Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Boat Jobs ; What kind of people work on a boat

When I first heard of working on boats way back around 93 I had no idea what to expect. At the time all I knew was that it paid pretty good and I wanted a good paying job.

With movies and shows like Discovery Channels Deadliest Catch and Swords, to pirate movies and military type shows there is no clear Idea of what kind of people actually work on boats.

The best way to explain it is the movie Armageddon. You know the one with Ben Afleck and Liv Tylor. A killer astroid is going to crash into earth and the only way to save us is to land on it and drill a hole in it and blow it up. As much as that may not sound like a good explanation of the type of people that are working on boats it is actually perfect.

There are different positions and different levels on a boat. Take the big black guy for example, he seemed a little on the wild and crazy side but a big strong worker. There are many jobs available that are perfect for guys like him. The big dumb white guy could do some of the lower level jobs just fine but didn't appear to be smart enough to ever advance.The white guy with the big nose seems a little weird but could probably manage alot of the lower level jobs available. You have the weird looking guy that is super smart, he wouldn't do to well in the lower level jobs but as he advanced and worked more with his brain than his back he would start to do very well.You have the guy with the gambling problem that could probably do anything he wanted if he focused on it. You have the hot shot kid that is good and smart that thinks he knows more than the boss. And obviously Bruce plays the boss. Throw in a few Forrest Gumps and you have a pretty good Idea of what kind of people work on boats.

Boat jobs do require a higher degree of physical standards than many jobs but in general most anyone can find a place on a boat that they can do well in if they apply themselves.

Women in the past had only worked as cooks or stewards but that is now changing. Now women can hold any position they care to try. Women do have a harder time finding jobs on boats due to living quarters regulations. Most large companies meet the standards and have no choice but to hire women. In general a women will have a tough time getting excepted on a boat. For an example the company I work with currently had about 8 women employees in the past, I believe only 1 remains and she has a Captians license. Out of the 8, 6 of those have tried to sue for sexual harrasment.

As with any work enviorment harrasment of any kind is not allowed. The 2 women I have worked with are the only 2 that are not trying to sue someone. I do not know if the claims of harrasment are true or not but mention this to help explain why women have a hard time getting excepted on a boat. The first thought men on a boat have when a women is joining a crew is what does she look like. Well after all men are men. The second thought is, is she going to sue me if she is working under me and I have to give her a bad evaluation. In general a woman can not carry the same physical work load as the men so there is going to be hard feeling in general. A women will feel pretty isolated on most boats. In some instances a boat has more than 1 lower level position held by a woman but the women will have no choice but to work opposite times of the day due to the physical work load so there is no time for the women to get together and talk as the rest of the men do.

Women do get excepted if they are on a boat as a cook. It still makes life less comfortable for the men but a cook on a boat is basically a loner due to the work schedual. they wake up around 3am get breakfest ready and after breakfest they clean up , do some prep work for lunch and take a nap. After lunch they repeat the same for dinner and after dinner is done they go to bed so they can wake up at 3am and do it all over again.

People with most physical or mental handicaps are not allowed to work on boats. In a politicly correct world this seems to violate some kind of laws. This may seem wrong to some as most large companies are required to hire a certian ammount of people with disablities.

Keep in mind a boat is a floating house or city depending on the size. The things most people never really think about, like sewage, water electricity are provided by the crew of the boat. Unlike a house where if something goes wrong like you fall down the stairs, you can't call an ambulance or drive to the hospital. If there is a fire, unless you are tied to a dock you may be 1000 miles from help, the crew on the boat is the firemen.There is also little chance of your house sinking and you drownding or being eaten by fish.

It is not the companies refusing handicap people from working on a boat it is the United States Coast Guard. It is done because every person on the boat plays a vital role in the rest of the crews safety. Picture an emergancy where you life depends on someone elses actions and you would not want your life depending on someone that is not capable of saving it.

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