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BOOK REVIEW
A View From the Bridge From Fishermen’s Voice Vol. 12, No. 3 March 2007 p. 20 www.fishermensvoice.com Shipboard Bridge Resource Management By Michael R. Adams Published by Nor’easter Press Eastport, Maine 04631 www.noreasterpress.com |
| I graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1968, and went to sea on freighters, tankers, container ships and passenger ships for the next 18 years. I worked my way up from third mate to Master Mariner and came ashore in 1986 to serve as a ferryboat Captain with the Maine State Ferry Service, for whom I have worked ever since. As a young graduate, I wanted to do things and see the world—not just read about it. However, for those that don’t have the time to spend years at sea, but are interested in knowing what it is like to serve as a watch officer on a vessel, I recommend Michael R. Adams’s book, Shipboard Bridge Resource Management. At 8:00 AM, with cup of coffee in hand, I started reading this book. I had soon finished it, cover to cover. There, in black and white, were all the procedures, strategies, methods and philosophy that I have been practicing over the years to get a vessel from point A to point B without getting into trouble. All that I have learned over the years from trial and error and other people’s mistakes is in this book. Adams presents case studies of several vessel mishaps, such as collisions and groundings—the detailed causes of which were very interesting to read. Most of the incidents were familiar to me. I had served as second mate on the Capricorn two years before the collision the vessel suffered, which Adams details in his book. Captain Adam’s writing is far from dry and he has done a great job of explaining things the way they are for a professional seaman or layman. Each of the ten chapters covers a subject that seems related to similar incidents in my own career. The chapter on “Stress, Complacency, and Distraction,” as well as the chapter on “Fatigue,” reminded me of some close calls. The chapter on teamwork is the key to a successful voyage. One of my instructors at Maine Maritime Academy told me, “A collision at sea can ruin your whole day.” I go out of my way to have a good day and so should the prudent mariner. Captain Almer Dinsmore Maine State Ferry Service Copyright © 2007 by One Wing Publishing All rights reserved. Republished by permission. |
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