[QUOTE=z-drive;117653]I have sailed master on and off since i was in school @20 or so. Sometimes sailing deckhand in the morning, 100-ton wonder in the afternoon. Doing both at the same time helped me avoid a case of captain-itis as I moved up. Moving between industries and back and forth from wheelhouse to deck has helped me have a good rapport with crews in general, but especially with older guys unlicensed. I haven’t run into anyone yet who wants respect just because of their age, but i know its out there.
On topic, some are more “discriminatory” than others. For a while it seemed the gulf only wanted fresh academy kids for the entry-level wheelhouse jobs, it seems to have changed some, anyone have some first-hand info on how it is now? It sometimes could be that they would rather train someone their way, rather than re-train someone with potentially bad habits but more than likely years of experience. Its a tough trade-off.[/QUOTE]
Of the older mariners that I’ve sailed with, the ones like the OP who are returning to sea do OK as they understand the culture. Also the guys that have sailed at a higher position and come back lower do OK as well. One of the best mate’s I’ve had sailed captain on a smaller vessel and really knew what was going on.
The ones that have difficulty, in my view, are the ones that are used to having some authority, say someone who ran their own business or were some kind of big shot ashore. In some cases they are not aware that their experience, intuition and so forth is no longer directly relevant or applicable.