The complicated life of a seafarer
The sacrifices of a mariner
“As the ship rides the wave of the winter,
This boy sings along with the thunder.
Yes, he’s vomiting, yet no sign of surrender,
The storm shall pass; tomorrow will be better.”
This stanza is from the poem written by Capt. Clint Mark J. Bañes in his book “The Mariners Journal”.
A seafarer’s life is bittersweet, it’s fun and thrilling and at the same time painful and challenging. Why are so many Filipinos choosing this career? There’s only one answer, “Money”.
Working on a ship allows Filipinos to earn dollars or pounds and the opportunity to travel the world for free. It is an exciting and adventurous career where you can visit different countries and explore other cultures.
That’s one of the reasons why I chose this career, I’m able to give back to my mom and explore the world. But the life of a seafarer is not always exciting and thrilling, it is also risky and challenging. Job on board a ship is dangerous because of machinery, weather conditions, accidents, and more.
In my experience the most dangerous job on board a ship is the mooring operation, it is when we secure the ship to the berth/port using ropes. The operation starts when the ship arrives at the port. Why is it dangerous? You just secure the ship using a rope, sounds easy right? But no. A rope can break any time when stretched too hard, all ropes have a breaking load limit. So, when you are in the wrong position when rope breaks then the snap is enough to not just injure you but also to kill you. There are a lot of seafarers who lose their lives because of snapback.
It’s not just accidents that a seafarer will face on board, there are also mental health challenges. living far away from your loved ones for a very long time is a very challenging experience. Homesickness is not a joke; I would rather choose seasickness than homesickness. It’s a very painful and sorrowful experience, you cannot monitor your families back home, you don’t know their lives or what they’re doing because you are far away. It’s very painful for seafarers to miss home, but we have no choice because this is what we choose to do to be able to provide for our families. That’s why we will endure anything to give our families a better life and future.
Life at sea is very unpredictable, the weather can change drastically. The biggest fear of every seafarer is a storm. A storm can make the sea deadly because of huge waves, with a small mistake in stability calculation it can capsize any ship. They say that to be a good sailor you must experience storms, it can be very dangerous but still many endure it in order to provide. No matter how many storms you face, just keep going, for tomorrow will be better.
“A ship in a harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for” — John A. Shedd
But despite all these challenges, I still love this career. It pushes me to reach my full potential, it hardens me as a person. My dream is to become a Captain one day, to be able to command a ship. I’m still not yet married so I have so much time to work and explore more. I’m free of worrying about someone back at home. I only worry about my mother but I know she can handle it.
Life at sea is a very complicated life, and I’m still not an experienced sailor. I still have more to learn, explore, and experience. my story as a seafarer is not yet finished, that’s why I will keep going to create more stories in my seafaring life. I always loved sailing around the world, and I’m thankful I’m allowed to see the world for free, I will cherish every moment of it.
“We only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” — Mae West
The life of a seafarer is hard. If you have family or friends that are working on board a ship, make sure to check on them always and appreciate them. For they sacrifice a lot in their life, a small “How are you” can have a big impact on them. Before I end this story, I will give a big salute to all my fellow seafarers around the world. Always remember this quote:
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” — John George Hermanson
Only the best men go to sea!
Thank you for reading!
Have a nice day!
