5 Lessons I learned Sailing around the World
As a United States Merchant Mariner I have sailed around the world twice. A regular Magellan. Truth is, it’s not that impressive for the modern seafarer.
Container ships, Car Carriers, Tankers, and military supply ships all circumnavigate the globe. It takes about two weeks to cross the Pacific Ocean and about one to cross the Atlantic.
You learn a lot about yourself in the solitude of the Sea.
As Nietzsche Said,
“..If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back at you.”
Here are 5 life lessons I learned while sailing that are valuable in everyday life.
Secure for Sea
When we leave a port, the captain briefs the crew to
“secure for Sea.”
Batten down the hatches. In your cabins, the galley, storerooms, and rec rooms we would secure things in a way that they will not shift and fall when the seas get rough.
No matter how hard you prepare for the rough times, you don’t know what is secure and what isn’t until you are picking up the pieces.
All we can do is try to anticipate what will happen and prepare for it best we can. Inevitably, we will pick things up off the deck that we did not anticipate would fall.
The Rough Stuff Comes in Waves
Have you ever hit a point in your life where you feel like everything is working against you? The high seas are no different.
Waves strike the ship unpredictably. Sometimes you are sitting in your bunk and the next second it is 3 feet below you and crashing back up at you seconds later.
Much like in life, the rough patches tend to come in waves and we can count on the tempest of our lives to settle out eventually.
If you Time your Steps they are all downhill
I worked on a military preposition ship off the coast of a tropical island in the South Pacific for 2 years. We sat at anchor, bobbing like a cork.
We pitched 10–20 degrees just from the rhythm of the currents coming from the island.
The galley ran from port to starboard and I timed my steps so that every step was down hill.
If we position ourselves correctly we can metaphorically walk down hill through life.
Time is the most Valuable Respect Builder
It doesn’t matter what you know, how much you’ve studied, or how innovative your idea is.
If you want to earn your place in an established industry you need to serve your time.
Slogging it out with your fellow shipmates is the way to earn the respect you need to move forward.
Survive a few rough seas, get miserably drunk in port, bail your bosun out of jail, survive a ship fire, these are the ways you establish yourself as a member of an industry.
Time is the most valuable thing you have and what we invest time in is what we go on to master.
You Can’t Pick your Shipmates
One of the biggest shocks to becoming a Steward on a ship was I could not just fire the assholes that pissed me off.
In the restaurant industry, if you could not mop and then got an attitude with me when I tried to show you how, I would just fire you.
At sea, when we are 100 miles off shore, you cannot do that.
Learning to work with difficult people is the most valuable skill you learn at sea. We live in tight quarters, work in tight quarters, and all of us are away from home and family.
Ship life is tough, and it brings the worst out of people.
Working with anyone is the most valuable skill I developed at sea.
Conclusion
These are 5 important lessons I learned as a Merchant Mariner.
My time at sea was immensely valuable, lucrative, enriching, and exciting.
It led me to my wife, paid off all of my student loans, bought two motorcycles, and funded my 401k.
If you would like to learn more about sailing as a Merchant Mariner check out my blog:
Thanks for reading.