working alongside experienced blue water sailors I’ve observed a degree of maturity most show and the profound understanding for the chain of command. The operational tempo on a wire boat seems to cull out those that can’t hang so we send them to an ATB. But some are truly an asset to the brown water community.
Took that route in 1979 and never looked back.
I had an instructor in a class recently tell me that sea time earned on “western rivers” on a tug doesn’t count towards anything else, it’s like apples and oranges, you can’t use it to move out to near coastal, oceans, etc. Is this true? I looked at the c.f.r.s and can’t seem to find any reference to this.
[QUOTE=MariaW;177079]I had an instructor in a class recently tell me that sea time earned on “western rivers” on a tug doesn’t count towards anything else, it’s like apples and oranges, you can’t use it to move out to near coastal, oceans, etc. Is this true? I looked at the c.f.r.s and can’t seem to find any reference to this.[/QUOTE]
No. That’s not true. Some portion of Western Rivers seatime can be counted toward some other endorsements.
You should know the value of “free advice” and be especially suspicious when it comes from a school. The value is in hiring a license consultant, especially when you have a combination of peculiar seatime.
[QUOTE=MariaW;177079]I had an instructor in a class recently tell me that sea time earned on “western rivers” on a tug doesn’t count towards anything else, it’s like apples and oranges, you can’t use it to move out to near coastal, oceans, etc. Is this true? I looked at the c.f.r.s and can’t seem to find any reference to this.[/QUOTE]
See the definition of “inland waters” in 46 CFR 10.107:
[I]Inland waters[/I] means the navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the Boundary Lines as described in part 7 of this chapter, excluding the Great Lakes, and, for towing vessels, excluding the Western Rivers.
Time on western rivers would be considered as inland service for all endorsements other than those for towing vessels.
I loved blue water and never would have left, but when everything went to shit a year ago when the price of oil dropped I found a job with a tug and barge company. The pay is over half less what I was making before. At the same time working on tow boats on brown water is so different and have learned a lot. I think I have found a job in blue water and hope to be going back soon. I don’t regret the time I have spent on brown water and just adds to my resume.
Here is a question for you. . . is hawser towing (either coastwise, near coastal (i.e. Puerto Rico) or international considered “brown water”. . . or coastwise ATBs? In my book it isn’t, but one never knows.
[QUOTE=jdcavo;177097]See the definition of “inland waters” in 46 CFR 10.107:
[I]Inland waters[/I] means the navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the Boundary Lines as described in part 7 of this chapter, excluding the Great Lakes, and, for towing vessels, excluding the Western Rivers.
Time on western rivers would be considered as inland service for all endorsements other than those for towing vessels.[/QUOTE]
By “tug” I meant towing vessel, sorry. So it IS true that time spent on a Western Rivers towboat won’t count if you want to increase your scope? I looked through the c.f.r.s and it seems in many cases you can’t apply deckhand time spent in Western Rivers on some bigger credentials on bigger bodies of water, for example, AB unlimited or AB limited, although it seems you can for AB special. Is it correct to assume that if you spent 3 years of sea time on Western Rivers on a towboat, none of that would count towards AB limited or unlimited?
[QUOTE=MariaW;177887]By “tug” I meant towing vessel, sorry. So it IS true that time spent on a Western Rivers towboat won’t count if you want to increase your scope? I looked through the c.f.r.s and it seems in many cases you can’t apply deckhand time spent in Western Rivers on some bigger credentials on bigger bodies of water, for example, AB unlimited or AB limited, although it seems you can for AB special. Is it correct to assume that if you spent 3 years of sea time on Western Rivers on a towboat, none of that would count towards AB limited or unlimited?[/QUOTE]
I think you completely missed the point of Mr. Cavo’s reply. Western Rivers time on a tug only restricts you to Western Rivers towing endorsements. You can use that Inland time for any other upgrades you can use Inland service for. I believe Inland time can be used for 50% of the service requirement for NC and Oceans licenses, and of course it can be used for 100% of the time for a Great Lakes and Inland license.
I once went from Blue water to Brown water while diving and having an encounter with a big shark.
[QUOTE=cmakin;177235]Here is a question for you. . . is hawser towing (either coastwise, near coastal (i.e. Puerto Rico) or international considered “brown water”. . . or coastwise ATBs? In my book it isn’t, but one never knows.[/QUOTE]
It’s like saying “offshore”, it means a very specific segment of the industry. For me, brown water is push boats and some other Inland only operations whole blue water is ocean going ships. ATBs are ATBs and wire boats are either wire boats or offshore (or ocean) towing vessels.
[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;178040]It’s like saying “offshore”, it means a very specific segment of the industry. For me, brown water is push boats and some other Inland only operations whole blue water is ocean going ships. ATBs are ATBs and wire boats are either wire boats or offshore (or ocean) towing vessels.[/QUOTE]
I have always considered hawser boats outside of the oil patch to be blue water. Yes, much of the towing is either coastwise or near foreign, but certainly not brown water. If Puerto Rico was NOT part of the US, that very same voyage to the Caribbean would be considered foreign, as any trip to Hispañola or the other islands is now (USVI excepted). Most hawser boats are suitable for any ocean, as are ATBs. I know we used to take the ATB SEA SKIMMER/PLAQUEMINE just about anywhere, including the west coast of South America. . . .
[QUOTE=cmakin;178138]I have always considered hawser boats outside of the oil patch to be blue water.[/QUOTE]
While they do in fact sail “blue water” that doesn’t mean they fall under that category. Just like the deep sea ships, wire tugs and ATBs that all go offshore aren’t considered “offshore”.
Just like “inland” of block island sound, and between cape cod and Portland Maine. Offshore blue water whatever you want to call it in my book despite being “inland” as far as sea-time and licensing goes.