Sea More! E-Book

Christoph J. Nitsch

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 86

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Sea More! - is a touching story, which calls to mind the important principles for a successful and satisfying career. Entertaining, yet at the same time not lacking in depth, the seaman Pit describes his experiences at sea. The pleasant clarity of his view point assists fucusing on the essential. The vivid illustrations will accompany you in your daily life and offer new perspectives when facing challenges.

Leseprobe

„The true purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.“

Christopher D. Morley American author and editor (1890 – 1957)

Sea More! – is a story, which calls to mind the important principles for a successful and satisfying career. Entertaining, yet at the same time not lacking in depth, the seaman Pit describes his experiences at sea. The pleasant clarity of his view point assists focusing on the essential. The vivid illustrations will accompany you in your daily life and offer new perspectives when facing challenges.

Sea More!

ON ARRIVAL

YOUR BUSINESS AS A SHIP

OFF TO NEW SHORES

CHARTING THE COURSE

YOUR CREW

NEW ON BOARD

A NEW SHIP

GETTING UNDERWAY

NEVER CUT IN FRONT OF, IMPEDE OR ENDANGER ANOTHER VESSEL

THE WATER HAS SOMETHING TO TELL YOU

THE RAVAGES OF TIME

CHECK YOUR MOTIVATION

KEEP YOUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN

WHEN THE CAPTAIN IS ABSENT

EMERGENCIES ON BOARD

THE FINAL DESTINATION

SEA MORE! IN SHORT FORM

A FEW WORDS IN CLOSING

READER'S LOGBOOK

On Arrival

It was a beautiful morning in the small port town out on the Atlantic coast. The harbour basin lay in an inlet. Towards the ocean, a high mole separated the harbour from the open sea. Opposite the mole, a row of small houses nestled alongside each other, resembling pastel coloured specks snuggling up to the soft hills which rose high behind the bay. A wide promenade separated the houses from the water. Countless boats shared the oval space into which several jetties protruded. Gradually the town began to awaken.

Dan strolled between the jetties as in a daze. He observed the many ships, which – tethered – danced with almost imperceptible movement on the water of the harbour basin. He had never before noticed the variety of the boats gathering in a harbour. There were the colourful small sailboats with their lofty masts, trying to be taller than the larger ships. There were elegant yachts whose sleek shapes particularly appealed to Dan. Until now Dan had scarcely come into contact with seafaring. However! A few years ago a friend had persuaded him to join a yacht cruise. It was an amusing week on the Adriatic Sea, which even Dan was able to enjoy, once his initial unease on board had subsided.

As Dan strolled on he discovered the fishing trawlers which clearly differed from each other in size and colour, but all had a similar shape. Amongst all these trawlers some other ships were also tethered the functions of which were not clear to Dan. They appeared to him to be too shabby to be leisure boats. At the same time, he considered them to be too small to be work boats.

It was the first time in weeks that Dan could really breathe freely. He sensed how greedily his lungs drew in the fresh clear sea air. “How could things have gotten this far?” he thought about the events of the past weeks. Why hadn’t things been working out lately? Everything had begun so well. When Dan had taken over the business everything had appeared to be running smoothly. He thought he would be able to continue on the path of success which his predecessor had taken in the past years. Not only that. He was convinced of exceeding all the previous records. His energy seemed to know no limitation. That was not even 15 months ago. And now he was so without drive and irritable, that it became clear to him that something would have to change. This was the reason why he had cancelled all appointments for this coming week and had charged into the small travel agency which had recently opened – two streets away from his office.

And now here he was, 2,000 miles away from home, standing under this indescribable azure sky, which was already dressing itself up early in the morning with a few radiant white little sheep clouds.

Dan’s problems of the previous week seemed almost unreal in these peaceful surroundings. Exhausted, he allowed himself to sink onto the quay wall. His legs dangled over the water and his gaze lost itself on the early sunbeams which disintegrated into thousands of tiny glittering stars on the water’s surface.

