Welcome to Marine Musings 

Flashback In the previous Blog (36), I had narrated a severe explosion that we had, originating in the Fore Peak Store, followed by...

Marine Musings 8 – On Board the "Chennai Sadhanai" as 2nd Engineer Chapter 1 – I join the Chennai Sadhanai in Kashima. Tenure from 24th...

Marine Musings 7 – Chennai Muyarchi From 7th June 1974 to 18th Oct 1974 CHENNAI MUYARCHI - IMO 7235848 Vessel type: Bulk Carrier Gross...

Sometimes, you have no choice but to sail with greedy people. Sometimes, you have no choice but to sail with people with inflated egos,...

Certified Third Engineer's Epaulettes - These are to be worn with Uniform Shirts Having Flaps on the Shoulder. Note the Violet (or is it...

"You can take me out of the Ship and Sea, but you won't be able to take the Ship and Sea out of me" Sorry - the above may sound crass,...

My last chapter of "Marine Musings 4" My Farewell to the Chennai Perumai (although I did a 21 day stint later, when she was coasting...

MARINE MUSINGS 4 Except for the human element part, I suspect that the contents of this Blog will put my non-seafaring readers 'at sea'....

Chapter 15 – Departure Routines on Board – What we do on Board when we sail out of a port. Routine voyages followed after our departure...

Capt PM Abraham bought his own sextant in 1959 in Hamburg and carried it with him on every ship that he sailed on. Cost - around Rs. 700....

Since I have written a few lines on sound powered telephones and voice pipes in this narrative, both of which are anachronisms today, I...

This narrative is more technical and engineering-oriented than normal. Non seafarers may not relish it, but I have tried to keep it as...

I have always found happiness in the humour in the late PG Wodehouse' books. The love affair with his books started when I was around 14...

Fourth Engineer's Epaulettes of Rank. Note the blue stripes above and below the gold stripe, signifying an Engineer. A 5th Engineer's...

Chennai Perumai Storms at Sea: Perhaps the innate vulnerability of Mankind is best exposed when facing the fury of Mother Nature. It...

Chapter 7 – The Pacific and West Coast of USA Our next trip was to the West Coast of the USA, to Portland, Oregon, to load grain, under...

Flashback: My first concrete memory was about Avadi, a place near Madras (Today's Chennai). I distinctly remember the 1954 Congress...

The perceptive reader may have noticed that my narratives start with 'Marine Musings 3', from the time I was 16+ years of age. 'Marine...

This particular narrative will, in all probability, be 'old hat' to the experienced seafarer. It is written with the object of showing...

21+ Sorry, the narcissist in me prevailed, hence my 21 year old CDC photograph. It is in total contradiction to my normal persona, which...