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| Sunday, 5 June 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Sailing into the sunset : Living a childhood dream
Sailing the seas is every kids dream... To cross the ocean, see the world, may be fight a pirate or two... But often, as is the case with fantasies, kids soon outgrow their dream and take up something solid and stolid on terra-firma, as their careers. But not Keith Jayasuriya (36) who not only dreamed of sailing the seas but turned the dream into reality and went on to become a captain at a very young age, and topped up by becoming a master marine. This means there are no restrictions as to the type of vessels he can captain. Dilini Algama talks to Captain Jayasuriya about life on board a ship, among other things. What does being a captain involve? It means that you are fully in charge of the vessel. There are three departments on a ship - deck, engine and catering. A captain makes decisions and is responsible for everything. That is on a ship, what does it involve in your life in general? It also involves working in a confined, constricted area. You have to be away from your family for long periods of time. There are certain sacrifices you have to make. It also involves a lot of travelling and I'm an adventurous person. I also like the challenge. What were the examinations you had to take to become a captain? Soon after leaving S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, I joined as a cadet with the minimum basic requirements. I completed some sea time (time spent working on board, counted in days) and did my Class Three examination, that's the equivalent to 2nd Mates, in Australia. Then you qualify to be a 2nd Mate. Next came the Chief Mate's examination. Again I completed some sea time. I did it in UK and it included the Master's Written, theoretical and orals. For the orals they put you into a scenario to check how you'd handle it. There are certain examinations in which you can't fail, for example - Rule of the Road and Buoyage. Then again there was some sea time and finally came the Master's Orals. With the Master's Certificate you can sail on any ship. I'm glad to say there are many Sri Lankan Masters who have obtained their licence and are sailing worldwide on many different ships. Did you always want to sail? My ultimate ambition was to become a captain. This is a dream come true. And sailing on a very new ship, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, was really the icing on the cake. It was exciting. How did you start off as a captain? My father was the one who really guided me throughout the career. I sailed on various ships. Mostly I was employed by Mercantile Shipping, but now I work for a German shipowner. The manning is done by Mercantile Marine Management. I'm the only Sri Lankan in the company at the moment. You have to spend months at sea. What are the dangers? Usually the contract period is six months, but the last voyage was from the Far East to the East Coast of USA via Panama Canal and the total voyage was fifty-six days. K-Line was the charterer and we sailed from Hong Kong to New York and back to Hong Kong, that's called a round voyage. We are at risk all the time. They are mostly weather problems, for example, the North Pacific during the winter season and at summer time there's the danger of tropical revolving storms. But we get help from weather routine. They give the recommended passage across the Pacific and as we progress they keep us updated. It's not as difficult as it was earlier. Technology has improved, ships run faster. Earlier a ship could do about 10 knots, but now it would do about 25 knots (1 knot is equal to 1.853 km per nautical mile). Ships have become bigger, but instead of getting more complicated, they are more easier to handle with all the modern equipment on board. For a ship of 262 m in length, we now get only about twenty people on board. Would you advise the young crowd to choose your profession? Of course. I'd always advise them because there is a lot of potential. There are more schools for Maritime Studies. I think as adults we must always help them and encourage them not to look back till they achieve the chief position. If it's the deck side that's a Master and if it's the engineering side that's a Chief Engineer. A lot of people have done that. There is a myth that says that sailing is very difficult. With modern technology and modern equipment it's not that difficult. What do you think are the qualities a captain should have? These days crews are multinational, you are sailing with so many different nationalities. So you have to be very fair and just. You also have to be ready to make certain sacrifices, such as leaving your family behind to work in a confined environment. Is there a particular voyage you remember especially? Yes. We were sailing from Port Kelang, Malaysia to Jebel Ali, UAE and one day at about 11.30 a.m. the steward come and told me that the oiler had to be on duty at 12 noon, but hadn't woken up yet. When we investigated we found that he was dead. But the Canadian Navy was patrolling nearby and just to be certain I requested for a doctor. So, during a rendezvous, (the point where a ship and helicopter meet while moving), a doctor was lowered by cable. He pronounced cardiac arrest as the cause of death. But there was a lot of superstition with having had a death on board. I firmly believe in God and knew that we could sort things out one by one. Then we sailed to Jebel Ali, on whose jurisdiction we were under. We were in their custody till it was confirmed that it was death by natural causes. Usually it's a long procedure, but P and I Insurance helped and then we sailed to the next port, short of one oiler. What's your typical day at sea life? I get up early in the morning, go to the bridge (the part of a ship where the captain and other officers stand when they are controlling and steering the ship) and firstly I check the messages and then I discuss with the Chief Mate about the work to be carried out during the day. After that I have breakfast with the other officers and I have a brief chat with them. Then I meet with the third officer. After that I do my paper work. Often I go around the ship to see how things are progressing. After noon I have lunch. With the present charter. I have to send some messages during noontime to the owner, Charterers and agents. When I finish that I might take a rest, do whatever I want, go around the ship for exercise. Later on I have dinner, maybe watch a movie. I'm a Christian and before I go to bed I read the bible and pray. I go to bed at about 12.30 a.m. or 1.00 a.m. These things will change if we are in restricted waters, in port or if we are manoeuvring. Do you know of any lady captains? There are lady captains. There was a lady who took the exam with me in UK. What do you find exciting about a ship as a machine? I never got bored with it. Everyday I learn something new. Everything is huge - the machinery, the power, the size of the ship. It fascinates me, totally. |
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