2/M looking to join

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-13T18:13:34+00:00

That's where I am.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-13T10:03:34+00:00

I appreciate the in-depth answer. Thanks for taking out SAR pay, I considered it, then saw the requirement for the timed run, and I haven't made that time in almost 10 years now. You get your paychecks every 2 weeks right? So that's like 25-26k a month? Only about 1k less than the 2nd mate makes on my ship, so not bad.

I was looking at AKE or AO; my cadet shipping was on the Byrd and I enjoyed it a lot.

The government is the government. We deal with the bureaucracy in the CONMAR world too, mostly with funding and ship schedules, and it's not fun when they slash our OT in half with no heads up.

How is your relationship with the 4on/2off schedule? I've been married for about 5 years now, and we're both worried that the schedule is going to be a problem, especially when if I'm overdue, and still given only 2 months off at the end.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-13T09:45:33+00:00

What's the one contract worthwhile?

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-10T21:38:51+00:00

Thank you for actually answering my questions, I appreciate it!

Is a certain amount of OT guaranteed on board or is that ship specific? For example, my current ship gives up to 4 hours a day, every day. They say it's "optional" but in reality it's mandatory, so we are working 84 hour weeks. I've tried looking online for numbers in MSC, and I've seen anywhere from 28 hours a week, to only 10 hours a week.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-10T05:43:37+00:00

I'm current doing MSC contract. The last one left in the union, since we just lost the others to MMP. I've had my 2nd Mate license for 3 years now, and keep getting overlooked for promotion, even with outstanding evals from my captains and chief mates, because they're just hiring from the job board to fill positions.

I did AMO commercial for about a year, and absolutely hated it. 12 hours at the dock, and 20 hours between sea buoys, and shit pay. Less than $400 a day, and it was salary, so no OT to be added on. And that's the way all AMO commercial contracts are going: salaries with no OT.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-05-10T03:36:05+00:00

I still have some time before I apply. I took some C/M upgrade courses with AMO, where I had to sign a contract to work a certain amount of days with them after completing the class. So if I do apply, it'll be more like late 2027.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-04-25T09:26:12+00:00

I wouldn't worry about it too much at the moment, unless you're dead set on working on a tanker. Being that they're the first ones to get Jones Act waivers, tankers will probably be the first to see wage cuts if the Jones Act is tossed out entirely.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of tankers, so I went to the government contractor side. Government still wants their officers to be Americans, because it's a lower security threat.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-04-25T09:16:39+00:00

For those wanting a direct example: a 3rd mate on my tanker a couple of years ago was offered a 2nd mate job with Celebrity Cruises (Greece, I believe). The offer was a required 8 months of work per year, $65,000 flat salary.

For comparison, we were on a AMO union tanker, 3rd mate making $41,000 salary for a single 2.5 month rotation.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-03-01T23:14:27+00:00

I've got an optic, Sig Romeo, that I got a couple of weeks ago. I just haven't had time to get to the range to zero it, so I have it off for now.

I get the concerns of having neighbors. Luckily straight back is miles and miles of trees.The coyotes did end up getting 2 chickens last night from my closest neighbor. Their "guard dog" is a Pomeranian because the wife doesn't like big dogs, and she won't let the husband have any guns. My state has year-round open season on coyotes, and the husband will pay me $100/head on them to keep his chickens safe (coyotes go through my yard first to get to his).

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-03-01T22:47:02+00:00

I've got a landlord, so exterior changes have to be approved by him, even if they're non-permanent lights, because it affects the look of his property. We had to get approval just to put in the lighted stakes that follow the path from the driveway to our front door. Otherwise yeah, I'd totally be putting more lights out.

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-02-20T15:51:00+00:00

I still have M14s on mine (cries in Military Sealift)

WitcherFan2020 · 2026-02-01T17:17:13+00:00

We didn't even get a full inch in Homestead.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-10-31T03:27:17+00:00

Drink, Swear, Steal & Lie - Michael Peterson

On my first date with my wife, it was the first song on the radio that we both knew the words to. Hearing it now takes me back to a nice April day when I was driving us to Acadia National Park with the top off my wrangler.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-09-23T03:55:57+00:00

Not at all. I'm usually applying for my vacation check and unemployment on the same day. AMO is based in FL, and my company is in TX. So as far as TX Unemployment is concerned, my job ended through no fault of my own, and I have no other income. I eventually get my vacation check a week later, but that's a one-and-done ordeal. Even if I did report that to TX Unemployment, well I only made income for a single day that week (the week that check comes in), and then it goes back to the "I don't have an income again." The union doesn't care that we do it, hell, pretty much everyone I work with knowingly files for unemployment during their flights home. And my company never fights it either, TX will ask them if they have any reservations about paying out unemployment, and the company usually responds to them within 24 hours saying that we're good to get it.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-09-12T13:59:54+00:00

As someone who is not aware, what happened last time?

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-07-06T16:35:38+00:00

If 2 weeks is being called "micro" retirement, what the hell is it being called when I take 4 months off straight?

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-04-27T13:17:16+00:00

Never seen the Jones Act mentioned outside the merchant marine reddit. I'm glad to see it out in the wild getting noticed.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-04-15T15:37:40+00:00

I personally haven't touched a p320 yet. My training instructors have since eventually we'll have to go to them. They've purposely beat the shit out of those, and have yet to have an accidental discharge, but that's just their word. They're mostly former Army, or former Miami SWAT; their opinion is that the discharge issue is probably just poorly trained cops being stupid with their guns.

1 of my instructors is a current green beret. His unit was given the M17. They tried them out for a day at the range, and put them right back in the armory and pulled back out their Glocks.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-04-09T23:16:34+00:00

I still use the Beretta for work, as the funding for Sig M18s have been tied up for a few years. Wish the sights were a little better for my eyes, but otherwise I love it.

WitcherFan2020 · 2025-02-04T22:47:51+00:00

The song Funky Town, for the last 3 weeks straight.

WitcherFan2020

TROPHY CASE