The Men Who Sail Below

- Yes they can't use the money like everyone else. The cars we buy we can't ride for 8 months in a year.
- I have sailed a total of 17 months and never seen a city, though I've been to every coastline that you can imagine (except Russia and Australia), and been to countries people would crave for life. Its part luck too.
- Yes, I've been busy here since the day I came back, catching up, bank accounts, fixing A/C, geysers, and stuff...
- Finally, you're lucky you made the choice you felt right. Its all about perception, some people feel its the best place to be on earth, especially if you're into booze, smoking, womanising, etc. I knew this place isn't right for me since the 1st day, but I was naive.

 

i wounder ... discussion .. !!

 

But Horsey, when money was the sole aim while joining;
And money is the sole thing that you are getting in abundance while at job - I guess the predicament that marine ppl face can be summed up by only one phrase:

You asked for it!

 

the money was to compensate forhe amount, conditions and odd timings of work coupled with overall risk involved. Not for our own kind saying you don't work as much as we do. I'm talking about the age old deck vs engine war. And what's on the surface is what everyone thinks is true for everyone. I'm not even talking about the fact that we and them get paid the same. But they get applauds as big as running the ship. To tell the truth, you put 30 engineers onboard and they'll do everything from machinery to cargo.. But try the same with 30 deck officers, they wouldn't even know where to start. (shhh...don't say this to any deck officer) This is the reason small sized engine boats have no captain, only 2 engineers and few workers. And its always them who keep taunting. And engineers listen because they dont have time for arguing.

 

Well the situation is similar across any industry.
Work is done by someone, but the credit/recognition is taken by others.

No need to mention who gets to the top.

 

I don't want to overdo it, but there's a lot of similarity between office and ship politics.
But the deck-engine war is something unique to us. Its true, people won't understand, and I won't mind either.
It even continues over the dining table, and its like a 5 on 5 match. Seldom getting rude.

 

I don't know if I understand the scene at ship - but I guess it would be similar to what happens at oil/gas rigs.
Isolation from the civilized world and too many blue collar ppl hanging around.

 

Quite true, just a little different from actually sailing.

 

Is it hot and muggy the whole year (like Mumbai and Chennai) in the (tropical) Oceans?

 

It is. Engine room conditions depend on the place... Near mumbai, its around 42 deg in summer, 36 in the middle of winter. Same in gulf: 55 in summer, 40 in winter. Gulf is the exception, elsewhere it just depends on the latitude you're at. And also has something to do with the current which decides the sea water temperature (don't know much, deck people know it best). East Pacific is slightly colder than other parts. But everywhere there is higher than comfortable humidity, it reduces only when there's very less temperature outside (~25), reducing evaporation. Also, African coastline makes the ship roll like hell, same with the meditteranean and West amerikas. I have been round only once, and at different times of the year, so the data might be a little off. Its just the tropical oceans I've described, rest of the world, is, well, quite the same, except its colder and more comfortable for engineers (deck people find it biting then)

 

How do you access this website?

 

The last time I was lucky enough to get a near coastal voyage, except a few other countries where it sailed to (not good since it meant tax payable since I am not a NRI anymore). So I got some Indian network coverage and 10p/10Kb is a good enough deal if you stop images from loading on your cellphone.
For now I've been at home since mid Feb.

 

Lazying around in some Golf course?

 

Ahh, wish that were the case.
Truth is, I brought home some case of either food poisoning/hepatomegaly/TB/HIV as per the number of tests I'm being made to carry out, due to a stomach ache that refuses to stop. I even had some fever and severe cold, but its allright now. I guess its got something to do with the food we had had onboard. (People always complained the food smelled rotten but had no choice other than to feed).

To add to that, my ship balance was to be collected from the SCI office, govt. office as it is, it took hundreds of signatures to finally get my check. To put the check, I had to open 2 bank accounts. To save the gigantic tax I've already paid, I've still to make my tax saving investments.
Plus some household jobs, and my nephew, soon to turn 1, to take care of.

But has been still a good time, meeting up old friends, and checking out (yea, still) my new guitar.

 

Not allowed to bring the guitar onboard?

 

Yes, we are, but that's as good as wearing casuals into office. Older people (if they are onboard) start believing you're just a brat.
Doesn't that happen in shore jobs too?

 

I get it.
There is no boundary between office and home.

 

Exactly!
The whole ship is the office. And by rule, we are not allowed to lock our rooms for extended periods.

 

OMG, what about fapping and humping then?

 

Humping? What, the bed?
Fapping, well, if interested, people can come and see, maybe help if they can. So normally we don't enter without knocking, unless really interested in a striptease.