Master confession from a Seaman

Life of a seaman is one unique experience, specially coming from someone who has been in this kind of work for more than 35 years.

I always had a fascination with the sea and its mysteries. I was curious of those passenger ships that docked in the port of my hometown when I was young. But the most defining moment of my childhood was when I had my first ride in this huge passenger vessel that brought me and my family for a visit to the nearby province. It is this moment, when I saw the ship crew with their white uniform passing by and ob-served how the people look up to them with respect and admiration, that’s when I decided , when I grow up I will become like them no matter what. I was just 10 years old then.

The rest was history. After countless voyages, here I am living my own dream; I am now a Captain manning a vessel of Magsaysay MOL Ship management.. With all these years, months and thousands of hours of experiences out here in the sea, I have encountered lots of wonderful moments , both exciting and at the same time challenging and of course scary ones as well. I met numerous interesting people in all the ports where my ship docked. I have worked with all the talented captains as well as crews that helped me become what I am now. I have served a wonderful employer for 17 years, and have been with them all these years. I have started from being a second officer and through hard work, dedication and determination I became a Captain. I have experienced the responsibility of navigating both an old and new ship and worked and helped develop quite a number of crews whom I am both proud to work with.

Most of all, I have experienced the unravelling of the mysteries of the sea, both during the calm weather where you hear just the sea breeze and all the sea creatures (dolphins, whales and etc.) and the sound of the water as our ship navigates and cuts through the sea. This is the moment where you find the ocean calm and peaceful and yes, beautiful. Then the opposite experience comes during the stormy days and nights where all of us has to do the best we can to hold on to our ship while the waves, the rains and the angry wind tossed our ship. Moments we hold on to our faith and prayers that somehow the turbulence will pass and that all of us on board will be safe again. This is when we start to think of our family, our love ones we left behind, and our country. Those we care and love are the reasons why we are in the ship working all year long in isolation both on sea and land just to give them security and good life. We are seamen, we work not only because it is our dream to do so, but most of all to provide a secured, happy and good life for our children, and family and their future.

“We are seamen, we work not only because it is our dream to do so, but most of all to provide a secured,
happy and good life for our children, and family and their future.”

Our life as seamen is one of isolation. We find ourselves so many weeks navigating in the vast body of water both in calm and stormy days and nights. It is always a relief when we know after weeks of travel; we will dock and feel the land on our feet again. Still even those days we are on land we are still confined to our ship, and it would be a strike of good luck if we will ever go out to visit some friends or try to relax for a day or so, since after hours of work and maybe rest we know that we will start to sail again. Yes my dear friends, this is our life as seamen. Our camaraderie as members of the crew holds us together, since out in the sea, we understand that we are not alone and that we are one united family. And when the time comes that we are schedule to go home, is when the faces of our love ones, wives, chil-dren, father and mother flash in our mind and the feeling of joy of seeing them again over-whelm our hearts. And yet, it is just for a short time, since after few weeks or months of rest and vacation, we all know that we will venture out to the seas again.

Again…..because that is who we are…we are seamen. We have a unique and challenging job at sea…we are on this work because of a dream and also for our love ones and the future. As for me, I will never want it otherwise…for this is what I am, my dream…I am a seaman.

Master confession from a seaman
by Capt. Tomas M. Seludo

Share this Post: