To my mind as a small vessel Mariner, a 1300 mile voyage direct from Jax to Puerto Rico is a real ocean voyage.
The Tote officer’s viewpoint was undoubtedly different. To them on a big, very fast ship, it was a boring little 3 day trip in usually nice weather. It kind of resembles a routine ferry run. I wonder if with so much familiarity and routine on a short run, they developed a casual mindset, or had their brains on autopilot.
I wonder if there was an attitude: she’s an old junker and a lot of thing are not what the should be, but it’s not much of a voyage; she’s made it many times before, so she’ll make it again?