Thom Stewart wrote:
Joe,
Sorry so is right Joe, That great Reg. sure didn't help the Valdez Oil
Spill------

No but it did not hurt it either. On a crewboat if you do not like the
other capt, or he tries to pull rank on you it can become a difficult
working situation.
http://www.carlmaples.com/Crew_Boat_01405.jpg
I had a great gig as Terry has a 100 ton and we got along quite well
;0)
If the platform or drilling rig was over 100 miles you had to have 2
skippers or if the boat ran more than 12 hrs a day 2 skippers were
required.



The Valdez was a classic of a Mate runing a career, beside the fact
Hazelwood seemed to hit the juice a bit hard. It's OK for the deckhand
to stumble back aboard and hit the rack as you are leaving port, but
not the skipper or anyone on watch.

I worked with a fellow who ...while returning to Morgan City near the
Sea bouy had a Mate fall asleep and he hit a 4 legged production
platform(rumor was he was below banging the cook), Hit it perfectly and
it tore the platform off it's legs and it was brought back to the dock
on top of the wheelhouse. The Capt left the USA for several years, but
ended up getting hired back at State Boat Corp. The president figured
he would never have another mistake like that happen on his boats. He
was one of the better Capt's I worked for.


Sorry Ol Thom It's all ready happened for the professional Capt. If you
are running more than 12 hr per day.... 2 licenced capt's are required,
or a licenced first mate above 100 tons.;----------

A 3rd Mate in Commander, leaving port, no less.

No doubt, Mates are for open water, low traffic, and managing the deck.
The way the oil field works... it is up to the master to let a mate
handle the boat at the rig to learn. I would not let a mate hold the
boatat therig, leave or enter port, or dock unless I knew he was soon
to be a master. What the company did was let new masters work as mates
and thats when we turned them loose with the boat. They worked almost 6
mo and once I approved them they were assigned their own boats.

A new Mate is nothing more than a glorified deckhand!

All the supply boats and ocean tugs had mates:
http://www.gcsltd.co.uk/cyscan/cysca...upply_Boat.gif

Joe





http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomPage