Offshore Working Hours

[cableguy]

Ok first story as promised: -

I was sailing on a little coastal timber carrier when I was a deck cadet. It was one of the smallest ships I have ever sailed on and the crew comprised of master, mate, C/E, 2 A/Bs, 1 Cook and 1 Motorman, and obviously myself as an extra hand. We had been running around ports for a month or so, Sweden, Norway, UK, Ireland and back, although not necessarily in that order. However we received a change in plan and went to Bremmen to load a cargo of cut timber. Obviously with such a small crew we were a little on the tired side running around with no rest, but there you go!

As some may know it is quite a long pilotage into Bremen, however this wasn't so bad, and I managed to get 4 or 5 hours below after my 6 hours on watch (this was one of my last trips as a cadet so I was spending most of my time on the bridge), and then turned to for mooring stations down aft with the cook and motorman just before my watch began.

What then followed was a 36 hour cargo watch which looking back on it now I should never ever have let my self do, and I will happily hold my hands up and admit I was in the wrong as much as any one. However this particular episode sticks in my head more than others because of what almost happened as a result of my fatigue.

On this particular load we were to take a deck cargo which consisted of packs of pre cut timber approximately a meter high by a meter deep by about two meters long. This cargo had to be packed as tightly as possible on to the top of the hatches in a two deep stack. To pack it as tight as possible you would land a pack on the deck and then the next pack would be swung into the last by a crane. Occasionally there would be a gap, which would need filling with dunnage made of other wood planks, thus making the stow as efficient as possible.

As we came to the last few packs I was left in charge of the deck whilst the master sorted out the stability and the mate was below. I had one A/B with me and a couple of stevedores. I had noticed a gap was starting to creep in on the stow and I was busy pushing the dunnage into the gaps to try and reduce them, then getting the crane driver to swing the load to compress the gaps. I got to a certain bit and obviously I was getting myself too wrapped up in the task of trying to fill the stow with out being aware of what was going on around me. Suddenly I remember the A/B pulling at my shoulder so hard I swear he almost dislocated and I fell right on to my back and then hearing the sound of a pack of timber smash in to another as it swung on the crane.

It turned out I had been so busy filling the gap I had failed to notice that they were still loading the next row so I had both my hands "wrist deep" between two backs of timber, one of which was about to get smacked by another one being swung from the crane. Luckily the A/B had noticed just in time otherwise I think at best my hands would have been shattered, and I don't even want the nightmares of what could of happened at worse case.

From that moment on I promised myself to be more attentive to things actually going on around me and if I am too tired to do that then I need to go and rest. I will happily turn round now when I am at work and say "no I can't do that because I am either going to hurt myself or some one else".

I shall post some more HoR horror stories of mine in the near future, but hopefully that should be enough for the now.

[endure]

Dredging my memory to tell these stories brings back the horrors. I think I may wake up screaming at 3 o'clock tomorrow morning :-)

[endure]

There was the time I was on Fyffe's Motagua when the fire alarms went off about 2130. I shot up to the radio room to find that the emergency transmitter had decided to burst into flames. The OM, who was already on the bridge, had rushed in there with a dry powder extinguisher and shut the door behind him.

He came out looking like a snowman in uniform - covered in powder and white from head to toe. He had managed to put the fire out though. He discovered over the next few days that extinguisher powder had a profoundly laxative effect if inhaled at close quarters.

Only time I've ever sailed with a Marconi radio room for which I am enormously grateful.

[Clanky]

Can't see a problem with tales of what you got up to in the past so long as they are accompanied by loads of lamp swinging noises and grumbles about how younguns these days don't know they're born and such like.

[cableguy]

Or did you just do feck all? ;P

Now I come to think of it they may have been hours of work violations instead of hours of rest violations......

I shall indeed post one or two in short order, but they weren't that long ago, only qualified in '08.

[size4riggerboots]

I was thinking of telling some of my historic hours of rest faux pas. However it probably won't be setting a very good example to those aspiring or full deck cadets on here, so probably best not...

I had the same thought but I suspect I'd be sitting on the naughty step for quite a while if I did.

Whyever not tell stories of how things used to be? It's always good (IMHO) to give current cadets a perspective of how easy they get things nowadays.... Or did you just do feck all? ;P

[GuinnessMan]

Seriously, if you think I'm scary the Easter bunny must terrify you!

How did we go from a zombie Jesus to an Easter bunny?

[cableguy]

Someone has to keep you boys on the straight and narrow!!

Seriously, if you think I'm scary the Easter bunny must terrify you!

Damn it we've been caught.........RUN!!!

[size4riggerboots]

Someone has to keep you boys on the straight and narrow!!

Seriously, if you think I'm scary the Easter bunny must terrify you!

[cableguy]

Indeed! Watch out for that S4, she's vicious!

Yes so I read/see/hear....so much fear I didn't even want to mention the name

[GuinnessMan]

I've only been on hear a couple of days and I already have the fear.

Indeed! Watch it you.

[cableguy]

I had the same thought but I suspect I'd be sitting on the naughty step for quite a while if I did.

Yes I was worried some one might put me in the corner and tell me to be quiet........ I've only been on hear a couple of days and I already have the fear.

[endure]

I was thinking of telling some of my historic hours of rest faux pas. However it probably won't be setting a very good example to those aspiring or full deck cadets on here, so probably best not...

I had the same thought but I suspect I'd be sitting on the naughty step for quite a while if I did.

[Clanky]

Yeah, I prefer 12 on / 12 off myself, but there are certain areas like anchor handling where it wouldn't work.

Used to do it on ferries and it wss fine.

[cableguy]

I have done 8 on / 8 off before and found it better than sixes. Due to the way that the hours of rest rules are worded it is no longer possible to work 8 on / off, but sixes and twelves are both OK, just shows how silly the regs are.

Yeah I know what you mean. I find twelves best to be honest as I feel I can accomplish something in my time off (read a bit of a book, watch a movie or just sit on deck in the sun) with out thinking that it's eating into my beauty sleep, and lord knows I need that! However, as with everything else it's all down to specific taste!

I was thinking of telling some of my historic hours of rest faux pas. However it probably won't be setting a very good example to those aspiring or full deck cadets on here, so probably best not...