Don’t I wish. I work with many great people from both sides.
It saddens me to some extent the increasing difficulty presented to hawsepipers working up. On the other hand, the class system is not working out well at all and there are significant gaps in the learning.
Conversely, it saddens me the attitude some of my fellow grads have regarding their shipmates. I have learned much from the hawsepiper captains I have worked for as well as the Able Seamen with whom I worked on deck as AB and Mate.
In no other section of the maritime industry is the gap between ratings and license so small and the working relationships so close. It’s a pity this animosity continues and ignorance pervades the attitudes of too many. We are too small an industry.
Funny thing is I’m sitting in slip B right now watching a GOL boat that “appears” to be on DP holding position to allow a Chouest vessel dockside.
Thruster wash out both sides of the stern at a constant, no movement at all…just saying :-).
I have to say it is an enjoyable post. Brought a smile to my face after a night of engine issues. I would like to say as a hawsepiper I would have liked to go through an academy but honestly by the time I got my career figured out I can’t afford to sotp working. I would hope there are places for both of us in the wheelhouse but who knows. I will say my company has a no DP at the dock policy, written out too, and I am a firm believer in knowing what to do in case the computers all fail as they all do eventually. Like it was said before, aside from the name calling this is a great subject. As a carpetbagger sailing in the cajun navy out of a foreign port I say have at it fellas.
I think it would be hard to use DP to back into C-Port 1 as the side forces on the vessel would be contanly changing as it was backed into the slip. DP doesn’t like variable forces in a short time period. Also the forces would only be on the bow… Again DP is not usually set up to counter forces on only one end of the vessel.
Never said it was easy or that DP did the whole job but setting up on a the correct heading first upcurrent from the slip and then slowly going down current and back until clear to the bow of the next upcurrent boat then when it looked good keeping heading and athwartship in and joysticking back until in the slip. As long as the bow thrusters are in the open, they’ll hold the heading. No scratched paint, no bent bulkwarks and no backing fast to get out of the current. I abhor any clown you uses speed as an aid in shiphandling. I think we’ve all been there when there is a strong north wind blowing all the water down the Bayou fast. I prefer to not have close calls and bouncing off anybody else.
Did the same thing in Martin Slip trying to go all the way to the back with a stiff E’ly wind and those effing crewboats sticking their bloody bows out into the middle of everything. Nobody laughed and instead complimented me on getting into there in those conditions. If Capt. Swampman you want to laugh at me then laugh it up funnyguy…but just know that you’re a very little funny man!
All I can say is you guage the conditions and use judgement. If you do not use all the tools at your disposal and have an accident causing hundreds of thousands in damage who’s going to get called on the carpet? I’d say the cowboy who thinks he’s the shit because he doesn’t use the “right” tools. Maybe GOL is run by a ranch boss and all its captains are the fastest guns in Fourchon but I never have worked that way and have no accidents on my record either.
ps…thanks for the comment that there is only one master on any vessel and no captains. Every deck officer other than a master is a mate. Look at the COI and tell me what it says? There is no such thing as a captain in the eyes of the Coast Guard except for a COTP.
It will be refreshing to have an open professional discussion about this subject because it is quite germain to many of us here yet I cannot help to not toss this hand grenade into the burn pile:
Now, let’s have that worthwhile professional discussion. When it is better to use joystick instead of paddles on a Z-drive boat? When is it better to use joystick on a rudder boat? Is there anything wrong with using hold heading when backing? What’s the better overall vessel for handling in Fourchon…Z-drives or CPP & rudders? When is is appropriate to use full DP (surge, sway & yaw all in) when in Fourchon?
I personally like joystick on a rudderboat because one hand controls all the axis of movement but that doesn’t work with a z-drive boat since it takes too much time for the drives to rotate. Leave one Z-drive in strictly manual control and all everything else in joystick?
