Life at sea

It is nice to be out at sea, away from the land, crowds, pollution etc. But sea life is not what it used to be about 8 years back. Things have changed a lot. Lot of new regulations, laws, codes, and what not. The work load has also increased very much, out at sea as well as in port. Gone are the days when going to ports was eagerly awaited by everybody on board. Now nobody wants the ship to stay in a port for a long time because of PSC inspections, surveys, and what not. The only time people want to get to a port is when they sign off. But even that has become a rarity in VLCCs and ULCCs, where they get off the ship in boat or chopper. Long sailing has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. Maintenance is given so much importance that people hardly find time to relax. Apart from this, there are drills, safety meetings, safety movies, training sessions and all that which makes life dull and monotonous on board.
And people ashore think that we are having a great time sailing and visiting new places!!!