Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A brief intro

Hello everyone, Thanks for stopping by my first attempt at creating a blog.

I have been working on boats for the past 16 years. There are many different types of boats in many different industries. There are also many different positions people can pursue in the maritime industry.

With the popularity of The Deadliest Catch and other fishing type of shows on television I am often asked about working on boats. While fishing boats are popular on television they are a fairly small portion of the industry. If you live close to a large river you will likely see other types of boats and lots of them. If the rivers are large enough you might see cruise ships, tug boats pushing barges, Cargo ships,and some fishing boats. If you live close to the great lakes you will see shipping traffic. If you live on the coast you will see every type of boat. I work mostly in the Gulf of Mexico where the oilfield is the main source of boat traffic.

I started working on a boat shortly after my 19th birthday. It was a small utility boat, used mostly for small cargo like groceries ot small parts. I later moved on to larger boats and started getting the credentials needed to advance to make a pretty good living, in a unique workplace. While most people who start down this path don't expect to do this type of work forever, the truth is, with the good salary and ample vaction time we enjoy a freedom that most people only get to have when they retire.

This job can take you all over the world, and if it don't you still have the freedom to do so on your own terms. Many of us have moved to other countries and still maintain our jobs in ours. This has been the path I desided to take and have never looked back.

Thanks for your time.