Millennials in shipping

[j.sabourn]

Bill in addition to #21 as re. Seaforth and the 4 years I spent as mate on the Clansman. Was mate on the following vessels mostly during my leave periods off the Clansman. Chieftan, which believe was sold and renamed the Antares, Emperor, Jarl, Highlander, Conqueror. Then master on the Commander, Laird, Sovereign, and Viscount. After the redundancies caught up with a superintendent who lived local, in the local as well, and talked him into a job deep sea and finished up nearly a year away on two foreign flag ships which I can't even remember the names of or their managers, have no paperwork as not in book and lost the paper discharges. Cheers JWS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Tanya.
No good asking all these youngsters they are all on the rum.
You asked why Millennial's want to go too sea. Well first if in the UK or Aus and NZ they would be lucky to get a ship, as most are owned by the German or Scandinavian country's, secondly I doubt the appeal is there, when I went to sea in 1949 there were sea schools in Britain that catered for thousands of young lads,and every boy was eager to go to sea, in the one I went too the Vindicatrix over 70,000 boys went through the school over a period of time, just think how many that would take off the dole today. But I think you asked WHY Millennial's would want to go sea I'd like to think it was for the same reason that we went, for adventure, to see the world, to visit exotic places,definitely not for the 7 pounds a month to start, but it was a freedom but now so many restrictions would be put on them they wouldn't last to long i suspect. I remember on my second trip, 17 year old being told by the bosun to get up the foremast 60 feet high; in a bosun's chair and start painting, no safety harness in those days and enjoying every minute of it.
In contrast at 68 in 1999 I was working on a ferry in Sydney Harbour on a lovely sunny day painting over the side on a stage all by myself; and across the way were two seamen??? from a passenger boat, on a painting barge doing the same thing, I was in a pair of shorts hanging over the side, they had on lifebelts, hard hats and had safety ropes around their waists with both feet firmly planted on the deck of the barge with someone looking over the side to make sure they didn't fall in the water, in the old days we would have been jumping into the water to cool off, but who do you think was enjoying it the most.
Cheers Des.


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