On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 10:33:41 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

It's a toolbox and DCS is a great new tool.

No argument there, it has good potential. I'm not sure it's quite
ready for prime time however, and it is always good for at least one
other person on board to know how to work the radio.

Do those container ships ever carry passengers? Just curious.

Gordon...

Some do. I believe they are all foreign flagged vessels... according
to a friend of mine that is an electronics/radio officer for Matson...
no American flagged commercial ships do this.

I think one of the reasons for this type of occupancy (pax) being
available is that the foreign flagged vessels have been allowed to
cut back on some of the minimum crew compliment requirements
in the past few years.

To the best of my knowledge if they have the accommodations...
they can bring aboard no more then 12 passengers... otherwise
a medical doctor must be present as well. Bruce rendered a different
opinion... and may be more up to speed about this sort of thing than
I am.

Any how... here is some info to get you started...

The best web site that I know of concerning this type of
cruising is at:

http://www.geocities.com/freighterman.geo/

You can spend quite a bit of time viewing the links in
"freighterman's" site.

Judd Spittler has an excellant personal web site depicting
his experiences... which can be seen at:

http://www.juddspittler.com/freighterbum/index.htm

My main squeeze for freighter bookings is with Joycene Deal
at FreighterWorlds in Pasadena, California. For the record
there are several other agencies around that specialize in
this sort of thing besides Joycene's office. FreighterWorld
also has a very informative site at:

http://www.freighterworld.com/index.html

The above references will keep you busy for quite awhile.

Best regards

Bill

Dave wrote in
:

What is your basis for believing that those who have these units don't
use them?



I was referring to what one poster said about they weren't for when you're
stranded with a broken engine or out of fuel....

Bruce in Alaska wrote in news:bruceg-
:

If you were navigating a US Flagged Vessel...the above would be a DIRECT
Violation of the Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone Act. Shame on you...


Bruce, what section deals with how tight you set the squelch? I musta
missed that prose in my copy...(c;

wrote in news:1138316324.034663.308230
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Some do. I believe they are all foreign flagged vessels... according
to a friend of mine that is an electronics/radio officer for Matson...
no American flagged commercial ships do this.


When my wife, now ex-wife, was a test coordinator at the MSO Group
Charleston, the guys from Evergreen were always trying to get us to book
passage to Europe or Asia on the Evergreen Lines ships out of Charleston.
I know someone who's gone to Europe many times on ships from here and they
said it was more fun getting TO Europe than it was being IN Europe.

Of course, he's an engineer and they let him in the engine room, let him
play helmsman, etc. I doubt his wife enjoyed that more than she did
Amsterdam...(c;

I am in the Navy.

Gary... I am very familiar with your credentials... much less your
contributions on this forum as well the chaotic A.S.A gang. I have
enjoyed your past postings and feel that the viewing public has
benefitted quite a bit from your expertise as a seaman and naval
officer with an active command assignment (HMCS Oriole).

Having said that... I will cut the crap and get to the chase so to
speak.

Few ships steam around without a proper watch...

While I am unqualified to make such a statement... I did try to
indicate to a poster who questioned this fact... that in my limited
experience aboard one particular vessel we *did* maintain a 24
hour bridge watch... albeit with certain distractions.

If the previous poster - billwarnock... is a passenger he is
riding on a very poorly run ship.

I feel that was a rather harsh generalization to make based on
my limited commentary.

I guess I should have said something about all the numerious type
drills (abandon ship... fire... hazmat...terrorist etc..) that were
routinely undertaken and on a continuing basis. Or the daily
inspections made by the Master and deck officers throughout
the vessel during the day and night. Or the two hour saftey classes
(all hands... excluding the bridge watch)held every Friday afternoon
with questions and expected correct answers.

Or the real lifeboat launch with some crew aboard...which can
sometimes be hazardous to one's well being... sprained backs
etc.. Their lifeboat is one that looks like a giant hi top shoe that's
sits way above the poop deck on a launching ramp... and when
the coxswain pulls the releasing hooks... the lifeboat flies off
the end of the stern into the water... reminding you of something
like a Disneyland ride. Because of the possibility of injury in
this type of a drill... it wasn't done any more than what the law
required... I believe every three months.

Or some of our fire drills... when the chief engineer would literally
start a controlled fire (in a safe area of course) so that the fire
fighting detail would have to experience the use of their breathing
apparatus and making their way in a smoke filled invironment with
limited vision and sense of direction.

We hail passing commercial ships where ever we go...

And I am very certain that on our ship... who ever was the duty
officer on the bridge would make sure that his communication
abilities were functional and would be responsive to any *official*
vessel that was hailing.

