Do you miss the sea?

Yes indeed wish it could move closer to me ! LOL

On serious note though again Yes indeed! There was nothing like being at Sea,i have had many Jobs some really good and some bad.but the Sea gets in ones Blood and stays there forever!

part only of a great Poem

Oh Sea, you are gigantic, so powerful and so wild,
And yet at times you're gentle, just like a little child,
You command our admiration, your vastness is immense,
But you are so unpredictable, your energy intense.

Oh Sea, you are the great expanse, of the oceans of the world,
We treat you with respect, when your anger is unfurled,
Your boundless depths are fathomless, holding secrets still,
Your waters are so mecurial, subject to your will.

Oh Sea, It is a pleasure when your tides flow, to and fro,
To sit and watch the sunsets, over waters all aglow,
To know your restless feelings, to accept your endless task,
And yet to try and understand, what you keep behind your mask

Oh Sea, who owns the tranquil blues and greens, and violets too,
That in your watery world to us, gives such a wondrous view,
We know your unleashed mighty force, the course you have to take,
The storms, the squalls, the hurricanes, these terrors make us quake.

Oh Sea, we know of other words like tranquil, calm and still,
Times when you are peaceful, with no need to thrill,
Contrasts are your constant plan, your order of the day,
And admiring you, we would not have you, any other way.

Do I miss the sea, is the Pope a Catholic?

But we are lucky living where we do, not far from Port Melbourne, about 35 Klm and only 123KLm to the open sea.

But on a cruise ship I spend a lot of time at the stern just watching the ships wake while I remaniss.

Yes I miss the sea, came ashore in 1964 and have been slowly trying to ween my self off ever since. Always been close so had access to my marine brothers, first pilot, then Harbour master, stevedore surveyor and still missing it But although I am 80 still get to adjust the odd fishing boat compass. Do not charge much but the pleasure of talking to similar people is fantastic. Hers to another tot of 4 Bells.

[/QUOTE]It also used to really get on my tits when some snot nosed kid of a second mate (safety officer) would try and tell me I was holding a hammer wrong or a spanner. More than once a few would be told to GTF or the hammer would be placed somewhere the sun did not shine.[/QUOTE]


It wasn't me Lewis,honest!; I did take Health & Safety seriously though-it was there for a reason though very few didn't see it(or wanted to see it) that way.I would say that the introduction of The Code of Safe Working Practice at Sea has saved many lives at sea,and on my ships I was diligent in promoting and practising it.
It's also like many things in working life -one can work wonders with a little humour and tact to get the co-operation of one's colleagues and shipmates-that goes for working with mixed/foreign crews as well.

By the way Lewis,'tits' are an obvious hazard in the working marine environment-I would suggest 'bandaging them up tightly against your chest-or get a bra. Perhaps a visit to the Pig in the evening might enlighten you on that as I couldn't find anything about that in my old 1989 CoSWP ,but I wouldn't be surprised if it has since been legislated for...... Now,put that hammer down,man! .I'm off !:hair_raising:

Gulliver ( in Safety Officer hat mode)

my sea time was cut very short just when I was climbing the ladder I have missed the sea since 1969 loved the life the places most of the people but I worked on the water since but not the same as waking up going on deck watching a pacific sunrise/set hot days cold days hard work yes every day this site is the closest to the camaraderie of the mess room you find on a good ship.. jp

As everyman and his dog are taught that Safety Meetings are what the Dr. ordered these days let me tell you about a couple I had to attend on board oil rigs. These were compulsory for all staff on board the rig, so were split up at different times usually during the 6 hours you were off watch. They consisted of the Safety Officer being the leading hand with his whiteboard and pointing stick. Every accident is supposed to be reported on an oil rig or platform, so say the cook nicked his finger while peeling an onion, or someone stubbed their toe stepping over a coaming. These accidents were
in detail and incidentally these meetings used to last up to 2 hours. The next thing was were they avoidable or not. It finally got down to what was the data that was wanted was there any man lost hours. Man lost hours were what the rig wanted to be zero, there was also the incentive of a prize and a cup for the crew with the least number of man lost hours. At the end of the meeting it was usually agreed among all hands that the two accidents used as an example no lost man hours would be recorded. I often felt like standing up and saying what about the 2 hours sitting here listening to a lot of drivel are they not classed as man lost hours or just regarded as loss of sleep. Safety is an Industry in itself today, and sometimes run by people who are clueless and are trying to tell people what they have been doing for years. They should do their safety courses ashore before arriving at their place of work. I have seen a rig worker sacked on the spot and sent on the next chopper ashore . His crime stepping outside the accommodation door, nowhere near a working zone for a breath of fresh air, unfortuanetly he forgot to put his hard hat on. It goes beyond believe how aggravating it can be, when ever anybody mentions safety to me, I say yeah Ive done every course imagineable and have the certificates to prove it, how about you. JWS

I always have missed the sea, that is why I ail around the world every year. since I retired 19 years ago.
It is good to be back on deck with Clean Fresh air, to feel the tremble of the ship through the feet, to watch the wake fading away astern, and to reach those beautiful islands of Tahiti. Could not survive without it.
22 Days off again. cannot wait.
Ia Orana, Maitai
Brian

I could not agree more , and yes I have all my safety certificates , the safety meetings were viewed by most as just skiving off work for a couple of hours, it was the same as watching safety videos, same old crap. More often than not I would excuse myself as I have seen this video more times than I care to remember.

I would never knock safety but what I will knock is the lack of pre- sea training or work shop practice for engineer cadets in todays world.
What used to really get on my goat was when you asked a cadet and many 4/engs for a 19 mm spanner and they came back with a shifter(Bacho)

I sacked a lad from one ship he was a 4/Eng, Dutch lad. I went into the purifier room and he was using a Fire extinguisher to tighten up the locking ring on the Purifier bowl. May sound harsh but that was his 3rd verbal warning. Everything you looked at, the corners on nuts would be rounded off absolutely useless.

The only elf n saftee I got when at sea was..........make sure you wash your d*ck properly after a night ashore............. Glad I sailed when I did, fancy not being able to climb up the mainmast when the ship was rolling and pitching with a bulb in your mouth to change the broken bulb, what the hell would you do for excitement

Agree Ivan, the only safety advice I git was, one hand for yourself, and one for the ship,that was it., kt