This my friends is the beginning of lesson one.The sea does not care about you,your feelings,your aches,pains,lack of sleep,upset stomach or anything.You can not control the sea,you can merely try and follow the rules to get along with it.Now fortunately in this day and age of electronic gadgets we have many means of forecasting what the sea will do next.That being said,just because a computer model says it's going to be one way don't count on it.There have been way to many ships,tugs and other vessels sunk because they were not prepared for the situation that is going to sea.When going to sea and thanks to the USCG all sea tight doors must be closed and closed tight.This will prevent the vessel from sinking in under 30 seconds should it be taken over by waves,water or what have you.To many seaman have ventured to sea with calm forecasts in hand only to be dealt a completely opposite hand when arriving in deep water with no help in sight.Another thing everyone must realize is ships move around at close to 20 knots,most tugs and sailing ships only move around at 10 knots,WITHOUT A BARGE IN TOW!So lets figure I am on a tug thirty miles offshore and we run into engine problems and the weather is getting snotty.Running to shore on one engine would take three hours!That's on a good day and everyone knows how much the weather can change in three hours.Many variables would go into that last equation,like where is the nearest port,it may be 50 miles up the coast.The list goes on and on.Now that being said,the electronics on board every American ocean going vessel help out with steering,plotting a course and of course communication,we will get into that at a later date.The main part of safety and awareness is the crew.If anyone has any doubts about how a crew member will react in a situation they should and will let everyone know and then the situation is handled.Well I just wanted to give everyone the first lesson that is close to the first thing I was ever taught on a boat.ONE HAND FOR YOU,ONE HAND FOR THE SHIP.Next lesson a video tour of the first deck of the tug boat,hosted by ME!Friday, October 24, 2008
The Sea Doesn't Care About You
This my friends is the beginning of lesson one.The sea does not care about you,your feelings,your aches,pains,lack of sleep,upset stomach or anything.You can not control the sea,you can merely try and follow the rules to get along with it.Now fortunately in this day and age of electronic gadgets we have many means of forecasting what the sea will do next.That being said,just because a computer model says it's going to be one way don't count on it.There have been way to many ships,tugs and other vessels sunk because they were not prepared for the situation that is going to sea.When going to sea and thanks to the USCG all sea tight doors must be closed and closed tight.This will prevent the vessel from sinking in under 30 seconds should it be taken over by waves,water or what have you.To many seaman have ventured to sea with calm forecasts in hand only to be dealt a completely opposite hand when arriving in deep water with no help in sight.Another thing everyone must realize is ships move around at close to 20 knots,most tugs and sailing ships only move around at 10 knots,WITHOUT A BARGE IN TOW!So lets figure I am on a tug thirty miles offshore and we run into engine problems and the weather is getting snotty.Running to shore on one engine would take three hours!That's on a good day and everyone knows how much the weather can change in three hours.Many variables would go into that last equation,like where is the nearest port,it may be 50 miles up the coast.The list goes on and on.Now that being said,the electronics on board every American ocean going vessel help out with steering,plotting a course and of course communication,we will get into that at a later date.The main part of safety and awareness is the crew.If anyone has any doubts about how a crew member will react in a situation they should and will let everyone know and then the situation is handled.Well I just wanted to give everyone the first lesson that is close to the first thing I was ever taught on a boat.ONE HAND FOR YOU,ONE HAND FOR THE SHIP.Next lesson a video tour of the first deck of the tug boat,hosted by ME!
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2 comments:
Host dat wierd warren's video countdown. Did I mention I could dance?
Good lesson though. I see the logic for giving one hand to the ship at all times too!
Great post. On another note, I bought a Mullet Wig at Rite-Aid today. It looks like Joe Dirt went through a tornado. You will see it soon. Oh yes. You will.
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