Re. A short run job.

[j.sabourn]

This post comes up as a blog on my I pad with no means of replying to , but should just like to say liked this well written piece. I can vouch for the days in a hotel as did at least 6 run jobs up to Singapore during my time offshore bringing vessels back down to Australia and taken them back to their original pensioners home. It was standard 3 days in a hotel in Singapore taking them back plus $100 a day spending money all meals in hotel found , this was maritime seaman’s unions rules for Australia in the years 1991 to 2002 during my time. I doubt very much this still goes , can only hope/it does. I tried one time bringing one ship down to go through the islands of Indonesia just once ,but found I was being shadowed at night by unknown vessels , thereafter always kept to,the longer open sea routes as advised., Thanks to Michael Smith for his post.Brought back mainly happy memories. JS

[Des Jenkins]

Hi John.
You are lucky, you are trying to remember things from around 25 years ago, I have been having trouble remembering how to put an Avatar on my posts, just after asking Vernon I got it, A special moment, hope my fall hasn't moved my brain down to far down my body LoL. I have now had to enlarge my typing to be able to read my own typing Jeez.
Des

[j.sabourn]

What’s an avatar , thought it was the red majic dragon in your top left hand quadrant, ploughing up your green front lawn. JS.

[Tony Taylor]

This post comes up as a blog on my I pad with no means of replying to , but should just like to say liked this well written piece. I can vouch for the days in a hotel as did at least 6 run jobs up to Singapore during my time offshore bringing vessels back down to Australia and taken them back to their original pensioners home. It was standard 3 days in a hotel in Singapore taking them back plus $100 a day spending money all meals in hotel found , this was maritime seaman’s unions rules for Australia in the years 1991 to 2002 during my time. I doubt very much this still goes , can only hope/it does. I tried one time bringing one ship down to go through the islands of Indonesia just once ,but found I was being shadowed at night by unknown vessels , thereafter always kept to,the longer open sea routes as advised., Thanks to Michael Smith for his post.Brought back mainly happy memories. JS

That sounds like a good deal to me, we used to get B&B in good hotel on Orchard rd. plus $50/day subsistence. So the standard format was to take a large breakfast as late as possible, then go out for a wander and a few beers until about half three, then go into any decent hotel and order a half which would be served with mini spring rolls etc. Visit a couple of these establisments then around half six or so go to one of the car park markets and get a large meal from around $2, this would give us approx. $48 beer money.

[j.sabourn]

If taken a ship back to Singapore used to try and buy a good few cases of beer out of bond . Unusual sight to see a dozen men walking down the gangway in Singapore bound for the hotel a case of beer on each shoulder, never seemed to bother anyone. Saved on buying out of hotel fridge . JS Sounds today like pulling one’s leg ,but true and this was listed as 3 days r’n’r for a 7 day passage. If joining a ship in Singapore if travelling time was over 8 hours from leaving one’s abode then had to have rest again in a hotel overnight.Before joining ship. What a difference from uk shipping at that time. JS. Not sure about length of rest period but a hotel,room had to be provided whether all night or a day room to have at least 12/hours off. JS

[Des Jenkins]

Hi John.
I think in the old days you would have been known as R&R John.These days it is I think called working your ticket.
Des

[Les Woodard]

Hi John.
You are lucky, you are trying to remember things from around 25 years ago, I have been having trouble remembering how to put an Avatar on my posts, just after asking Vernon I got it, A special moment, hope my fall hasn't moved my brain down to far down my body LoL. I have now had to enlarge my typing to be able to read my own typing Jeez.
Des

Des the old brain might be going back to where most of our brains where when at sea mate

[j.sabourn]

r and r it was Des correct term at time. Think I have a copy somewhere of all the whys and wherefores of the maritime agreements and wages for the period commencing 1991 when I joined the Guild and even that was hard to get into, but unemployable in Australian ships if not a member. Even the manning for a 7 day run to Singapore had to increase crew numbers to deep sea quotas,and from 9 men as a working unit had to have 12 as a crew number for a fiddling little run job. If you were one of the 3 extra hands for a trip to Singapore it was like a paid holiday for them more so than the regular crew. Those were the days. Must have thought they were big winners on Tipping Point..Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Doubt if today you would be doing that.
From what I hear and know there is just about no or very few Australian seamen left.
Ships arriving and leaving Oz ports are all manned by overseas crew, even the cruise ships are about 90% overseas crew.
Very few original English speaking on board.
Those days are well behind us now and doubt they will ever retun.

[j.sabourn]

#9 Yes I realize that John , I just take satisfaction in the fact that for 11 years out of the 50 associated with the maritime world I was fortuanate enough to get some of the cream and it was Australia that supplied that uplifting experience. It shows that apart from the extreme higher cost for the oil companys to lock in this higher costing it was still profitable for them to do so , and they paid up accordingly. Somewhere in every underpaid occupation someone is creaming off the high profit somewhere on the production line of profit and loss. Businesses don’t run at a loss. Seamen in our time were the producer of the goods say , but many other industries were employed in some manner or form , who were paid substantially better terms and conditions.
JS