Good Story about Tug in the Bering Sea Run

Interesting story and good read:

https://gcaptain.com/it-never-ends-...139820873&mc_cid=693fbcb948&mc_eid=5b70bcca05

Read it this morning, sounds miserable and dangerous.

Talk about really earning those wages!

He sounds like a little bitch to me....What did he expect? It ain't all moonlight and canoes. I have seen a thousand of these guys in 40 years as a commercial mariner.
If you don't like the life,go home! He is scared to talk to the office so he has his wife do it?pleez!

Worn out, needed a break. Been there.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Interesting story and good read:

https://gcaptain.com/it-never-ends-...139820873&mc_cid=693fbcb948&mc_eid=5b70bcca05

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Hummmmm, I believe I know the company and the tug. It isn't that portrayed in the article. Will check about and report (names to be changed to protect the innocent ya ya ya )

Sailor of Fortune said:

He sounds like a little bitch to me....What did he expect? It ain't all moonlight and canoes. I have seen a thousand of these guys in 40 years as a commercial mariner.
If you don't like the life,go home! He is scared to talk to the office so he has his wife do it?pleez!

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Tad bit harsh don't you think?


ANYONE can get to the point that they have should get off.. I have been there and practically prayed for an alien abduction to happen so I could get off the damn boat. Needless to say I'm still here so that didn't happen. So would you rather have a crew aboard that got to the point they were putting YOUR life in danger? .. I've been there and sleeping off watch in the pilothouse to keep a eye on a deficient crew for days on end started to degrade my performance also.


There are so many reasons the author may have got to that point.. many may have had nothing to do with being a wimp.. loss in confidence in the vessel might of been just one part.. I would rather be a wimp and alive than a statistic.



The guy may have been a great crew member... just not in the gulf of Alaska in the winter.. on that boat.. with that skipper.


Unless you were there, on that boat its really not fair to judge the guy.
I know there is no way in hell I would be on a 90' tug with those kind of tows that time of year.. I'm way smarter than that.


HOLLYWOOD

hollywood8118 said:

Tad bit harsh don't you think?


ANYONE can get to the point that they have should get off.. I have been there and practically prayed for an alien abduction to happen so I could get off the damn boat. Needless to say I'm still here so that didn't happen. So would you rather have a crew aboard that got to the point they were putting YOUR life in danger? .. I've been there and sleeping off watch in the pilothouse to keep a eye on a deficient crew for days on end started to degrade my performance also.


There are so many reasons the author may have got to that point.. many may have had nothing to do with being a wimp.. loss in confidence in the vessel might of been just one part.. I would rather be a wimp and alive than a statistic.



The guy may have been a great crew member... just not in the gulf of Alaska in the winter.. on that boat.. with that skipper.


Unless you were there, on that boat its really not fair to judge the guy.
I know there is no way in hell I would be on a 90' tug with those kind of tows that time of year.. I'm way smarter than that.


HOLLYWOOD

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I don't think I'm being a bit harsh at all. I have no problem with the guy not wanting to be on that job or tug,just man up and tell the captain and company. This occupation isn't easy or for everyone but to allude that every crewmember is mentally unstable....except for him of course,give me a break! Then have momma call the company because he is soooo fatigued? He was hired for an exposed,open ocean run with a container barge,what did he think it was going to be like?
I would like to hear the crews assessment of him.. He is a real class act,trash the tug,crew and company on the way out the door

Rebel112r said:

Worn out, needed a break. Been there.

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+1

Perhaps the sea conditions suggest a 2 man watch for a day or two?
The idea of a one man watch in confined navigational areas is not comforting.
So what happens if this one man goes over the side while adjusting the tow cable especially at night?

Maybe his wife was the secretary to the company president?
Yup, there is a point in stress where we need a relief. Easy to do on land.... find a motel, get a good night's sleep and start off again the next day. Difficult or impossible to do if you are a crew member onboard a ship of any size.

Feels more like badly written fiction than reportage.

Boy did I miss the ending. I thought the person on the dock ready to take over was going to be the real man in the house, his wife!

Not sure why gender related comments are necessary. I know plenty of woman mariners who hold their own against any man.

Fletcher500 said:

Not sure why gender related comments are necessary. I know plenty of woman mariners who hold their own against any man.

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I agree. I have met several who are Captains on very large vessels, whether tugs or cruise ships. That is what I intended, sorry it didn't come out that way.

Fletcher500 said:

Not sure why gender related comments are necessary. I know plenty of woman mariners who hold their own against any man.

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I agree. We know of a fishing boat in Ketch that has a female captain and crew. They have the nicest and cleanest boat in the marine and are very proud of it.

I guess a last refuge of Real Men

I also know a mariner who’s name is Ann but she doesn’t drive a tug. Last I heard it was oil tankers. Makes our boats look like a bath tub toy.

Fletcher500 said:

Not sure why gender related comments are necessary. I know plenty of woman mariners who hold their own against any man.

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I don't think you got it, it was a joke!

otis maximus said:

I don't think you got it, it was a joke!

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To you perhaps, not to me.

I doubt #4 was joking.

john61ct said:

I doubt #4 was joking.

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That's okay, I don't think you got it either!

I used to deck for a prominent female Tug Captain in Boston. She was very experienced,competent and totally professional. I also worked with two of her daughters at different times,also both tug captains. They shared their moms work ethic and ability.