Maritime Carol

Finding a body in the sea is not a common occurrence, however it does happen and you may be the one who finds it... While speed at getting the body out of the water may be the key, the following guidelines should be followed: 1. Report the sighting on Channel 16 or dial 111 on cell phone 2. Activate MOB button to mark position 3. Record details in Log Book 4 Stay with the body but don't touch it 5. Photograph and video the body as soon as possible 6. Attach a buoy to the body if possible or necessary 7. If the body is likely to float away (rough seas) attempt to attach a line to the body and secure it to your vessel. 8. Call for assistance 9. Obey instructions of Police/Harbourmaster/Coastguard. 10. Make sure you've not implicated in the death of the person. So that's what you do - if you find a body in the sea...

Not long before its all on again... Here's seven simple steps to becoming a Charter Boat Owner/Operator: 1. Talk to a MNZ recognised marine Surveyor BEFORE you build or buy ANY boat - from NZ or overseas.    Not all boats can easily go into survey. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/safety/safety-management-systems/recognised-surveyors/ 2. Don't quit your day job just yet, becoming a qualified skipper takes time. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/certification/masters-and-deck/SRL.asp 3. MNZ compliance is thorough and you'll need to get into the Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) This entails creating a good Maritime Transport Operator Plan with Maintenance Plan, Spare Parts list, completing a Fit & Proper Person form and applying to MNZ.  It can take a while. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/safety/safety-management-systems/MOSS/ 4. PR/Marketing is next - Use Facebook, blog, as well as a website to tell everyone about it. 5. Get t...

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.

For over five years I was the Vessel & Volunteer Manager at Voyager NZ Maritime Museum located at Downtown Auckland, NZ.  Under my care were three very different vessels: a scow, a square rigged brigantine and NZ's oldest steam boat.     Crew were all volunteers aged from 16-80yrs old, some coming from long maritime careers, others totally new to the sea.   My role, amongst other things, was to create the training manuals from raw materials (crew verbals, notes etc)   Because of the huge variety of skill sets, the manuals needed to be comprehensive and full of pictures to explain our way of doing things safely.   These manuals seem to take forever to create and often just when you think it is right, somebody points out something that needs to be changed and so it goes on and on, and even then they are living documents, so always ready to be updated.  I must've got them right because this is what one of the Mates emailed me: "Carol, I'm reall...