So you have decided to join the crew of a passenger vessel, huh? Congratulations! You are taking your first steps into the maritime field. Perhaps you are working a summer job aboard a vessel, or dream of becoming a Captain. No matter your reason, this guide is intended to help you prepare for your first day on board, and what to expect going forward. The process of preparing to come aboard can be summed up in the following steps, and I will go into more detail with each one:
- Be reasonably physically fit
- Have all your documentation
- Know your company and vessel(s)
- Be ready for on-the-job training
- Be a good shipmate
- Have a positive attitude
Each one of these points will make sure that you are set up for success when you step aboard. Without further ado, let’s come aboard.
Be Reasonably Physically Fit
The job of a deckhand is one that involves a lot of physical tasks, such as lifting heavy gear, line handling, cleaning, and moving furniture. You can also expect to stand up for long periods of time. While you don’t have to be a champion weightlifter to do this job, you want to be physically fit enough that you can accomplish your tasks without getting exhausted or hurting yourself.
As a rule, you had best be prepared to lift at least fifty pounds unassisted. For example, aboard the Becky Thatcher, one of my company’s vessels, we regularly have to change out the vessel’s onboard furniture when changing over from sightseeing cruises to a charter (especially a dinner charter). While most of the furniture is simple chairs, some of it consists of aluminum benches, the largest of which sit five people and weigh over fifty pounds each. Getting them off the boat can be a bit of a chore. While not every vessel will need you to move furniture (at least not regularly), you do want to be prepared for some heavy lifting.
You also want to be able to stand for long periods, as I mentioned above. While on board, you will be expected to stand watch on deck, observing the passengers, and sometimes in the wheelhouse. Sitting while on watch in view of guests is not always encouraged or even allowed, so be mindful of your company’s policies on that. Sometimes you will be expected to steer the vessel under the Captain or Mate’s supervision. Sitting in the wheelhouse, particularly while steering, is generally acceptable.
Have All Your Documentation
While most jobs require some kind of documentation before starting work, it holds particularly true in the maritime world. Exactly what kind of documentation you need will depend on the waterways on which you operate, and sometimes the nature of the vessel, such as her size or her work. For example, most car ferries require that you hold a Merchant Mariner Credential, which I will cover in a bit more detail below.
For vessels that operate on waterways that are entirely within the borders of one state (i.e. Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, Lake George in New York), you generally just need a form of identification, such as a driver’s license or a passport. If you’re on a waterway that passes through multiple states, such as the Great Lakes, you will typically need (at the minimum) a form of id, and a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC for short. Your TWIC is your permission slip to access the nation’s ports. Even if you don’t pass through a checkpoint to reach your vessel each working day, you still need to have one, particularly when your vessel is being inspected by the Coast Guard. You can apply for a TWIC at the following link: https://www.tsa.gov/twic
If you are working aboard a large vessel, such as a car ferry or cruise ship, you will need an id, a TWIC, and possibly a Merchant Mariner Credential, or MMC for short. If you are brand new to the industry, you need a MMC with the Ordinary Seaman/Wiper rating. These ratings will allow you to work as an entry level deckhand or engine room attendant. As you gain sea time, you can upgrade your rating to Able Seaman once you have enough. ABs have generally the same responsibilities as OSs, but with more knowledge and experience (and a pay raise!). With even more sea time, you can advance to Mate or Master. You can learn about applying for a MMC here: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/merchant_mariner_credential/
I personally recommend getting your MMC even if you don’t need it right away, especially if you are planning a long-term career in the maritime industry. It never hurts to have a TWIC as a mariner, but be sure to check with the company you are applying to or working for to see if you need one or not.
Finally, most passenger vessels require you to hold CPR certification, and pass a first aid course approved by the Coast Guard. Oftentimes the company will provide this training as part of their onboarding process, but if not, you will have to seek it out on your own. Before you sign up for a CPR/Basic Safety course, make sure that it is approved by the Coast Guard. Ask the school directly if their courses are approved by the Coast Guard if you’re not sure.
Know Your Company and Vessel(s)
Before applying to a company, find out as much as you can about their work and about their vessel(s). What services do they offer? What type(s) of vessels do they operate? Which body or bodies of water do their vessels sail on? Some companies operate around the country, while others are locally based. As an example, I have worked mainly for companies that operate locally to their home port, and whose cruises typically did not exceed a few hours in length. All those companies operated multiple vessels, from small water taxis all the way up to enormous car ferries.
Every vessel that you step aboard will have its own purpose and work.
Sometimes vessels will have different kinds of work on board. For example, with the Becky Thatcher, we sometimes do sightseeing cruises during the day, then a private dinner charter at night. That involves a process called “turning over,” where we change and/or rearrange the boat’s furniture to switch from one kind of work to the other. This work is typically done by the boat crew and the food service staff working together.
That said, most vessels do one kind of work. For example, one of our neighboring companies on the Connecticut River, the Connecticut River Museum, uses their vessel Riverquest almost exclusively as a sightseeing craft. Others, like car ferries, are built specifically for their work. Know your company and your vessel before stepping aboard.
Be Ready for On-The-Job Training
Being trained while working is an ancient tradition aboard vessels, but before you step aboard, it is extremely helpful to know basic nautical nomenclature. For example, learn how to orient yourself on board a vessel by learning the parts of a boat (such as the bow, stern, port side, starboard side, beam, quarter, deck, etc.). Knowing your way around the vessel will pay off tremendously when you step aboard, and your fellow crewmembers will greatly appreciate your knowledge.
