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As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering. |
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The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026! Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue. NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE MARCH/APRIL 2026 |
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There is nothing impossible to him who will try.... ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
It can go from exciting beyond belief to boring beyond belief but the people you will meet on board and around the world make it an experience that you will never forget. I would say wishing you smooth seas, but part of the fun are the rough days!
I say go for it! When I was young, I always dreamed of becoming a merchant marine. Life chose a different path for me though. One I never imagined.
Just a friendly dig at architects. I dealt with them often in my past job. Not always the best interactions, Lol!
As former merchant mariners, AllanKP69 and I can tell you all about shipping and shipboard life. I don’t recommend it as a lifelong career because of the limitations it places on you, but doing it for about ten years can add a lot to your life experience on many unique ways. The closest thing to it is truck driving on water, except that you can occasionally go to the most interesting places in the world, but it’s a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week job… and every day is a Monday. You can’t be at home with friends and family for months, or do much hobby wise on your off time between watches except sleep. You are serving time with pay. If you’re a family man, I don’t recommend it. If you enjoy solitude, it’s an option.I say go for it! When I was young, I always dreamed of becoming a merchant marine. Life chose a different path for me though. One I never imagined.
I always tell people "I'm like an architect; I know a little about a lot..."
Thanks for the reply.
That's too bad. I love being on the water. Never been sea sick, and that includes 4' seas in charter boats on the ocean hungover as hell. Waves lull me to sleep like swaying in a hammock.
A Third Assistant Engineer named Earl on the S.S. Cleveland WAS 68 years old and sailed with me on a voyage to Guam, Singapore, Diego Garcia, and Subic Bay back in 1994. He ran away from home and joined the US Merchant Marine when he was 13 years old. Old Earl was some character. He was a bit of a quiet curmudgeon, but even at his age, he stood a watch, but didn't do any day work (overtime). All the rest of us knew he'd never leave the sea. He was a true lifer.Thanks for the reply.
That was a young man's dream. I'm now going on 68, so there's no worry about me signing up.
I got seasick only once on the North Atlantic in winter, but that was because I had the flu and was working in the Bosun locker with the Third Asst. Engineer welding racks to the bulkhead to hold spare container air conditioning compressors. The welding fumes didn't mix well with a rolling and pitching ship, so I went up on deck for a while to lean over the side at the bow and watch the flying fish to try to calm my stomach. That was a chilly cold miserable day.
