Trans-Atlantic tips?

Jennifer

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2020
Messages
4
Hello,
New to this (USMMA) forum, and seeking tips for my son heading off on a ship crossing the Atlantic soon for part of his first sea year trimester. I assume it gets very cold - does anyone know what would be most helpful to bring to stay warm?
Thanks!
 
The answer to your question varies considerably depending if he is deck or engine, what class of ship it is, what company he will be working for and even what crew he is with. His best bet is to contact an upperclassman who has been a cadet on his ship recently to get the most current advice. My DS and DD were both on Transatlantic North Sea routes as cadets. Their common advice is get good boots, good socks, and good gloves.
 
The answer to your question varies considerably depending if he is deck or engine, what class of ship it is, what company he will be working for and even what crew he is with. His best bet is to contact an upperclassman who has been a cadet on his ship recently to get the most current advice. My DS and DD were both on Transatlantic North Sea routes as cadets. Their common advice is get good boots, good socks, and good gloves.
Thanks! My son is deckie, and he says it is a car carrier ship.
 
Hello,
New to this (USMMA) forum, and seeking tips for my son heading off on a ship crossing the Atlantic soon for part of his first sea year trimester. I assume it gets very cold - does anyone know what would be most helpful to bring to stay warm?
Thanks!
Assuming the ship is either ARC or Maersk, I’d recommend a carhartt insulated jacket and carhartt insulated bib overalls. The company makes good products that are durable and keeps an individual warm. The insulated jacket is good for when it’s cold and can be combined with the bib overalls for when it gets brutally cold. I would also recommend a good fleece 2 and 1 helmet liner/mask or ski mask.
 
Thanks! My son is deckie, and he says it is a car carrier ship.

He's probably working for ARC, ships that I know well. Thermal base layer, top and bottom is an absolute must, something that will fit under his coveralls (Ship will provide one set of coveralls, only to be worn in port as a uniform item). A good Carheartt jacket with a hood, as well as a knit cap and a neck gator that you can pull up over your nose. Carheartt makes a cap that has a neck piece built in, you can tuck the neck part in to the hood if you're not using it. Gloves that are insulated as well as work gloves, I'll usually have a pair for keeping my hands warm and a different pair for when I need to handle lines. Rain gear and water protection isn't super critical on a car ship, because you almost always have a roof over your head, even when you're out on the mooring deck.

Weather wise, the absolute worst part of the trade is the locks in Bremerhaven and Antwerp. Bow Lock to Stern Lock can easily take an hour or more in Belgium because they frequently will put the big car ship in the locks first, and then load in a small coaster or two, the coasters have to leave first, and then you start dropping lines on the car ship. All said and done it could be four hours from when you have to go outside for mooring ops until you're all fast. Temps in the low 30s and rain isn't uncommon in Bremerhaven. Standing in the wet and cold and miserable in the winter can be tough, but again, good Carhartt Jacket with hood, knit cap, something for your neck/nose/face, thermals, and gloves and you'll be set. I usually wear low cut steel toe keens with good socks and that is plenty as far as boots.

In general, I show up with three sets of Carhartt pants, a bunch of Carhartt shirts, as well as some sets of casual shorts and t-shirts for standing watch. A stiff belt, from Bison or Blue Force Gear can be useful because you'll be carrying a radio around. Most bridges will be pretty casual as far as standing watch, but don't look like trash either. A pair of shoes you can slip in and out of is nice, for walking around the house when you're not on watch, as well as a set of athletic shoes for going to the gym or standing bridge watch. I keep a golf shirt or two with me for going out and traveling, but don't otherwise wear it.

For an early Christmas get your kid a Spyderco H1, Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA, and a Petzl Tactikka+ RGB. Gold standard for knifes and lights.

When you have enough posts to PM, shoot me a message with the ship name and I can tell you whatever you want to know about it. ARC is a good place to cut your teeth as a deck cadet, interesting mix of ro/ro, breakbulk, and vehicle cargos, ocean crossings combined with maneuvering in busy traffic areas and good ports to go explore. Antwerp is a personal favorite of mine, and while it can be expensive to get in to town if you take a cab, there is a water taxi that goes from the locks at Kallousluis and will drop you in downtown for a Euro or two. Southampton is an easy walk in to town, and Bremerhaven is interesting as well. They occasionally add a European port or two like Zeebrugge or Gdansk which can be interesting.
 
I have no doubt that beyond's advice is right on. (Wish I had known him then) But I would advise Jennifer NOT to pull a Hockey10 and buy anything without asking what DS wants and then presenting him with a surprise package. OK to tell him where you got the information. Like a med student getting his first stethoscope, these are the tools of his trade and it is a big deal to him. For instance, I got the impression it's almost a right of passage to go to a certain store in Great Neck en masse for boots. Also, he won't mind a little help paying for this stuff. Get ready for sticker shock. Best wishes to you and DS as he begins his journey. You will be amazed when you see him again.
 
