Braving the Unparalleled Life at Sea

Words by E/C Jan Alexis J. Arroyo

“God gave man the totality of His being so that, through acquired discipline, he may achieve selffulfillment.” The first line of JBLFMU philosophy best describes my mantra as I step out of my comfort zone. From a young boy who dreamed of exploring the world to a man who has conquered the unparalleled life at sea. The path of seafaring is tough and draining. It would require a lot of patience and endurance to overcome the daily challenges. As an engine cadet, pressure and doubt would always hunt you in everything that you do. Yes, we were prepared coming out of the academy, but life on board is way different. I always ask myself, “What would be my weapon to combat this life I am in?” A journey which is far from my loved ones and friends, and a life very different from what I used to have. We are instilled with discipline as Lacsonians. We are honed and carved to be the best of the best and most competent vanguard in the maritime industry. And yes, it became my way of life as I braved the unprecedented waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Discipline encompasses everything onboard. In order to be a reliable and productive seafarer, you need to exercise yourself by doing things with discipline anchored to your actions. As an engine cadet, I am an assistant to everyone in the engine department, from the chief engineer to the second engineer, and I always make sure to do my task safely and soundly each time. Also, perseverance needs discipline. I always remember my first day coming onboard; upon arriving at my cabin, I kept asking myself, “What would I do?” I don’t know anything about the system, the people I need to deal with, and the job I need to accomplish. It seems like I went back to zero and crawled into darkness with nothing to see. Of course, as a cadet, I would always tail and abide the officers in order to learn a thing or two. I get up at 6 in the morning even though my duty usually begins at 8 a.m. I came with the duty engineer and observed what he did during watchkeeping hours and tried to list down everything he taught me. Especially, from the simple sounding of different tanks together with rectifying alarms and checking machinery conditions. I slowly understand the basic things I need to learn. I need to discipline myself and double my efforts in order to show progress and improvement is my scope of responsibility. Nothing works as easy as picking apples from a neighbor’s yard. I recall the first time I committed a mistake, when I mistakenly switched off the main switch of our boiler instead of only the combustion fan during our departure maneuvers from Greece. I was too stunned to react as I watched the whole boiler system go down, followed by a continuous siren from the alarm. The fourth engineer asked me what I switched off, and I responded by pointing out the one I touched. He just laughed at me and said that I should ask if I am not sure, because there’s no harm in asking about things I don’t know. Fortunately, it was only a minor problem, which we were able to resolve immediately with the assistance of an electrician. When we returned to the control room, everyone simply laughed at me and gave me some advice on what to do next time. I am simply blessed with the people I am working with for the first half of my contract. I worked with the best officers, as they were always willing to lend a hand and impart their knowledge without reservations. They even gave me encouragement and tips on how to stay sane and positive onboard. They always assured me that they had my back as I continued my journey as a seafarer. We make mistakes, and it’s normal given how tired, sleepless, and fatigued our body and mind were. Nonetheless, the most important thing is that we learned from those mistakes and applied what we realized going forward for our future. As I dug deeper into this profession, I came to realize the downside and the positive side of being a seafarer. My Chief Engineer always told me that, aside froWm being good at work theoretically and technically, you should always anchor discipline with your attitude. Your job in the engine room is just a quarter of your life at sea. The relationship you built among your colleagues is an integral part of the success on board. Having a strong bond with the rest of the crew makes every task easy. Seafaring itself is not a happy job to do, but because of my fellow seafarers that I have right now, I can say that this experience is one of the best. On my first contract, I traveled in many different countries, which I could not have imagined a few years ago. Together with tasting different foods, meeting people I called brothers, and learning a variety of cultures and traditions from the diverse nations I’ve visited so far.

“Education is life, and life as an ever-changing process must be progressive, but progress is best attained when one has achieved discipline as a way of life.” Truly, life would be so amazing if you designed yourself to be disciplined even in the smallest details of your existence. I am now in my fourth month, and I can say that I have improved a lot. Assisting in troubleshooting machineries, making reports, and even doing things in the engine room on my own, I can attest that my hard work is slowly paying off. I earned the trust of my officers and colleagues on ship. I gained their respect and built a wonderful rapport with them, making things work smoothly for all of us. I would always be grateful to God for guiding me and saving me every time I fell down and let my frustrations eat me. Throughout the months onboard of a vessel I can say that, from coming into day one scratching my head to being one of the reliable engine crew onboard. We may encounter a lot of tests, and we might fail, but this is just one of a thousand challenges we would have faced on this journey. Always remember that God is our strength, and He will never leave our side. Furthermore, choosing this profession means sacrificing your past life in exchange for greener pastures. From a peaceful sleep to a night disturbed by massive waves slapping the hull of your ship, together with crowded environments and noisy streets when you go out of your house to strong winds touching your skin and a wide sea until the farthest vision your eyes can reach. You will no longer have your mother when you are sick, and you will be unable to call your friends or loved ones at any time due to the lack of a signal. In that case, for communication it made me realize how difficult it is to achieve my dreams. However, it also made me appreciate the smallest particulars of my life. I am proud of my little achievements because they made me who I am today. It will always be a symbol of what I have been through, as well as a reminder that no matter where my goals take me, I must begin with nothing before becoming the best version of myself. Lastly, I just want to tell everyone who aspires to become a seafarer; “Never worry about failures; worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try. I have a long journey ahead of me, and I will meet a lot of people with different perspectives in life, but one thing is for sure: I am courageous enough to face the uncertainties of the sea, for I am engraved with the Lacsonian core values as my foundation, bringing the flag of JBLFMU around the seven seas of the world”.