Teaching a car driver how to steer a ship

Controlling the rate of turn while steering a ship is somewhat analogous to controlling the speed of a car.

If  we name certain settings of the car throttle as follows: idle, slow, moderate  in the analogy they match up to rudder angles, amidships and say 5 and 10 degrees of rudder.  Using the car's brakes is similar to using counter rudder, that is rudder in the direction opposite the turn.

Note that cars speed is analogous to the ship's rate of turn, not it's speed.

Maine Maritime - Wicked Good or The Best Evah?

Maine Maritime Academy training ship "The State of Maine" moored in Castine Maine - Photo by K.C. .

Several gcaptain forum members from various U.S. maritime academies have some thoughtful and interesting posts up at: Best College (Mass vs Maine vs Texas A&M) for Career Capt - International Unlimited? 

Here is "bodore16" writing about Maine Maritime:

Maine is a fantastic school. While our reputation is based more off of the engineering program, the deck program also seems to be rigorous and worthwhile. The faculty at the academy is dedicated and highly experienced. I think you'll find that many of his leadership skills will come from learning from teachers/instructors rather than his participation in the regiment, although that can be what he makes of it. Being such a small school, the faculty and students develop very personal relationships which I think translates into a much better education. The hands on aspect of the training is exemplary as well

The Snowbird

M/V Snowbird Alongside Dutch Harbor (1985) (Photo by K.C. ) 

I went to work on the Snowbird as mate in February of 1985. We had a crew of six, Captain, mate, Chief Eng, 1 A/E, a deck hand and a cook. We ran from Seattle to Alaska.calling ports in Southeast and Southwest Alaska. My previous post on the Snowbird is here
 

Ship's cook and deckhand shove pallets around on Deck(Photo by K.C. )

The cargo holds of the Snowbird were insulated and refrigerated. During cargo operations the crew, sometimes with the aid of a couple of guys from the cannery, would move the frozen boxes of seafood, usually crab from Trident Seafoods, and stack it by hand in the holds. It took about two days working all night to load the ship. The holds were kept at about -25F.

View from the port wing - The Fork Lift is used in the hold(Photo by K.C. )

The Snowbird often made up alongside a vessel at anchor. Here the whip from the Snowbird's outboard boom is married to the outboard whip from the bigger freighter. I never heard this set-up called anything but "Jap Style".

M/V Snowbird Alongside a Reefer Freighter (Photo by K.C. )  
The two boxes aft are reefers and are used for cargo. They are loaded by dropping loaded pallets aft of the boxes and moving the boxes of seafood into the reefer boxes by hand.

M/V Snowbird Alongside view from the Freighter (Photo by K.C. )

Not much to the wheelhouse, besides throttle and rudder control we had a compass, one radar, a couple VHF a HF/MF radio

Last time I saw the Chief he was making and selling Pal Oil

Al, The Chief, in the Wheelhouse (Photo by K.C. )

I sailed with Doug for two years and learned more about seamanship, navigation and ship handling in that time then any other time in my career prior to sailing master myself.

Captain Doug(Photo by K.C. )  

Every voyage involved navigating the Inside Passage then heading across the Gulf of Alaska, needless to say the sailing wasn't always smooth, especially in the winter.

Headed HomePhoto by K.C. )

Working on the Snowbird involved  almost no paperwork, no safety  management system, but  plenty of long hours at low pay in less the ideal conditions

K.C

Letter on Fatigue

A "Letter on Fatigue"  by DAVID MICHAEL FIDDLER Consulting Marine Engineer at gcaptain forum.

UPDATE: The Misunderstood Mariner has a post on this subject: Monday Morning Mariner: A Letter On Fatigue

K.C.

Tie up from Hell - Parana River Argentina

A simplified drawing of Parallel Mid-body

Towmasters has a post up The Ship From Hell about Hawsepipers post Bad Bunkering.

Basically if you have to make one vessel fast to another it helps if they both have long parallel mid-body to tie to. Same things goes when you are mooring to a pier. Problem is that the terminal can build a facility much cheaper if they don't have to provide a secure place to moor. An example is the tie-up below.

Looking Aft, the stern ramp can be seen on the aft corner

This berth has an area for the stern ramp and room for cargo but would not be a secure place if the wind picks up.

The head lines, the forward part of the Parallel mid body is hanging off the pier

This tie-up is a bit precarious for a 200 meter ship. The facility can be built cheaply but the risk is all taken by the ship.

K.C.

New Seattle Area Maritime Blog

Nuit at the Beginning of the World

Captain Robert Reeder of the Seattle Area has a new Maritime Blog: Strait of Magellan which is:

A small blog for marine navigation, astronomy, space exploration, meteorology, boating and matters pertaining to maritime education and the maritime industry..

Capt Reeder covers a wide range of topics and doesn't focus on maritime subjects but I found his non-maritime posts to be an interesting read.

K.C.

Photos of Zona Comun Pilot Boat -Rio de la Plata

Zona Comun Pilot Boat on Río de la Plata(Photo by K.C.)

When I first saw the pilot boat with the Pilot age SA pilot aboard I though the boat itself was tied to a dock of some sort until the whole thing started coming our way.

When bound for the Port of Zarate, Argentina The Plate River  pilot boards at Recalada, the Parana River pilot boards at Zona Comun near Buenos Aires Roads.When we switched pilot I managed to snap a couple of fotos. 

If there is ever a contest for photos of the most unusual pilot boats I am entering these pictures.

K.C.