Once you are on board, ask to be given a tour of the vessel. Take special note of the location of the lifesaving equipment, such as life jackets (aka Personal Flotation Devices or PFDs), throwable life rings, life rafts, fire hoses and nozzles, fire pump(s), and fire extinguishers. I can guarantee that you will be quizzed on that knowledge, and accessing lifesaving gear makes the difference in an emergency, where every second counts. Speaking of PFDs, make sure you learn how to don one. In the event of an abandon ship situation, one of your duties will be aiding passengers in putting on their PFDs, which they are expected to wear before entering the water or climbing into a life raft. To make the point clear, responding to emergencies is your most important duty as a deckhand. You and your shipmates are the first line of defense against any onboard catastrophe.
After getting orientated with the vessel, you will be trained in your other duties onboard. These duties may include line handling, watchstanding, cleaning, mooring and anchoring procedures, preventative maintenance, and other duties as directed by the Senior Deckhand, Mate or Captain. At times you may be asked to do work that is boring, repetitive, dirty, or otherwise unpleasant. This is especially common with new deckhands. As someone who has been there, my best advice to you is to do as much as you feel safe doing. Notice how I wrote “safe” and not “comfortable.” Being a deckhand – and indeed being an adult – is willing to learn, and sometimes learning involves doing dirty tasks like scraping rust off the hull. That’s part of working aboard vessels. The point at which you need to speak up is when you feel unsafe. If you are asked to do a job without the proper PPE, for example, then you have the right to refuse the work, as you may be put into danger. Knowing when to speak up, and when to stay quiet, is a vital skill both on board and in life.
Be A Good Shipmate
Being a good shipmate is a key component of succeeding in the maritime industry at any level. From the newest deckhand all the way up to the most senior Captain, everyone on board must be a good shipmate.
That said, what exactly do I mean by being a good shipmate? It comes down to one word: RESPECT! Good shipmates are always respectful of themselves and towards others. Here’s an example: you come aboard a cruise ship as a new deckhand and are sharing a small stateroom with another deckhand. Are you going to allow yourself to soil that space by not taking showers or refusing to wash your clothes or sheets? The correct answer is absolutely not! Living with a roommate you will have to keep yourself clean, as well as your clothing, and expect the same from your roommate.
Even if you are not living aboard, being a good shipmate still applies. Let’s say for instance that you’re working aboard a dinner boat. The boat is ready to cruise, but the guests have not yet arrived, giving you some downtime. The crew is sitting around a table talking. What topics should you bring up? Refer to the word respect. It’s a smart idea to talk about things that show respect to your shipmates. Avoid politics, religion, or any hot button topics that cause undo strife. It’s not smart to partake in gossip either. If someone does degrade one of your shipmates, stand up for them. That ties back to being respectful.
Good shipmates are always respectful of one another and themselves, both aboard and ashore.
Have A Positive Attitude
Even if you come aboard your first vessel with no maritime experience whatsoever, the one thing you must come aboard with each and every day is a positive attitude! This means coming aboard willing to learn, grow, work, and be a good shipmate. It goes deeper than not complaining when things get rough (although that also holds true). Keeping a positive attitude aboard means keeping things in perspective, especially when things are difficult aboard.
For example, you may be freezing cold out on deck on a rainy day, even underneath your rain gear. You’re wet, you’re miserable, but are you going to complain? No. You’re not. Instead, you are going to continue working, and while doing so, you’re going to think about the reward awaiting you when the work is done. Maybe a warm, clean bed awaits you in your cabin. Perhaps a loved one is waiting for you at home, or maybe there’s a nice hot meal being served after work. Focusing on the positive, even if it’s delayed, makes the negative much more bearable.
Having a positive attitude on board makes even the most difficult day seem easy in retrospect. One day on the Becky Thatcher, we had a total of five trips to make on a hot summer day – one special event in the morning, three sightseeing cruises in the morning, and a dinner charter in the evening, with no relief crew coming to swap with us. By the end of that day, we were drenched in sweat, dirty, and exhausted. But we made it through. You will too, I promise. And you know what, it was a damned good day! That brings me into my final, concluding point:
Enjoy Your Time Aboard
Like any job, being on the water is what you make of it, but please take special note of the things that make working aboard a passenger vessel so unique. In my everyday work aboard sightseeing and charter vessels, I am constantly meeting new people from all walks of life from all over the world. In one day alone I met people from Germany, Ukraine, and Puerto Rico, and had wonderful conversations with all of them. Think of all the ideas and perspectives you are exposed to when meeting people from across the planet. For me, that makes any day or evening that I go to work a chance to meet someone new, and it’s one big reason that I love my job.
I threw a lot of information at you in this post, I freely admit that. There’s quite a bit that goes into working aboard vessels, but I hope you come away from it more informed and more inspired to work on the water. Make no mistake, being a deckhand has difficult moments, but at the end of the day, is a rewarding career. There are plenty of skills used aboard that transfer over to other sectors, and if you are determined to one day become a Captain, you must start off as a deckhand. Once you’re on the bottom rung of the ladder, the only way to go is up!
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Be safe out there, fellow mariners, and thanks for reading!