Originally published by: https://www.seafarersfriend.org/
It was this ship visitor’s second Christmas away from family and first at sea. The first, age 23, I was in command of a 68-foot wooden yacht laying over in the Galapagos on our way to New Zealand. The second, two years later, was much worse. I had just moved from New England to Singapore to help operate a fleet of tankers and was sitting in an unfurnished company apartment having just arrived, with no friends and a Christmas event in a church where I didn’t understand the language. Then I got a call to report to a shuttle boat packed for a month, on Christmas Eve. I was to proceed to the tanker EDMO for a trainee voyage.
Off I went, bringing with me my two baby turtles, Red and Stripe, some charts, work clothes and a diary and stationary to write letters home with. Turns out the mixed officers and crew from Croatia, Philippines, Pakistan, and India were very welcoming. We had a fun BBQ on deck, I was fed very well, the weather was lovely, and all my needs were met. Though I had a lot of freedom, I was assigned to the Bosun and observed taking apart a deck wench, maintaining equipment, understanding how boilers and other machinery works, and generally fitting in the men on board, including the captain.
Our ship EDMO had been the FORT EMDONTON of Canada, and served us well as we carried 30,000 tons of petroleum product up the Straits of Malacca, through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, past Myanmar and Thailand across the Bay of Bengal to Visag, on the East Coast of India. It was a navy port and we spent several days discharging and I was hosted by doctor on shore, since I befriended his grandson and my grandmother is a doctor.
I even was useful to the crew, as Customs can be bullied and take any undeclared or inconsistent, personal items from the crew cabins, but with me aboard as a “friend of the owner” they left us alone, warning the captain they would double their theft on the ship’s return. Then we sailed happily back to Singapore where I arrived happily refereshed, more knowledgeable, and cheered by sharing Christmas with the crew. Not all religious events away from family end so well, but my Christmas at sea went well for me. Now my task is to help us do the same for other seafarers.