Items to bring on Cadet Observer (deck)

[MUG LIFE]

I will be heading out on an MSC ship in the next couple of weeks for 90 days. Any advice on things to bring (boiler suit, work gloves, smokes...

Also any general advice will be much appreciated ! Should I bring gifts for the caption and mates?

[RichMadden]

Comfortable safety shoes, work clothes and a good attitude.

Many work clothes may be provided by the vessel, including work shoes, but they are frequently less than comfortable. The ship's store will have all the smokes, candy and general paraphenalia that you'll need. Just bring enough to get going.

Presents for the officers? Gold and diamonds are usually acceptable, but if these are out of your price range, a ball cap from your school is always a nice touch.

Have fun! Just remember that MSC is an interesting mix of merchant marine and Navy, which may or may not be your cup of tea. There is a lot to be learned for the interested cadet, however.

[cmakin]

Gifts? Wow, I never thought of that. Must be why I got such low evaluations scores when I sailed as a cadet; right? If you are handing out gifts, don't forget the guy that handles the air conditioning, electricity and sanitary system. . . . .

[JPetru82]

What ship are you on?

[Kennebec Captain]

A folding knife,
Two flashlights - one small dim one for he wheelhouse and one bigger for the cargo holds
an alarm clock - don't forget to shut off the alarm if you are not going to be in your room
a watch, I prefer one with analog hands to easily change when crossing time zones
I always take one set of long underwear - You may never need it but it doesn't take up much room and if you do need it you've got it.
Rain gear?
A Kindle - if you like to read, most ships have a book collection which is ok if you like Zane Grey and (oddly) romance novels.
A quad band cell phone with international service is nice to have

A far as gifts - I'd say no, it strikes me as obsequious , or bring a newspaper - an unread big city one. I'd just leave it in the mess.

K.C.

[EEengineer2014]

if you give me your email or facebook i can send you a list of things my school gave me to bring on cadet observer. I am an engineer going on cadet observer with MSC

[c.captain]

Should I bring gifts for the caption and mates?

Tell me you are kidding but if you are serious then nothing says "I love you like flowers" but a bottle of 24 year old single malt would capture this old caption's heart in no better way!

Ah for them old timey daze when a master could sit in his office and offer a fellow visiting master/port captain/surveyor/etc... or his chief engineer a drink and the two could sip scotch on the rocks and talk about ships they've sailed and the crazy people they encountered along the way. It was even better when a master had his own stewardess to serve the drinks, nip the ends off the cigars and keep the ice bucket filled!

All the goddamned fun is gone from seafaring!



Scotty...we hardly knews yah


A'ch noo...I'm starting to go off on a bizarre Montgomery Scott/James Doohan tangent with this thread...for the love of god, please somebody stop me before it is too late!


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[Skoidat69]

Should I bring gifts for the caption and mates?

A couple bags of Starbucks and a copy of Hustler... Someone will be grateful for either

Sent from my iPhone using gCaptain

[c.captain]

A'ch noo...I'm starting to go off on a bizarre Montgomery Scott tangent with this thread...for the love of god, please somebody stop me before it is too late!

This is worst than I feared! Thinking of soused old Scotsmen has got me segwaying onto a Colin Glencannon trajectory...



This is bad..I mean this is very, Very, BAD!


btw, just as a matter of minor note, but the book illustration was made likely before Sam Elliot was born! How did they know?

another btw, Sam Elliot has THE stach to staches! When he lost it to play the sergeant major in We Were Soldiers Once, it was like his whole face just shrank! It's almost as if some men are born to wear mustaches and he certainly is one.

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[Highball]

By god yes you should bring the captain and mates gifts! It is customary for a new cadet to give the the "Old Man" as he likes to be affectionately referred to a box of Havannas and a bottle of 25 year old Special Reserve single malt scotch and some herbs de provence and frankincense and myrrh. The chief mate likes to recieve purple velvet man-gerie and a box of preparation H medicated wipes. The mates on watch you dont have to worry about much just give them a heads up if theyre about to run into a ship. If there happen to be any female officers onboard it is very tasteful to present them with a box of Russell Stover assorted chocolates with a few condoms slipped inside the box. This will win you their favor. Boy, it sure is lucky you kids have us to offer such sage advice! Happy winds and fair tails!

