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Showing posts from January, 2009

PUT A LITTLE SKIN IN THE GAME

The title of this Post was taken from a comment made by the new American President in a recent interview. I thought it was pretty good so borrowed it. When I started my sea career as a 16 year old cadet in 1953 it was a different world and a very different maritime world. No this isn't one of those Posts glorifying "the good old days" because overall things are much much better today. However we did have, back then, something that really stood to us. All of the Masters and most of the senior officers had served at sea during "The War". Everybody then knew what that was of course but today it is World War Two. As a 16 year old I did not much appreciate the strict discipline and formality in running European merchant ships at that time. Pretty much all the senior officers had naval ranks and awards from WW2, which were very modestly held and rarely displayed. Many were also very stressed people, they had been through hell and survived but wounded. These men just m