On the other hand... I sailed with one master (Russian) who
wouldn't bother to talk with one of our sister ships going the
other way... for whatever reason. Now the authorities... he
was always commutative for obvious reasons

Likely it is nothing but exageration.

Gary... I attempt to write honestly and openingly (to a fault
sometimes)
even my email address is for real.

Accordingly I did not mean to exaggerate things as I saw them
on the bridge of my ship. Then again my writtings are subject
to my perception of things...

Being an ex Marine (FMF) I was on a myriad of Navy vessels...
and some what exposed to this type of maritime environment
and discipline required to keep things running smoothly.

On a small foreign flagged container ship with a minimally staffed
multi national crew... was a whole different ball game altogether.
Yet, from what I saw on this ship, the officers and crew were
credentialed and capable and ran an impeccably well maintained
ship.

I don't know if you have had much prolonged exposure to this
type of a maritime setting... but trust me... it's quite a trip. :-)

Best regards

Bill

Dave wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:49:39 -0500, Larry said:


Drivers keep a careful watch on the speedometer on the Interstate when they
know the cops are around, too, you know. No cops (Navy)...well, some let
it slide.


I think you may have a fundamental misconception about what the Navy does. A
misconception not shared by most other mariners.
Concur!

Gaz

wrote:


I feel that was a rather harsh generalization to make based on
my limited commentary.

I guess I should have said something about all the numerious type
drills (abandon ship... fire... hazmat...terrorist etc..) that were
routinely undertaken and on a continuing basis. Or the daily
inspections made by the Master and deck officers throughout
the vessel during the day and night. Or the two hour saftey classes
(all hands... excluding the bridge watch)held every Friday afternoon
with questions and expected correct answers.

Or the real lifeboat launch with some crew aboard...which can
sometimes be hazardous to one's well being... sprained backs
etc.. Their lifeboat is one that looks like a giant hi top shoe that's
sits way above the poop deck on a launching ramp... and when
the coxswain pulls the releasing hooks... the lifeboat flies off
the end of the stern into the water... reminding you of something
like a Disneyland ride. Because of the possibility of injury in
this type of a drill... it wasn't done any more than what the law
required... I believe every three months.

Or some of our fire drills... when the chief engineer would literally
start a controlled fire (in a safe area of course) so that the fire
fighting detail would have to experience the use of their breathing
apparatus and making their way in a smoke filled invironment with
limited vision and sense of direction.


We hail passing commercial ships where ever we go...


And I am very certain that on our ship... who ever was the duty
officer on the bridge would make sure that his communication
abilities were functional and would be responsive to any *official*
vessel that was hailing.

On the other hand... I sailed with one master (Russian) who
wouldn't bother to talk with one of our sister ships going the
other way... for whatever reason. Now the authorities... he
was always commutative for obvious reasons


On a small foreign flagged container ship with a minimally staffed
multi national crew... was a whole different ball game altogether.
Yet, from what I saw on this ship, the officers and crew were
credentialed and capable and ran an impeccably well maintained
ship.

Best regards

Bill

It would seem that the ship was properly run. The lack of
professionalism of some individuals shouldn't tar the rest. Hopefully
they learn to keep a proper lookout cheaply and don't run over someone
in the meatime.

Gaz

In article .com,
wrote:

The VHF unit may
or may not be on...and if so... the squelch threshhold level is set
so high... that an outside party would have to be right next door...
to break through.

In article ,
Larry wrote:

Bruce in Alaska wrote in news:bruceg-
:

If you were navigating a US Flagged Vessel...the above would be a DIRECT
Violation of the Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone Act. Shame on you...


Bruce, what section deals with how tight you set the squelch? I musta
missed that prose in my copy...(c;


It wasn't the Squelch setting I was refering to in the OP's post. It
was the fact that the VHF Radio "may or may not be on".... When
Navigating, ALL US Flagged Vessels over 20 meters in length, MUST
maintain a 24/7 Radio Watch on Vhf Marine Ch. 13, Period, no excusses,
and if such a Watch was not maintained, and an Incident that provoked
a USCG Inquiry happened, the Vessels Captain would loose his License,
for not maintaining such a Watch, not withstanding any other
circumstance.
I have been involved in USCG Inquiry's where this has happened, and
testified on the technical aspects, and operability, of the VHF Radio
in question. I have also been involved with the enforcment of the
Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone ACT, from the regulatory side, on
SOLAS Required Vessels of US Flagged and that of other countries.


Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

a Raymarine junction box will let you feed your GPS antenna's signal to
the RCA plug on the Icom, to a Big Bay ( marinized PC ). It's just a
terminal strip inside a box. Just a thought...