Oh, the weather outside is frightful

[chesters1]

Strange why doesnt the captain tell the crew where they are off to? Not sure i would be foolish enough to join a vessel where the job lenght wasnt mentioned nor where i would be returning from when it ended .

The messages back home would be short "dear wife ,going somewhere not sure when i will be home "

[corydoras]

Strange why doesnt the captain tell the crew where they are off to? Not sure i would be foolish enough to join a vessel where the job lenght wasnt mentioned nor where i would be returning from when it ended .

The messages back home would be short "dear wife ,going somewhere not sure when i will be home "

That's about it. The Master can only tell the crew when he is given orders where to go. On one trip we all flew out to New Orleans to join the ship. First orders were to head to Long Beach via Panama Canal to take on bunkers. Then we were told to head across the Pacific and head in the general direction of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan. about ten days after that we were given final orders to go to Kaohsiung where we arrived about 4 weeks later. Normally a bulker will "turn around" in less than two or three days but that time we arrived in the middle of the monsoon. We were carrying grain (soya beans if I remember right) and grain can't be discharged in the rain. We were there for nearly six weeks. (brilliant). We then sailed from Taiwan to Dampier, WA for 70,000 tons of iron ore and then to Japan, but not what port in Japan. Then we went back to the Mississipi through Panama again for another load of soya, then across the Atlantic, past Gib, through the Med, through Suez to Aqaba in Jordan. Once we got to Jordan we all paid off and flew home. The whole thing was about eight months.

 

That is why married men liked to work on container ships. You knew almost exactly where you were going. You would join in Southampton and you would be back in Southampton about 12 weeks later and then you would be back with wifey for two or three weeks.

[chesters1]

I wonder how it gets around the working time directive lol

[corydoras]

I wonder how it gets around the working time directive lol

http://solasv.mcga.gov.uk/m_notice/msn/msn1767.pdf

[chesters1]

Yours is 2002 i am sure theres a newer version but technicall the high seas is not within the EU but 77 hours a week not for me

[corydoras]

Yours is 2002 i am sure theres a newer version but technicall the high seas is not within the EU but 77 hours a week not for me

I worked from 06:00 to 13:00 and then from 15:00 til 019:00 7 days a week. Saturday was if I remember rightly time and a half and Sunday double time. It was good money for a young chap in the '70's. Another thing that some landlubbers might not like was that everybody knew what everybody else got paid. The ship's articles, the contract that you sign when you get up the gangway were posted on the notice board. This was a legal requirement.

Edited July 27, 2018 by corydoras

[chesters1]

Looks like a nice job ,not sure what overtime is paid nowadays its a 24/7 economy .

I am retired now but always worked set hours and only did overtime on essential times ,i live by swings and roundabouts unfortunately this is becoming a rarity now ,if it rained say grass cutting day i went home and made up the time when practical .luckily i dictated when and how i worked as i am not a group worker ,underlings annoy me bosses annoy me more!

Edited July 27, 2018 by chesters1

[Phone]

All,

 

Once again I don't object to commenting on something I know very little about. When working as a broker we were careful to NOT use ships from States with open registers, Open registry vessels advertise more or less openly the fact that they offer anonymity and confidentiality of information under their Register. I dealt with cargo but it seems to me they wouldn't care anymore about crew?

 

Notice that is a question. How many ships are there that don't belong to "whatever" and avoid all rules??

 

Ohh and where's our guy down at Dover, he should know

 

Phone

[Phone]

All,

 

Very near my home. For those of you who Atchison might ring a bell. It is the Atchison Topeka and Santa-Fe railroad town.

Only In Kansas

Phone

[Ken L]

It's blowing a hoolie and p'ing down here. The local river gauge has a vertical wall to show the increase in water level and it's showing no sign of stopping.