Used to be that when you traversed the Cape Cod Canal years ago the (required) assist tug would steer alongside and hand the tankerman on deck a dozen doughnuts, a newspaper and a carton of smokes.
It wasn't all that long ago but it was what happened just about every time.
Of course, the smokes were the first to stop. For one thing they got expensive. Then there was the health issue. The rest dried up shortly afterwards.
Then again, our port captains used to bring goodies to us during their visits. Sometimes they'd bring breakfast sandwiches or subs, burgers, SOMETHING.
Now everybody shows up empty handed and wants something from you. Usually something stupid and/or obnoxious like MORE paperwork.
I used to move 50,000 barrels of oil with paperwork consisting of an ullage sheet and the Coast Guard Declaration of Inspection, period.
Now you have to fill out at least 30 pages of meaningless drivel just to load cargo and probably as much to discharge the same cargo. Most of the paperwork is totally meaningless and I bet 95% of the guys just gun deck it anyway.
I'm sure glad I worked through the Good Old Days and remember when we treated each other a lot better than we do today.
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As far as retirement goes, I think it's time as most of the good guys I have worked with on the docks are not there anymore. Those were the guys that made problems vanish instead of creating them.
On a transfer there can only be one Declaration of Inspection and both companies would insist that theirs was the Holy Grail and HAD to be the one used.
Quick fix. Fill out both. We would put ours on the clipboard and rathole the dock's and they would do the same thing. When they were 30 days old they would be thrown out per Coast Guard rules.
Today some of the dock guys would be paralyzed dealing with things like this. Actually so would some of the seagoing guys.
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A lot of places used to hand out bottles of pretty good hooch at Christmas time but that's another post.
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