Names changed. Some guys are still in the industry.
About a years or probably closer to two years before I retired I was on the west coast and we got a call from our vessel supervisor telling he and the port captain were going to pay us a visit which they did.
The two of us were then subjected to a lecture about how some big wheel was coming to check us out and see if we were up to snuff before they inked a contract. It was a really big deal to them.While the vessel supervisor was fairly calm, the port captain was all keyed up and afraid we's say the wrong thing. This pregame warm-up took probably close to an hour.
Finally the so-called Grand Poobah walked in. Much to my surprise I knew the guy from the old days. "Jimmy!" I practically shouted. "? "How ya been? Long time no see!" My vessel supervisor looked astonished and my port captain turned purple.
"Holy $hit! It's the Piccolo and Paco Show, live and in person!" he said. "How have you two incorrogible reprobates been doing?"
When the vessel supervisor saw we knew the guy he relaxed visibly and grinned broadly. The Port Captain looked upset. We knew it was because he wasn't the center of attention anymore. We were and he resented it. "You two guys know each other?" he said.
"Uh-huh," I replied.
Jimmy looked at me and asked what the relief crew was like and I said they seemed OK. He turned to the port captain and simply said, "These guys are good. We'll take your offer."
He was floored. The vessel supervisor grinned. "I know these guys. They can get the job done with no bull$hit."
Jimmy had been a dockman back east and my shipmate and I knew him well. He was one of the good guys that knew how to make problems go away unlike the present port captain that created them.
Somehow he had worked his way up the chain and transferred and here was!
Anyway, Jimmy, Paco and I sat there for the better part of an hour.
The vessel supervisor sat there elated that we got along with the customer. He let things run, sitting there tickled pink.
The port captain sat there and pouted because he was being ignored. Right after Jimmy left he started to say something but I interrupted.
"You're just pissed off because you can't gloat about how you sold the contract," I said. "You might want to think about a few things like I've been in this business for 30 years and over that time I've made a few friends here and there."
"Yeah, but," he started.
"Yeah, but we got the contract. Not you...WE."
He walked off and the vessel supervisor followed him grinning.
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