THE CURSE BEGINS
Nootka Sound photograph from Colin’s collection. The three scenes below are editorial illustrations.
DAY ONE
Hungover & back aboard
BREAKFAST, COFFEE,
AND A NEW DAY
CAPTAIN JOHN’S
BOWLINE RULE
Day one is always a rough one. If you’re a young dickhead like most of us were, chances are you spent your days off properly relishing the joys of civilization — and because last night was the final bender before heading back to the boat, there’s a pretty good chance you’re hungover as fuck.
Unfortunately, the ocean does not care.
It doesn’t matter how you feel. It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, how the tide is running, whether you’re tired, sore, motivated, miserable, or questioning every decision that brought you here.
The goal is simple: make it through the day.
During my time aboard Aqua Service, the job description sounded simple enough: feed the crew, keep the boat clean, support the engineer, help the captain, take the helm when directed, work with cranes, capstan and skiffs, wear the right PPE, and do whatever the fuck else they tell you to do.
The Deckhand’s Daily Orders
- Provide three meals a day.
- Prepare the engineer’s midnight snack.
- Keep the galley, dishes, laundry and vessel organized.
- Support engineering projects.
- Take the helm when directed.
- Assist with cranes, capstan and skiffs.
- Wear the correct PPE.
- Speak up when an order is unclear or unsafe.
- Leave your task safe before switching to help the crew.
If you’re not fit for duty, tell the skipper before you take on a job. There’s no prize for pushing through around machinery. On a good shift, you rack out early. You made the meals. You cleaned the boat. You helped the engineer. You answered the captain. Somehow, you survived Day One.
Day Two: the reset
Deckhands start early. Exactly how early depends on the captain, the crew, the job and whatever the boat has planned. Morning almost always means breakfast and coffee — although one professional pirate rule is that the deckhand doesn’t make the coffee. Apparently that’s above our pay grade.
By Day Two, shore life starts wearing off. You’re sleeping better, eating better, moving constantly, and beginning to understand what the hell everybody is asking you to do.
If you’re a greenhorn, this is where you shut up, watch, listen and practise.
Captain John and the bowline
Captain John showed me the bowline once. That was it.
His rule was simple: do it the exact same way every single time.
Up. Down. Left. Right. Rain. Wind. Snow. Tired. Rushed. People yelling. Deck moving. That was John’s lesson about consistency. The right knot depends on the job.
As a greenhorn, your job is to listen, watch and copy the action exactly as it was shown. Stop trying to prove you’ve got a better idea. Predictability builds trust, and trust matters on a boat.
