[QUOTE=injunear;106920]I answered an employment ad in Dec '85 for Belcher. They turned me down because I wasn’t an academy grad. The same with Texaco and Exon. In retrospect, they did me a great service![/QUOTE]
Really? When I was there in late '87/early '88 I was the only Academy grad in the engine department. Hell, I can’t recall now for sure, but I believe that only the Captain was an Academy grad at least on my rotation. The only reason I think that is because he was so young. I only worked there six months, but got a couple year’s worth of “stupid” stories out of my time on board. Like the time we lost the tow coming in to Tampa because nobody engaged the hand brake on the towing winch . . .or the time we put the hole in the bow getting back into the notch (oh, wait, those happened on the same day. . . ).
I had put my time on that one out of my mind, but that was probably my worst experience at sea. Pretty fitting job to leave to come ashore. Ah, but that would be another thread. . . .
[QUOTE=cmakin;106932]Really? When I was there in late '87/early '88 I was the only Academy grad in the engine department. Hell, I can’t recall now for sure, but I believe that only the Captain was an Academy grad at least on my rotation. The only reason I think that is because he was so young. I only worked there six months, but got a couple year’s worth of “stupid” stories out of my time on board. Like the time we lost the tow coming in to Tampa because nobody engaged the hand brake on the towing winch . . .or the time we put the hole in the bow getting back into the notch (oh, wait, those happened on the same day. . . ).
I had put my time on that one out of my mind, but that was probably my worst experience at sea. Pretty fitting job to leave to come ashore. Ah, but that would be another thread. . . .[/QUOTE]
That’s when I first started sailing on SIU contracted tugs. I sailed 2 weeks as Kadak’s asst and then relieved him off and on over 24 years.
I sailed for that company 17 years. When I changed companies, I gave them 1 hitch notice. (28 days) I also worked over 8 days until they could get the relief there. The op/manager was still pissed off at me!
Tug McCormack Boys, towing light scow from Boston to NY, crossing Rhode Island Sound at 0600. The Master comes into the wheelhouse and the mate is bragging about the great speed they are making. The Captain looks out the aft wheelhouse window and say’s, “Yeah we’re doing great, but where the *#*% is the God%#damm scow.” Of course the green deckhand had failed to adequately set the brake on the towing winch. They had just installed a new towing wire the week before. Oh my!
I usually just give them my two weeks notice two weeks before crew change. Which most of the time is the day I’m getting off the boat. Or if I’m on 21/21 I just tell them after my first week at home. And yes I make sure I already have a job lined all up before hand (physical done, sea service from previous company, and drug test all done)
[QUOTE=EbbTide;106966]Tug McCormack Boys, towing light scow from Boston to NY, crossing Rhode Island Sound at 0600. The Master comes into the wheelhouse and the mate is bragging about the great speed they are making. The Captain looks out the aft wheelhouse window and say’s, “Yeah we’re doing great, but where the *#*% is the God%#damm scow.” Of course the green deckhand had failed to adequately set the brake on the towing winch. They had just installed a new towing wire the week before. Oh my![/QUOTE]
And I guess that the Mate never looked back to see if the wire was slipping!!! I was never a fan of putting a rag on the wire but it does let you know if the brake is holding. I have gone out on the stern and moved the rag several times to see if anyone was paying attention. After moving it several times, each time moving it closer to the stern, over about 6 hours and no one noticed! It always amazed me how someone can sit in the wheel house for 5-6 hours and never look back.
On the rig that I am talking about, they did not have to get out of the chair to see the stern so all they had to is turn and look. I guess they were too busy reading the latest issue of Field and Stream to look back!!!
It’s always good to give whatever notice is customary in your part of the industry. It is a small enough industry that word can get around. Even if the company is crap, try to give them a little time if you can. If you are like me and have two government tentative job offers in hand you will have to list those companies on a background check or security clearance SF-86 form and you can’t omit them. Even if you only worked one month or one hitch with them.
