Cruise ship safety and Rat Guards, etc.

life rafts for the crew!

NO, fortunately the cruise ship that ran aground was NOT one of ours!   I am not envious of the Doctor or crew of that ship!!! It was Friday the 13th!  Here are a few pictures of the life boats on the Jade.  Interestingly, the crew are assigned to life RAFTS that have no motors or form of propulsion!  Which means that we are adrift at sea unless a life boat full of passengers decides to take us  in tow!  Come to think of it, that may be a motivational tool designed to make certain that the crew remembers who is in charge!!!





The loading Chutes look like fun! ( see the pictures below)  I will let you know if I get the chance to try them out  (in training of course!!)

The 3 barrel shaped objects are the Life Rafts and loading
chute for the crew. 

My cabin window is the 3rd round one to the left of the doorway

This  is one  of the passenger life boats (on the left) and a
Life boat tender (on the right).

Here is a easy nautical quiz for you.
1) What are the round objects on the mooring lines called ?
2) What is there purpose?
3) What aspect of my duties remind me of them?

Answers: 1) Rat Guards  2) to prevent the spread of disease by keeping disease ridden rodents off the ship!
3) We have to screen passengers
  who have "failed" their health questioner  to make certain they don't come on board with active contagious disease, and spread it around the ship!.
You wouldn't think that people would want to spend their vacation , sick on a boat!   Once they have paid       their money they seem willing to put up with anything to not miss out on their cruise.  Case in point: the little lady I saw yesterday with a broken wrist.  She had fallen 24 hours earlier and fractured the distal radius, but hadn't sought medical attention until then because she didn't want to be told she couldn't go.   When I          informed her of the break and the need to see an orthopedic Dr., she flat out refused and said she would sign whatever release  or waiver but she was NOT MISSING ANY PART of her vacation.  so I put her in a splint and will try to get her to see an Orthopedist in Funchal or Santa Cruz.



For those not familiar with the area, here is a link to a Google map of our coarse. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205620770184526261896.0004b6795781128b40301&msa=0&ll=31.952162,-6.020508&spn=31.474932,28.959961