Maritime Carol

The bow dipped, the bilge alarm came on and we were obviously taking on water...   Three years ago contract skipper Brian Climo departed Westhaven on a routine dolphin & whale watching trip.     Dreamweaver's thirty six passengers and four crew had heard the safety briefing, seen the life jacket demonstration and a trip report had been given.       The 23rd February, 2015 was no different than any other Dreamweaver charter and they were soon steaming around North Head towards TiriTiri Matangi.    The crew had worked together before and at the end of each trip they'd socialize over a beer or two.    After thirty five years at sea, Brian knew the Hauraki Gulf well and was confident of his skills as a skipper.    He knew Dreamweaver had a current Survey Certificate but didn't know that her bow section had previously been repaired three times.     As the day progressed, lun...

One of the ferry skippers I worked with sketched me four pages of 'how the ship operated'.  I treasured those scraps of paper as it was my training manual whilst I was on board.   That master was the only one to write the vessel information down - and he was passionate about it. (Thanks Aaron) Having a good Vessel Manual gets information out of people's heads and into one place.  It is referred to in the Maritime Transport Operator Plan and can also be used as a training manual. Crew training and sign offs are formulated from a Vessel Manual and training manuals can also be created using the manual. Crew should be trained to find their way in the dark and not only locate, but also operate emergency equipment fast and in adverse conditions. Once a crew person knows the ship inside and out, they are ready to take a responsible position on board.  Until then, they can often be a liability rather than an asset.