[Highball]

And Caption? The O isnt even by the A (I checked). Hit the books buddy. Stand-on vessel, give-way vessel, meeting situation, overtaking situation, CPA, XTE, COG, SOG, STW, these are the things the cap-shun will be really impressed with (I was just kidding about the frankincense).

[c.captain]

By god yes you should bring the captain and mates gifts! It is customary for a new cadet to give the the "Old Man" as he likes to be affectionately referred to a box of Havannas and a bottle of 25 year old Special Reserve single malt scotch and some herbs de provence and frankincense and myrrh.

Hear, hear and harumph on the "Old Man" epithet! Booyah to the Glenfiddich and Monte Cristos! I can tell that as a young man you learned much in your early years and are now a true seaman mister! Bravo and well done! I can pass on the potpourri but a little Sandalwood incense is nice to hide the odours...

The chief mate likes to recieve purple velvet man-gerie and a box of preparation H medicated wipes.

Oh you're such a flaming bitch! I'll scratch your eyes out for that!

The mates on watch you dont have to worry about much just give them a heads up if they're about to run into a ship.

Naw...let them have their little collisions or groundings. You'll have nothing to loose and think of the seastory you can tell when you go back to school? "Now there I was on the bridge watching us steaming at 23knots rights towards the shore with the mate just paralyzed in sheer terror. I jumped to the helm to try to avert disaster but it was too late to avoid the sickening feeling of the bottom plates being peeled away like they were little more that tissue, then came the grinding thud as the hull firmly impaled itself onto the pinnacles" "Man what a ride that was!" The vid you post on YouTube will be viral in a day!

If there happen to be any female officers onboard it is very tasteful to present them with a box of Russell Stover assorted chocolates with a few condoms slipped inside the box. This will win you their favor.

Russell Stover chockies only if they're working class girls...if she's a classy dame then Godiva Truffles for sure and please no generic military issue prophylactics either. Choose Trojans ONLY!

Boy, it sure is lucky you kids have us to offer such sage advice!

Indeed my friend...yes indeed!

Happy winds and fair tails!

and see you in the funny papers....


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[c.captain]

STW

STW? What is this STW that you speak of in your country's language?


Stiff the Waiter? Well I usually don't toss a waiter nearly as much as a cute waitress but restaurant waitstaff make 70% of their income from tips so tip well especially at lower end diners and such because the bills are smaller so are the tips. Your gal might be a single mom living day to day!

Standards for Training of Wrestlers? If it's WWF then I don't think there's much training involved except maybe acting lessons!

Shell the Whales? That would be very bad form and would make Captain Paul Watson very very cross at you.

Stow the Watchamacallits? Always a good idea to properly stow everything on a ship but I forgot what those whatchamacallits are anyway so have no idea where they go so just tossthemovertheside.

Shock the Women? Depends if it's the kind of shock a woman would like or not? If you're 5'4" tubby, bald and have a hairy back, I don't think you could do anything any lady would ever want to see and you might likely get arrested if you did!

Scupper the Wallabies? Look it up!


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[cmakin]

Tell me you are kidding but if you are serious then nothing says "I love you like flowers" but a bottle of 24 year old single malt would capture this old caption's heart in no better way!

Ah for them old timey daze when a master could sit in his office and offer a fellow visiting master/port captain/surveyor/etc... or his chief engineer a drink and the two could sip scotch on the rocks and talk about ships they've sailed and the crazy people they encountered along the way. It was even better when a master had his own stewardess to serve the drinks, nip the ends off the cigars and keep the ice bucket filled!

All the goddamned fun is gone from seafaring!


Scotty...we hardly knews yah


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I certainly remember the end of those days as a surveyor. Unfortunately (or likely not) the liquor didn't make its way to the desk top until the surveys were complete. Preparing the paperwork over a single malt scotch or a Greek brandy while sharing fairy tales. . , uh, sea stories was often the best part of the day.

Friday afternoon in the Galveston Lightering Area onboard a VLCC with Spanish officers always meant an afternoon of tapas and brandy in the Ship's office with the Master and Chief Engineer. . .

How civilized.

The old timer surveyors would often tell of days when the entire survey was carried out from abar, I mean afar . . .

But I digress.