Maritime Carol

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.

Every commercial vessel has a list of Safety Equipment that is checked monthly, annually and at survey time.  Every owner/operator has a duty to their crew, passengers or clients to keep the equipment up to date and in good order. Take this simple test to check your attitude: 1.  My life jackets are: a) Good enough         b)Keeps the surveyor happy     c)Will save a life when needed. 2. The anchor ball is: a) to keep the surveyor happy   b)Never used       c)hoisted when we drop the anchor. 3. The sea cocks: a)look okay           b)yep, they're probably okay   c)were checked by the surveyor last time. 4) Our charts are: a) Under the chart table         b)good enough   c)Kept updated and renewed when necessary. 5) The flares are on board and they need to be: a)renewed                   b)taken...

Telling our story is what the Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) is all about.   It's about documenting how we operate, how we keep everyone on board safe, trained and the boats maintained.     It's what we do on a daily, monthly and annual basis.    We are alive when we are on the water and our operator plan should be too. Adventure is a living thing  - so long as there are men & women, sea & land and ships to sail the sea...Capt Randell If its a set of dusty procedures, its not relevant or current, and it's not how we operate. To be the best operator, we need the best operator plan and we need the best system to keep it relevant and current.   It needs to be fun...and kept fun. Here's how to make MOSS fun: 1.  Get a bunch of mates/staff around. (Hey Steve, I need a hand with this) 2.  Give them a copy of your Operator Plan   (Have a look at this) 3.  Is it relevant to the operation.( Wha...

'It was parked under our bedroom window.   In the morning it was gone, heard nothing, he hit the house & we now have his stolen bumper.' Summer time and the living is easy - especially if you want a trailer boat for free. "December to March is when the highest number of trailer boats are stolen", says Ian Walker of NZ Marine Valuations Ltd, "and its when I get involved with Pre-Accident Value (PAV) for owners and insurance companies." Trailer boats (including jet skis) are the worst with boaties sometimes returning to the boat ramp to find the trailer gone without a trace.   "The more ways we can stop trailer boat theft the better." says Ian. Here's seven ways to stop your trailer boat being stolen: 1. Set an alarm - having a alarm will create awareness of tampering and theft. 2. Install sensor lights where it is parked. 3. Fit a lock bar to the trailer and use it at boat-ramps as well as when parked up. 4. Chain trailer to a...

Before I up-skilled on bar crossings today, all I knew about them was that there was three kinds of bars - dangerous, very dangerous and very very dangerous - in other words, they're ALL dangerous.   Living on the Kaipara Harbour for sixteen years and being involved with Coastguard Kaipara, I know the Kaipara Bar is dangerous.  We all do - it's not called the Graveyard without a good reason. I crossed the Raglan Bar on a good day and the swells were huge.  I can imagine how rough it would get with adverse weather & tide. With the tragedy over the weekend and not being a bar crossing expert, I checked out MNZ's National Code of Practice for Bar Crossings.   There are the procedures: stow gear low, wear life-jackets, check weather, tide & bar conditions, batten down, avoid night crossings and ebb tide...etc However, at the end of the recommendations it states: "It is ultimately the skipper's responsibility to determine whether or not to cross a bar...

Attaining and keeping your Skipper's ticket is essential for a successful maritime career.   Its also true that learning doesn't stop because we have our Skipper's ticket. Here's five lessons I learnt - on my first trip: Before I'd even sat my Skipper's ticket I was asked to take a boat out to the Barrier if the owner (also in the class) didn't pass the exam.   Sure enough, he failed and I passed. Lesson 1 - NEVER let anyone ' use your Skipper's ticket' if they don't have one. So we depart Marsden Wharf on a Friday night for a 3 day fishing charter.   The fumes were terrible and we arrived at Nagles Cove at 2am. Lesson 2  - Check the maintenance is up to date & survey current.   After a couple of days, the weather turned bad and we were hold up in Whangaparapara. Lesson 3 - Check all listed safety equipment & spare parts are on board.  The ice started melting, the fish (& men) started to stink, ...

It's easy to become out of our depth, on the hardstand or in a cage. Often working alone, we forget that there are others with the same issues.  Here's five ways to reduce feelings of isolation: 1. Call your Mother.  If she's gone, call someone who supported you forever.  2. Plan a regular escape into someone else's world. 3. Help someone, volunteer and do something active. 4. Write a vision for the future - your future - starting today. 5. Change what needs changing and don't settle for less - you are worth it.