beyond pretty much covered it.. I'd second the Carhartt purchase.. and three sets should be more than adequate.. especially if the Mate gives you a couple sets of coveralls from the 'gold locker'. If you're on a budget and looking to save a little dough Dickies also makes good work clothes. I've found that their 9 oz. weight duck work pants compared well to the 12 oz. Carhartts and were $10 a pair cheaper. The only thing I would add to the list is maybe a multi-tool [SOG or Leatherman]. When I was sailing Mate I never went out on deck without one.
Weather wise, the absolute worst part of the trade is the locks in Bremerhaven and Antwerp. Bow Lock to Stern Lock can easily take an hour or more in Belgium because they frequently will put the big car ship in the locks first, and then load in a small coaster or two, the coasters have to leave first, and then you start dropping lines on the car ship. All said and done it could be four hours from when you have to go outside for mooring ops until you're all fast. Temps in the low 30s and rain isn't uncommon in Bremerhaven. Standing in the wet and cold and miserable in the winter can be tough, but again, good Carhartt Jacket with hood, knit cap, something for your neck/nose/face, thermals, and gloves and you'll be set. I usually wear low cut steel toe keens with good socks and that is plenty as far as boots.
My son tells me that standing on the bow in the freezing rain at Brunsbuttel waiting to go into the Kiel Canal locks can also be particularly miserable..
. So true. Good work clothes aren’t cheap, and cheap work clothes aren’t good.
Bonus points to KP Eng for sorta quoting Sailor Jerry..👍
 
ARC is a good place to cut your teeth as a deck cadet, interesting mix of ro/ro, breakbulk, and vehicle cargos, ocean crossings combined with maneuvering in busy traffic areas and good ports to go explore.

For someone that's never been to sea, any ship is a good place to cut your teeth. Every ship maneuvers in busy traffic areas at least sometimes. Unless it's a prepo or MARAD RRF or something weird. If you want a more challenging experience though go with a coastal tanker or ATB preferably for minimum manning. The less people they have, the more room you have to step in and get hands on with stuff. One of the reasons MSC is a bad place to be a cadet, and the sea year stand down put lots of people there.
 
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For someone that's never been to sea, any ship is a good place to cut your teeth. Every ship maneuvers in busy traffic areas at least sometimes. Unless it's a prepo or MARAD RRF or something weird. If you want a more challenging experience though go with a coastal tanker or ATB preferably for minimum manning. The less people they have, the more room you have to step in and get hands on with stuff. One of the reasons MSC is a bad place to be a cadet, and the sea year stand down put lots of people there.

I mean they’re just different. A coast wise tanker in the US isn’t really going to go anywhere that is “high traffic,” compared to what exists in rest of the world. Malfunction junction is child’s play compared to the Maas or Singapore. I did the TAPS trade as a cadet and the traffic was non existent. I do agree with going on a tanker, a PIC opens you up to way more jobs and it makes you a much better mate regardless of where you end up working.
 
Probably my best experience post graduation was working on ocean tugs as the only engineer, and a crew of 8.
 
He's probably working for ARC, ships that I know well. Thermal base layer, top and bottom is an absolute must, something that will fit under his coveralls (Ship will provide one set of coveralls, only to be worn in port as a uniform item). A good Carheartt jacket with a hood, as well as a knit cap and a neck gator that you can pull up over your nose. Carheartt makes a cap that has a neck piece built in, you can tuck the neck part in to the hood if you're not using it. Gloves that are insulated as well as work gloves, I'll usually have a pair for keeping my hands warm and a different pair for when I need to handle lines. Rain gear and water protection isn't super critical on a car ship, because you almost always have a roof over your head, even when you're out on the mooring deck.

Weather wise, the absolute worst part of the trade is the locks in Bremerhaven and Antwerp. Bow Lock to Stern Lock can easily take an hour or more in Belgium because they frequently will put the big car ship in the locks first, and then load in a small coaster or two, the coasters have to leave first, and then you start dropping lines on the car ship. All said and done it could be four hours from when you have to go outside for mooring ops until you're all fast. Temps in the low 30s and rain isn't uncommon in Bremerhaven. Standing in the wet and cold and miserable in the winter can be tough, but again, good Carhartt Jacket with hood, knit cap, something for your neck/nose/face, thermals, and gloves and you'll be set. I usually wear low cut steel toe keens with good socks and that is plenty as far as boots.

In general, I show up with three sets of Carhartt pants, a bunch of Carhartt shirts, as well as some sets of casual shorts and t-shirts for standing watch. A stiff belt, from Bison or Blue Force Gear can be useful because you'll be carrying a radio around. Most bridges will be pretty casual as far as standing watch, but don't look like trash either. A pair of shoes you can slip in and out of is nice, for walking around the house when you're not on watch, as well as a set of athletic shoes for going to the gym or standing bridge watch. I keep a golf shirt or two with me for going out and traveling, but don't otherwise wear it.

For an early Christmas get your kid a Spyderco H1, Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA, and a Petzl Tactikka+ RGB. Gold standard for knifes and lights.

When you have enough posts to PM, shoot me a message with the ship name and I can tell you whatever you want to know about it. ARC is a good place to cut your teeth as a deck cadet, interesting mix of ro/ro, breakbulk, and vehicle cargos, ocean crossings combined with maneuvering in busy traffic areas and good ports to go explore. Antwerp is a personal favorite of mine, and while it can be expensive to get in to town if you take a cab, there is a water taxi that goes from the locks at Kallousluis and will drop you in downtown for a Euro or two. Southampton is an easy walk in to town, and Bremerhaven is interesting as well. They occasionally add a European port or two like Zeebrugge or Gdansk which can be interesting.
Thank you so much. Yes, my son is on the ARC. I will share with him these tips.
 
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