“Well! Young man, are you waiting for a boat or are you thinking of throwing yourself into the water?” Dan was jolted from his thoughts and stared into a weather-beaten face, framed by a short, trim white beard. This face had the same colour as the light brown leather bag that Dan had seen in a shop window in town two weeks ago. From underneath a small dark woollen cap, single strands of white hair protruded. In the meantime the stranger had sat down beside Dan on the quay wall. “More likely the second,” Dan replied as his thoughts came to the surface again. “Hello! I’m Pit. What’s the trouble?” the man extended his hand to Dan while his small dark sparkling eyes under the shaggy white eyebrows looked at him invitingly. “Hi, I am Daniel. But my friends call me Dan.” Dan returned the greeting quietly.

After a short pause Dan began with his story. Pit listened to him, hardly moving. From time to time he allowed his gaze to wander to the harbour mouth, the only point on this sea of colourful boats where he could catch a glimpse of the endless horizon. For quite a time they sat there on the quay wall while Dan endeavoured to summarize the events of the past year as briefly and clearly as possible. He faltered repeatedly in his narration when his disappointment threatened to overwhelm him. Pit sat quietly beside him. Now and again he nodded understandingly.

Dan had reached the end of his story; he gritted his teeth and forced his mouth into an embittered smile. At the same time he let out a deep sigh. Pit lowered his eyes and said nothing. After a short silence he lifted his head and looked at Dan intensely: “Dan. I am only an old seaman and I don’t know if you want to hear my advice. I do think I could give you a few tips to get your tub afloat again. These words electrified Dan. This little old man next to him, whom he assumed, was not even able to understand his story, was now actually offering to help him. For months now Dan had been discussing his situation with people whose advice he thought highly of, without having reached any satisfactory conclusions. Nothing could have lastingly changed his situation. Dan looked Pit in the face in surprise. Fascinated, his attention was now drawn to the lines life had carved in his face. The countless wrinkles gave his skin a peculiar radiance. A scar under the right eye bore evidence to a once deep cut. This man captivated Dan’s attention in an unusual way.

“You know, Dan, your company and a ship have very much in common.” Pit began.

“When you are ready to get involved in the adventure of seafaring, it will help you to get your company afloat again. And besides, this knowledge of shipping will protect you from list or shipwreck in the future.”

Your business and a ship have far more in common than you think at present.

Your Business as a Ship

“Accompany me on a voyage of discovery, which will fascinate you and open new horizons to you. Imagine that your business is a ship, a really beautiful ship. For once, just visualise this fantastic ship intensely. A ship is wonderful! Have you ever been on a ship before?”

Pit looked over at Dan inquiringly, lifting his eyebrows slightly at the same time. Dan looked at him surprised and nodded carefully.

“Remember the smell of the sea and the gulls which, after cheekily colliding with the rails, let themselves be carried off again by the wind, to come back close, over and over again. Remember the ship gently rolling from side to side between the waves. Or think of the pitching, on a course across the waves, rhythmically hurling one fountain of spray after another away from the bow. Remember the white carpet of spray, spreading itself out alongside the ship as it ploughed its way through the seas. And the long veil of air bubbles at the stern, each of which only slowly finds its way back to the surface in the attempt to trace the course of the ship.

There are countless types of ships. From small boats for coastal shipping - to the boats with which fishermen earn their living - up to the huge tankers and freighters, which are ceaselessly crossing the oceans. They are all carried by the same water. Have you ever thought about the laws these ships follow?”

Without waiting for an answer, Pit continued.

“Naturally there are differences and particularities; but all are subject to the laws of the sea.

With a ship you can reach almost any destination. But you must know and observe the rules of the sea and of navigation. These rules are the keys, which decide between success and failure.”

Pit glanced over to Dan to make sure he was ready to mentally follow him out to sea. He wanted his words to crystallize to pictures in Dan’s mind. Only then would Dan be able to accompany Pit on his journey and comprehend how seafaring could enrich his life.

“Let us just take a look at the ships here!”

Pit lifted his hand and let it wander over the harbour basin lying in front of them.

“Basically you can assume that the larger ships are designed for extensive journeys. But you will observe on your voyages that small boats are superior to the larger ones in many ways. They are easy to manoeuvre, offer fewer surfaces to assault. Even in heavy storms, they just usually dance like corks on the waves. For this reason therefore, the appearance of the ship you are presently sailing is not important. Later you will recognize which assignments you and your ship are to take on. The seafaring rules are valid for all who travel on the sea.”