I actually gave my people a heads up a long time ago, as the gov’t hiring process follows a set formula for each agency and can be frustrating as you wait.They’ve been patient thus far, but I hope to have a start date soon so they can start recruiting my replacement. Want to leave on good terms. That’s been my policy always. I had one questionable departure many years ago when I stormed out of a building and never went back to that awful job, and I wish I’d handled it better, as in giving notice. Not that they deserved it but it was my integrity on the line. It’s always better to be the adult in the room, whenever you can.
It definately is never a good idea to “burn a bridge” if you can avoid it. I’ve left jobs both ways…stormed off, no notice (when I was younger) and put in a two week notice. I do wish I could go back and do it the right way. But, sometimes good opportunities present themselves, and the idea of "if this new employer won’t allow me to give notice then I shouldn’t think about working for them " isn’t exactly true. We all know how this business is. Spots are usually filled as they are needed and no matter how qualified you are there are another 1000 applicants more qualified wanting the job…and may be currently unemployed and ready.
In my opinion though, if one can, always give some type of notice. Even if you can get ran off with no notice for no reason its just good karma. Every situation is different though. Two sides to the coin and all that.
Im a rag watcher. Often im the guy who ties the rag as well. Its cheap insurance. I look behind me often to make sure whatever we have strung out is still there.
When I sailed unlicensed I gave them notice before my last hitch started. Any sooner and they could potentially toss me for a new hire they were on the fence about, and any later would have me leaving on bad terms, as I saw it. Only once did this not work…
In one instance, I turned my resignation notice into the office at McAllister saying at the end of my hitch I would be resigning. They responded with a notice saying “we can get you off sooner than that. Here is the date that we will accept your resignation.”
[QUOTE=Tugs;107012]And I guess that the Mate never looked back to see if the wire was slipping!!! I was never a fan of putting a rag on the wire but it does let you know if the brake is holding. I have gone out on the stern and moved the rag several times to see if anyone was paying attention. After moving it several times, each time moving it closer to the stern, over about 6 hours and no one noticed! It always amazed me how someone can sit in the wheel house for 5-6 hours and never look back.[/QUOTE]
One of the reasons I’m not a practicing lawyer involved nasty litigation over a couple of new barges that had their bows fall off (both of them) on their delivery trip. The barges were being towed tandem and when the bow fell off the barge closest to the tug, the sunken bow and tow wire effectively anchored the tug. This happened about the time the mate went on watch. For the entire watch the mate didn’t notice that his tow was gone, or that the boat wasn’t moving.
The mate’s incompetence was irrelevant to why the bows fell off the barges, but the judge (admiralty law, no jury) had little interest in the weeks of complicated testimony from engineers and naval architects and fixated on the mate. That judge is now on the supreme court.
Man up. Give two weeks, end of story. If good company & you feel like getting on your knees, then give more. Again, two weeks. You are just a body. Repeat… You.Are.Just.A.Body.
I just left one of the NY tug companies. I gave them more than two weeks notice. I even wrote a very positive resignation letter thanking them for the opportunity and experience, leaving my contact info on the boat so that whoever replaced me could contact me for help. You know what that got me? It was later passed on that one of the office honchos said, I kicked them in the balls! I was initially pissed, I let it go because you just can’t hold some people to the same standards and professionalism that I try to hold.
[QUOTE=ForkandBlade;107277]It was later passed on that one of the office honchos said, I kicked them in the balls!/QUOTE]
I would wager that was Capt Peter…
I was doing 3 on 3 off with Penn. I told them I was quitting the day I got off the boat. Gave them 3 weeks noticed. I told them why i leaving and thanked them for hiring me in the first place. She said ok no problem I have a stack of applications and Ill fill your spot without a problem. And she told me that we left on good terms and if i wanted to come back i could without a problem. A week later she called the union hall bad mouthing me saying i screwed them over. Come to find out my relief did 9 weeks straight cause they didnt hire anyone to replace me.