| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son 21:23 - May 27 with 1983 views | NewcyBlue |
Here we are again. You are reading the diary I have written for you, maybe as you read it you hear my voice speaking the words.
I have 7 days left on board this ship, I can't say it has been overly enjoyable. I am happy with the work I have done, I have made improvements, at the start of the trip I had a crew that were tired, without leadership, an under terrible management.
We gave each other direction and purpose. The management on board is still poor, tyrannical at times.
You may find yourself in a position where your direct superiors expect you to fall in line, even if you believe it be wrong, even if you know it will have a massively negative impact on the people you work with, and who work for you.
Sometimes you swim against the tide. Eventually it tires you out. You have to decide if you turn and go with the flow, if you will give up, or if you will carry on using all your will.
If you are wondering which way I went, I carried on doing the best for my crew. Often finding myself berated by the management for it. In truth I relish it. Perhaps I am not so suited for such a hierarchical environment.
We have had a few cases of food poisoning on board lately. As medical officer I have had the pleasure of dealing with this, and reporting to the Captain. The complaints about the food fell on deaf ears. The food poisoning has had little effect either. The man won't be interested unless it affects him or his friend, the Chief Officer, who is my direct superior.
Fed up of eating poor food, fed up of all the complaints from the crew, fed up of not looking forward to having to go to the mess room and dish up another possible case of food poisoning, I decided to be the change I wanted to see.
I approached the Chief Cook and asked if I could do some cooking. He said yes.
I cooked a few dishes, the crew were delighted. Morale for a small moment was higher. They asked if I would cook some more. I promised them I would, and I will. You can either sit around and moan, or you can do something positive for your people.
The days all merge into one, work, eat, sleep, eat, work, eat, sleep. I get a countdown of days left from my crew, some of them are also going home in 12 days. I tell them all of you, of the things I have planned. I ask them about their plans. We all share laughter, for a brief moment we are back home, with the people we love. You can see it in their eyes, home soon.
As I start to wind down for the voyage, we receive an alert. Somali Pirates are becoming more active. It is a stark reminder that I cannot become complacent, a dangerous environment becomes even more dangerous by a lapse in concentration. I plot the latest attacks and suspicious activities on our piracy chart. It is a map of the Indian Ocean, with the High Risk Area marked on it. I will show you it one day.
We carry on with our daily tasks, we avoid talking about the piracy. I readjust my bulletproof vest, I have lost a little weight. Small comforts.
Until next time, be the change, be a positive driving force. |  |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 00:20 - May 28 with 1858 views | hoppy |
Nice one Newcy... it will mean a lot to him - especially when he knows what some of the words mean!
Hope you get back to him soon... I know you've been delayed, but I hope that time passes quickly! |  |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 00:46 - May 28 with 1847 views | connorscontract |
"Be the change you want to see."
I've tried to do that in my job, and there are things I can point to where I've pulled it off, but it does become knackering, so it's good to be reminded that there are others out there doing it.
And when they're doing it with 20 foot waves crashing or 5 days from land or surrounded by pirates, I guess I need to man up a bit!
Cheers, Newcy! |  | | |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 02:14 - May 28 with 1826 views | NewcyBlue |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 00:46 - May 28 by connorscontract |
"Be the change you want to see."
I've tried to do that in my job, and there are things I can point to where I've pulled it off, but it does become knackering, so it's good to be reminded that there are others out there doing it.
And when they're doing it with 20 foot waves crashing or 5 days from land or surrounded by pirates, I guess I need to man up a bit!
Cheers, Newcy! |
Knackering it is. Physically and emotionally.
I worked 0000-0400 and am up at 0700 as I promised to cook again, preparing a Lasagna for 25 people. Then I am back on Navigation watch at 1200-1600.
Food is important for the guys, we have no alcohol, we have terrible internet. Decent food should be the minimum. It's quite ridiculous that I am a better cook than an experienced cook, but the crew say they can't stomach it any more.
Needs must. The guys appreciate it. I appreciate the cook being so lazy he would rather I do it than he does. It means I get to do something I enjoy. | |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 06:30 - May 28 with 1777 views | Yaffle |
I really enjoy reading these insights into you world and much of what you write are wise words that can apply to us all in our different walks of life. You have such an engaging style of writing, I'm sure little one will treasure this when he is older. Maybe you will keep it up long enough for it to be published one day?
Safe travels on the remainder of your trip. |  | | |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 09:54 - May 28 with 1691 views | NewcyBlue |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 06:30 - May 28 by Yaffle |
I really enjoy reading these insights into you world and much of what you write are wise words that can apply to us all in our different walks of life. You have such an engaging style of writing, I'm sure little one will treasure this when he is older. Maybe you will keep it up long enough for it to be published one day?
Safe travels on the remainder of your trip. |
Thanks Yaffle, I really appreciate your kind words.
I hope Seb learns about me, as a man. I hope he learns my values, and can see that I live them at home too.
I hope you are having a great weekend. All of you TWTD. | |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 09:57 - May 28 with 1686 views | hoppy |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 02:14 - May 28 by NewcyBlue |
Knackering it is. Physically and emotionally.
I worked 0000-0400 and am up at 0700 as I promised to cook again, preparing a Lasagna for 25 people. Then I am back on Navigation watch at 1200-1600.
Food is important for the guys, we have no alcohol, we have terrible internet. Decent food should be the minimum. It's quite ridiculous that I am a better cook than an experienced cook, but the crew say they can't stomach it any more.
Needs must. The guys appreciate it. I appreciate the cook being so lazy he would rather I do it than he does. It means I get to do something I enjoy. |
J2Blue has never struck me as the lazy type... | |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 10:39 - May 28 with 1661 views | factual_blue |
You should seriously consider publishing these. |  |
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| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 11:22 - May 28 with 1625 views | NewcyBlue |
| Swimming against the tide - the latest diary entry for my son on 10:39 - May 28 by factual_blue |
You should seriously consider publishing these. |
Thanks. I really wouldn't know where to begin to be honest.
I never really thought there would be much interest. It's just a random collection of diary entries for the boy. Since I was so open about what I went through for time with him, I thought sharing my entries here was a way of saying "Thanks", and showing my appreciation to you all for your encouragement.
How was your Yangtze River Cruise? | |
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