Merchant Navy query

[asterix]

Must admit I am a little sceptical about the benefits of working in the luxury yacht sector. For a week I worked with a guy who is an engineer. He was good, worked on RNLI lifeboats for several years and in the week I knew him he got a 40 year old British diesel in France started for the first time in 3 years. Everybody thought it couldn't be done, especially the French!

He also had apparently worked on luxury yachts for a few years and said in his experience such employers did not treat their staff particularly well. He also said that too much of his time was spent working to fix sophisticated entertainment systems rather than engines.

Maybe he was just unlucky though.

 

[Alan57]

Ex Royal Navy myself , the RFA service is good not sure about the Merch in general but had a couple friends in it and they liked it .Had a friend who was on cruise ships based in the States who had a great time and went all over the world ,was decent paid and looked after. If I was to do it again I would choose the R.N.

 

[Noodley]

Just been watching Supersized Earth on BBC1 and seen some huuuuuuge ships. Very impressive.

I might end up joining elder noodlette at training college...

 

[Noodley]

Ex Royal Navy myself , the RFA service is good not sure about the Merch in general but had a couple friends in it and they liked it .Had a friend who was on cruise ships based in the States who had a great time and went all over the world ,was decent paid and looked after. If I was to do it again I would choose the R.N.

She is also looking at Forces options, and due to pay the forces careers service a visit soon.

 

[Brandane]

I left school in 1978, aged 16, and joined the Merchant Navy as a Deck Cadet. In those days it was relatively easy to get in as long as you met the strict eyesight criteria (no colour blindness allowed, and no glasses in those days) and had 4 "O" levels including Maths, Physics and English.
I signed up with P&O, and joined my first ship at Khorromshahr, Iran, in September '78. The next 3 years were probably the best of my life; getting paid to visit the middle east, Far East, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, and little gems like Pitcairn Island. Despite working for P&O, I never got a sniff of a cruise ship, but apparently that is not a bad thing. Better with the more laid back attitudes on general cargo, freezer ships, and a tanker.
Unfortunately, as the early 80s came round, the British MN was being decimated and P&O were selling most of their cargo division, even ships which were only a couple of years old. Sad days, and maybe I was being a tad short sighted but I left and joined the Police instead. That is another story, and a good reason why I should have stayed at sea.
Noodley, I would highly recommend it to her. The one thing I would have done differently would have been to go for an engineering cadetship instead of deck. At least then there are opportunities ashore in later life if you want away from the sea. I'm sure if she has researched things then she will know about the eyesight test; that is the first hurdle to get over as without passing that, there is no way into the navigating side (engineering would still be an option).
I was doing a crew transfer recently while working on the taxi, taking the Captain of a bulk carrier from Hunterston coal terminal to Glasgow airport. I was amazed at how much things have changed at sea in 34 years. Full crew compliment down from about 45 in my day, to about half of that. No more stewards, less engineers due to automation and reliability, less catering staff, and more maintenance carried out in port by shore gangs. Much less time in port as well, due to containerisation etc., and financial pressures.