It will be refreshing to have an open professional discussion about this subject because it is quite germain to many of us here yet I cannot help to not toss this hand grenade into the burn pile:
[QUOTE=c.captain;66609]Now, let’s have that worthwhile professional discussion. When it is better to use joystick instead of paddles on a Z-drive boat? When is it better to use joystick on a rudder boat? Is there anything wrong with using hold heading when backing? What’s the better overall vessel for handling in Fourchon…Z-drives or CPP & rudders? When is is appropriate to use full DP (surge, sway & yaw all in) when in Fourchon?
I personally like joystick on a rudderboat because one hand controls all the axis of movement but that doesn’t work with a z-drive boat since it takes too much time for the drives to rotate. Leave one Z-drive in strictly manual control and all everything else in joystick?[/QUOTE]
Depends on the boat & DP system. I think that offshore with z-drives and a swing down thruster you are better off in joy stick but
I was on several Z-drive boats with Alstom ADP and the joy stick was just too slow in response to maneuver in close quaters.
The same class of vessel with a Kongsberg system was much better, but the best system for me was the K-POS DP-21. The vessel with K-POS would joy stick smooth as silk.
No question that z-drives out maneuver & hold DP station better than CPP wheels, rudders and stern thrusters. But over all each system has pro & cons and this is a discussion that can go on & on.
I’ve never had the balls to try and go along side a dock on DP, seems like a good way to tear something up. It never occured to me to back up the Halliburton slip on DP either, but now that I think about it, why not?
I have ran boats in Fourchon coming up close to 20 years now. Always manual when running around port but I will tell you I have no problem whatsoever tossing her on DP during one of the many times I’m told to head to a dock only to find another vessel there and 30 minutes plus before they depart. I can’t see the logic in DP’ing into a berth. Seems like it would be much more of a pain than it would be worth but I certainly love having the system compared to the way it used to be. Life is better for me. As far as the whole Academy vs. Hawsepiper issue…I have worked with my fair share of idiots on both sides and can only say it depends on your attitude as soon as you cross the gangway. If you place yourself above another or spite another because of how they got there before judging their abilities then the fault is yours.
Hmmm. As a long time GOL employee I’m a little lost for words. One one hand I’m proud that you think highly of the captains you work with and with the overall capabilities of the entire fleets personnel. I’ll be the first to tell you though that every company has its share of people whom have trouble handling the vessel, especially at C-Port 1. I promise you GOL has a few, I’ve seen them. I have to agree with C-Captain and say that while I don’t encourage DP use in port; to not use all available means to do the job in the safest possible manner is frankly stupid. I have not had to use DP to dock my vessel as of yet but who knows? I can tell you this though, if any captains doubt their ability to berth into one of the slips at C-Port 1 and decide to use DP while I’m in the next downstream slip I would probably compliment or thank them rather than criticize.
To all you carpetbaggers. There is no equivalent word up north for carpetbegger because you simply have no jobs to take. Thats why you are down here. If you are so much better than all us, why dont yall have functioning economies back up there?.. And c.captain, you are king of this board. I should have never dared challenge you. You win. Im going to go home and spend my money and ride my motorcycle working 14/14 while you stay institutionalized on the 28/14. Slap your kids around some and yell for me when you finally do go home. Peace out!
I live in Texas and attended the local school, same as dozens of your shipmates’ children who wanted them to have a better shot at a good life.
Jobs to take? That’s an awfully short term view, especially since northern manufacturing had sucked in the country kids since the industrial revolution. In fact, population-wise, the south is just now reversing a 100+ year trend. As far as a word for the southerners who migrated north, perhaps they simply lack your short sighted mean-spirit to label people in a derogatory manner simply because they are providing for their families.
Three of the six schools do not even reside in the Northeast (traditional home of the carpetbagger). Furthermore, the east coast and alaska are the next frontiers… The gulf will eventually play second fiddle to virginia, florida, or alaska. Perhaps you can think of a catchy derogatory name for the Alaskans to call you when you or your children show up for work… Something tells me the usual rig name of “boat trash” isn’t geographically specific enough.
Or, you can get off your high horse (which is chest deep in mud of your own making) and remember that if it were not for the carpetbaggers filling positions, the company you work for might have been able to argue a few jones act exemptions and open that door alittle further for none of us to have a job.
