The Merchant Marine Express

I am home from my fifty day journey aboard the Steam Ship Tanker and this is my story of my trip home, to Detroit.

I was slated to return home thirty-five days after joining the ship; just enough time to fullfill the requirement inorder to obtain my endorsement by the Coast Guard.

Yet, the Captain, Kevin Green, and I agreed that fifty-days would suffice and this would give my ‘Relief’, vacation time. Money is always an issue and fifty days of hard work, along with gained knowledge of the ship, would definitely benefit my time, aboard.

Well, the Third Mate returning, I’ll refer as “David”, to replace my position aboard the old single-hulled tanker was in dissagreement about which day he shall fly out and it became disconcerting to me that he might NOT return on the fiftieth day. This past Friday was the day that all confusion came crashing into my isolated world at sea.

Apparently, the Captain found out from the head office that David agreed on the Twelfth of March and not the Eleventh as everyone seemed to agree on just days before…yet,as well, all the flights were booked LEAVING Corpus Christi. Although, with my luck, March the Twelfth would be the day we would already be at sea and destined for Tampa, Florida. And even though I would be at the mercy of any decision made, my mindset was already planning for signing off in Corpus Christi. The news was passed on to me in a not-so-professional manner. And this is how it went…

I got a knock on my stateroom door at three thirty in the afternoon just as I was sound asleep, relaxing for a long evening as a time change, was in order. We were half way to Corpus Christi, Texas from leaving Tampa, Florida a day earlier. The Captain had the news to offer me about my relief, but barged in after knocking and I was quickly on my feet. I was half asleep thinking the knock was because I was late for Watch or something. My room had been darkened and I set the airconditioning to ‘quick chill’, apparently during this short rest period.. With only some sleeping shorts and no shirt, I was now standing and facing my captain in the dark wondering what all these questions posed to me, were all about. I took me a second to realize that I was, in fact…standing in the dark, facing my captain and answering questions I wasn’t ready to answer. Putting on some pants and a shirt as well as turning on the room light, was my next order of action. I was not ready for what was being asked and all I could say back was, “..why couldn’t the office fly me out on Monday and book me a hotel on Sunday.” A short pause and off went the Captain, down the hall as he was determined to call the office back and arrange for the flight before the day was done.

In the end, I departed the ship on Sunday. A day after we arrived into Corpus Christi, yet I didn’t have to deal with the weekend crowds; I was happy to finally be able to go home… . Boy was I in for a surprise.

In fact, Spring Break commenced on Saturday in Padre Island in Texas just miles away from Corpus Christi’s downtown as it one of the top not spots for thousands of raging teens and early adults.The addition of a quickly moving band of Thunderstorms barelling onto Corpus Christi during the early morning hours of my intended departure on a flight originating out of this cow town and with the combination Spring Break crowds and delays both in Corpus Christi and Houston, I would endure twelve hellish hours of delays and travel by days end. After missing one flight, being delayed four hours and travelling another four hours in the air, the last straw would include my lost baggage as it never reached its home. Besides the twelve hours of physically travelling, I still had another two hours of car travel to my home, out in the country.

This would, by far, be one of my worst travel days and it could have been worse, had it not been for the fact I was going home. I could have been going to meet a ship..and this would have spelled disaster. This is something a Merchant Mariner would never wish upon anyone else.

Have a Great day and will see you onboard my next assignment!

-Nadir

Tags: S.S. Seabulk Power