How long you gonna do it for?

[stronglead]

I was just wondering what people had in mind how long do you plan to stay in this line of work do you want your whole life to be spent seafaring or do you plan to do 10-15 years and come out and start a family or in the other hand how long have you done it and how long do you plan to continue doing it? I only ask from hearing different things from a friend who was going on about this so I thought I would as the people who are in the situation

[ETwhat?]

I would be expecting to still be doing this in 5 years if for anything to make the 3 years of training worth while, but given my track record I'm much more likey to do what ever comes along and i feel is a challenge

[size4riggerboots]

Working at sea and having a family are not mutually exclusive you know!! I reckon on getting at least a good 5 years out of the job and then will review things and decide if I want to pop out a sprog or two. If I do, I'll take a years maturnity leave and then go back to work, probably on something close to home doing 2 or three week trips at a time, and then when they've grown up I'll head back to the deeps.

[YoungMariner]

I've two young children, and have been at sea almost 10 years now, would like to see myself at sea for a lot longer, and working a time on=time off ratio is the perfect compromise. In my opinion I get more quality time with the children in the 6 months off then your average joe working mon-fri 9-5 commuting 2-3 hours a day in traffic and playing catch up with the jobs on a weekend, knackered from a week of working.

[stronglead]

Thanks guys quite interesting views there I plan atleast a minimum of 10 years after I qualify minimum then go from there though the missus has me warned if we have kids I can run away and hide at sea and leave her to it haha and she is serious :O so yeah I aim to finish the training (which I haven't even started haha) and make it worth the 3 years at college then see what doors are open to me

[ETwhat?]

Stronglad, your planning 13 years ahead, my advice would be always keep an eye on other areas that interest you, as some of the best jobs dont come up that often its very much a right place right time thing, I kinda regret not being more focused when the first chance to do an OOW came up, however i have still managed to have a lot of fun getting to now.

[CharlieDelta]

I find this quite an interesting topic ever since we had a talk from the Honourable Company of Master Mariners at Warsash. They asked for a show of hands from people who wanted to be a Captain some day. Very few hands went up. From talking to people, very few plan to stay at sea for any extended period, instead being attracted by the prospects ashore. Indeed, the whole Foundation Degree programme was introduced with the aim of attracting those who would otherwise follow conventional degree programmes - a bit of a "rebranding" so that the word "degree" could be used, since school-leavers now seem to be programmed with the idea that you need a degree to get anywhere in life.

On the deck side, many of the positions ashore that people aspire to do not require seafaring experience. It would be much easier to do a degree in the relevant business/legal/science subject. But people are attracted to the cadetship programme because of the sponsorship.

I'm not saying anyone's right or wrong, because we all have to make the best of the opportunities that are presented to us. As has been said, there may be a time when you want a family or simply get a bit fed up of being at sea, and in those cases you have to do what's best for you and your family.

Personally, I'm training as a deck officer because that's what I want to do. I don't have any aim other than to spend my career at sea, collect the odd extra stripe here and there and hopefully, one day, take on the responsibility and privilege of commanding a ship until I'm old, gray and grumpy. Money does not concern me greatly - I know that I could probably earn more ashore but why do something that doesn't interest you just for the money?

Now, things may change and if I ever stop enjoying myself then I'll need to reconsider. I might fail a medical, have unexpected problems at home or a myriad of other things and then I can use my qualifications and experience to fall back on.

In the meantime, I'm going to make the most of being at sea. We see the most amazing things. I've only done one trip and I am still reeling from the experiences I've had: sitting on the after decks with a drink with Sydney Harbour Bridge on one side, the Opera House on the other; meeting the islanders at Pitcairn and helping them load some old carpet back into their boat; the Chilean glaciers; the fjords of New Zealand; Cape Horn; the Panama Canal; crystal clear nights in the Pacific; the most amazing sunsets in the Baltic... The list goes on. I get paid to see places that I would never dream of seeing otherwise, while doing something that interests and challenges me.

Despite the ups and downs, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Remember: one should work to live, not live to work.

[stronglead]

Your point about the medical is very vaild to I know a ex master from working with the cadets and if he had a choice he would still be at sea as a master but he has been put down as unfit to serve at sea as he is a diabetic and has had a hypo and they said if that happens when your on the joy stick (he was on the north sea offshore) then all sorts could happen!!!

[ETwhat?]

one day, take on the responsibility and privilege of commanding a ship until I'm old, gray and grumpy.

In the meantime, I'm going to make the most of being at sea. We see the most amazing things. I've only done one trip and I am still reeling from the experiences I've had: sitting on the after decks with a drink with Sydney Harbour Bridge on one side, the Opera House on the other; meeting the islanders at Pitcairn and helping them load some old carpet back into their boat; the Chilean glaciers; the fjords of New Zealand; Cape Horn; the Panama Canal; crystal clear nights in the Pacific; the most amazing sunsets in the Baltic... The list goes on. I get paid to see places that I would never dream of seeing otherwise, while doing something that interests and challenges me.

Getting to stand by the wheel for the first time knowing that yor taking the ship out is a great feeling and it really doesnt matter what size the ship is, similarly when your trying to nurse your way through force 12 winds you will find your turning old grey grumpy fast.

I've done the cape of good hope that that was pants, 70+knots rather large seas and a rather small boat not sure i would want to do cape horn,

[ETwhat?]

Your point about the medical is very vaild to I know a ex master from working with the cadets and if he had a choice he would still be at sea as a master but he has been put down as unfit to serve at sea as he is a diabetic and has had a hypo and they said if that happens when your on the joy stick (he was on the north sea offshore) then all sorts could happen!!!

Having had one bad experience with a medical issue I was up a yachts mast changing the wind thingy, the mate who had just secured the rope colapsed and had a seziure no one else on board and its about 8 am on a sunday, took a while to get down, and he was ok in the end but no more ENG1and no more job

[CharlieDelta]

Cape Horn was quite gentle for us thankfully, to the degree that I almost feel like a bit of a cheat and I should go back and do it again!

Steering was a strange experience - when you start in open seas it's an almost boring, compass-chasing experience. But steering into Oslo under pilotage, and almost to the berth in Tallinn, where you can see the effects of just a small bit of rudder is an amazing experience. It's difficult to appreciate when you're on a bridge at the front with the rest of the ship behind you, but when youre on the quayside looking up at a huge ship thinking "I steered that" it's amazing.

[YoungMariner]

Next step docking and undocking, it'll come sooner then you think!

[CharlieDelta]

Watching the Captain effortlessly fiddling with the telegraphs, thrusters and telling the staff captain which lines to put out, where and when; I was quite easily fooled into thinking how simple it all was until I went on watch and had the OOW talking to me about pivot points, underpowered stern vs overpowered bow, the differences between fixed pitch, CPP, pods, single screw, twin screw, inward turning/outward turning. I don't think it's so easy any more!

[stronglead]

and what do I get to play with as a engine person then? lol

[ETwhat?]

stronglad i think as a chief you get to play with bigger engines, theproblems no one else can fix, budget and refit planning, record keeping I dontthink there is the same glamorous option as that on the decky side,

if i can teach 12 year olds (one on the wheel one on the morse) how to park80foot yachts im sure someone can teach CD how to handle a queen,