An interesting thing about communication and ships is the secretive nature of information from HQ – headquarters - or the home office to and from the ship. Most of us can easily understand why this would be the case for Naval Vessels. Why has it continued to be a practice for merchant vessels? Some would make the case that this became a practice from WWI and then more so from WWII. Where the ships were heading and when they would be going were key strategic pieces of information. Without a … [Read more...]
How Are Your Language Skills?
“Never judge someone by the way they look or a book by the way it’s covered; For inside those tattered pages, there’s a lot to be discovered” Stephen Cosgrove. How are your language skills? In the United States 75% of the population speaks one language – English. One of the front and center areas for all people at work and in their lives now is diversity and inclusion. Everything begins with the ability to communicate. To accomplish this everyone involved must be open and willing to … [Read more...]
Let’s Get To The Bottom Of This?
There are clearly more areas on any ship to write about and discuss. There is the bow of the ship: Most recently (compared to Maritime History) made its way into the mainstream consciousness by Leonardo DiCaprio in his role in the blockbuster film “Titanic”. There’s the Crow’s Nest: Where just about every cruise ship has their late night lounge located. Up close to the stars in the night sky and a great place to view the sunrise. Of course there is the engine room: The area many people … [Read more...]
Do The Rules Matter To You?
I had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don't criticize a teammate. Never be late. - John Wooden Imagine being at sea, on a ship loaded with jet fuel, in a crowded shipping area, on a very dark night. You are the watch stander on the bridge. You are the person in charge of the safe navigation of the ship. Wouldn’t you take comfort knowing there are the Rules of the Road. All ships are lighted by the instructions in these rules. All ships will turn or not turn in accordance … [Read more...]
Are There Rules In Your Business?
This Month the general topic will be around the International Rules of the Road. The latest revisions were published in 1972. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and set out, among other things, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. These rules are hundreds of years old in their … [Read more...]
Do You Know The Rules In Practice?
Call them the rules used in practice or in daily life. Some of these are based upon laws (not always obeyed by many), some are based upon courtesy (not put into practice by many), some are based upon chivalry (a few are offended by these) and others are unique to an industry and have been utilized for a long, long time. Let’s first go through a few examples of these to have your mind thinking about a few which may specifically apply to you. Actually STOP at a stop sign when driving a … [Read more...]
