"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Working-with-your-hands Wednesday
Bonus video! Here's a job where fleetness of foot is helpful.
A highlight of my time as an unlicensed deck seaman was getting to hit the pelican hook with a sledge to drop the anchor. The vast majority of times we take strain on the windlass before removing the stoppers and lower the chain under power. Making it drop free is rare but always fraught with interest.
Once, a ship I was aboard had the brake on the windlass shatter and the chain ran free (in Sasebo). Everyone on the forecastle ran like hell as the entire chain ran down the hawse and the bitter end whipped out the spill pipe and thrashed around before going over the side.
Well, I am retired. I worked as a deck seaman long enough to qualify for school in order to sit for the deck officer license.
After that I still had to spend some time on deck, but could lurk behind a solid structure while saying "Seaman Snuffy, take this sledge and go whack that pelican hook over there!"
I went to graduate school with a man who was a licensed captain, and he was in charge of cargo ships that went all over the world. He lived in Sedona, Arizona, but was available on short notice to take ships out of anywhere on the west coast. He told some very interesting stories, one involving an attempt by pirates to board his ship off the coast of Colombia. After graduation, he wound up working for a freight-forwarding company in New Jersey. Seemed like a big step down to me - especially the part about moving from Sedona to New Jersey.
Nice work! And a genuine artist, not afraid to work in his living room.
ReplyDeleteI’d invest in a work bench, though. Or knee pads. All that floor work!
A highlight of my time as an unlicensed deck seaman was getting to hit the pelican hook with a sledge to drop the anchor. The vast majority of times we take strain on the windlass before removing the stoppers and lower the chain under power. Making it drop free is rare but always fraught with interest.
ReplyDeleteOnce, a ship I was aboard had the brake on the windlass shatter and the chain ran free (in Sasebo). Everyone on the forecastle ran like hell as the entire chain ran down the hawse and the bitter end whipped out the spill pipe and thrashed around before going over the side.
Geez, Stephen, hope you're engaged in less dangerous work, now.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am retired. I worked as a deck seaman long enough to qualify for school in order to sit for the deck officer license.
ReplyDeleteAfter that I still had to spend some time on deck, but could lurk behind a solid structure while saying "Seaman Snuffy, take this sledge and go whack that pelican hook over there!"
So, you're a genuine old salt! That's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI went to graduate school with a man who was a licensed captain, and he was in charge of cargo ships that went all over the world. He lived in Sedona, Arizona, but was available on short notice to take ships out of anywhere on the west coast. He told some very interesting stories, one involving an attempt by pirates to board his ship off the coast of Colombia. After graduation, he wound up working for a freight-forwarding company in New Jersey. Seemed like a big step down to me - especially the part about moving from Sedona to New Jersey.
ReplyDelete