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Lucifer · 01-22-2007, 12:15 PM

MixedMedia: it's only stressful if I fuck up. If I do it right, its very boring. We like to say that the job is 95% boredom, 5% sheer terror.

Charlatan: VCTD stands for Victor Charlie Tango Delta. It's the ship's radio call sign. We usually only use it for speaking to the MCTC - Marine Communications Traffic Center. I actually do as little "driving" as possible. I leave the steering of the ship up to the wheelsman - it's his job to steer. My job is to command: to give helm orders to the wheelsman, to be in charge of (and responsible for) the work on deck, to be in command of (and responsible for the multi-million dollar ship, the 30 men and women living and working on board, and the million dollar cargo), to be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance for all radio/radar/navigation equipment on board, and to answer to the 1st mate and master for all of the above. The days of doing doughnuts is over, thanks to the ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display Information System) which records our vessel track (heading, speed) onto a hard drive. In case of an accident, the hard drive is the first thing the inspectors seize when they come onboard and it's admissible in court. I was kind of nervous on my first day on the bridge, but I usually only have to change my shorts when it gets stressful.

Fly: we didn't name the hawk. He kind of reminded me of Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show, he was bedraggled (it was absolutely pissing rain that day), and very unhappy. Most ships pick up birds for a couple of days. We usually have a group of small songbirds hopping around on deck in the summer. Usually in the summer, a small hawk will be hanging out up in the superstructure, and sometimes you will see him streak down from the mast and there will be a puff of feathers.

01-22-2007, 12:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
Lucifer Husband of Seamaiden Location: Nova Scotia	MixedMedia: it's only stressful if I fuck up. If I do it right, its very boring. We like to say that the job is 95% boredom, 5% sheer terror. Charlatan: VCTD stands for Victor Charlie Tango Delta. It's the ship's radio call sign. We usually only use it for speaking to the MCTC - Marine Communications Traffic Center. I actually do as little "driving" as possible. I leave the steering of the ship up to the wheelsman - it's his job to steer. My job is to command: to give helm orders to the wheelsman, to be in charge of (and responsible for) the work on deck, to be in command of (and responsible for the multi-million dollar ship, the 30 men and women living and working on board, and the million dollar cargo), to be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance for all radio/radar/navigation equipment on board, and to answer to the 1st mate and master for all of the above. The days of doing doughnuts is over, thanks to the ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display Information System) which records our vessel track (heading, speed) onto a hard drive. In case of an accident, the hard drive is the first thing the inspectors seize when they come onboard and it's admissible in court. I was kind of nervous on my first day on the bridge, but I usually only have to change my shorts when it gets stressful. Fly: we didn't name the hawk. He kind of reminded me of Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show, he was bedraggled (it was absolutely pissing rain that day), and very unhappy. Most ships pick up birds for a couple of days. We usually have a group of small songbirds hopping around on deck in the summer. Usually in the summer, a small hawk will be hanging out up in the superstructure, and sometimes you will see him streak down from the mast and there will be a puff of feathers. __________________ I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. - Job 30:29 1123, 6536, 5321 Last edited by Lucifer; 01-22-2007 at 12:18 PM..