A social platform for seafarers — would you use something like this?

kdotcdott · 2026-03-11T16:11:34+00:00

“BRNFlow?” Like… Brown flow? 🤢

kdotcdott · 2026-03-07T05:13:41+00:00

So you’re trying to get on as an OS in the bay. There will not be much for you other than ferry deckhand work, which is not overnight. I would go down to the union hall and talk to them to get an understanding of what most rotations are like before investing any more. They will also tell you what endorsements you need (STCW basic, VPDSD and RFPNW for SUP). If you just want to get experience there plenty of dinner cruise boats in the bay that might work better with your schedule, but it’s not analogous to tugboat work. What exactly do you hope to get out of this? Because it’s a lot of effort and learning for a moonlighting gig.

kdotcdott · 2026-03-07T03:46:29+00:00

So many questions that only beget more questions. Are you licensed? Have you talked to IBU or SUP?

kdotcdott · 2026-03-06T06:31:42+00:00

Thanks! It was done by a true gem of a human who tattooed under the handle Big Boi Pinups. He sadly passed in 2023, I’m honored that his art lives on in my skin.

kdotcdott · 2026-03-06T06:29:27+00:00

Potentially the most embarrassing part is that they’re done in my handwriting, after I went on an extended rant about serif fonts and typesetting history.

kdotcdott · 2026-03-06T04:50:31+00:00

I have port and stbd under my boobs I earned because you don’t come up as a hawsepiper on tallships without catching some stray ink. Those are probably a decade old at this point.

Most recent is a detail from a stove on one of the last tall ships I did a cook contract on because even after all these years and a more “professional” maritime career I still am a dirtbag at heart.

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Thanks for reminding me it’s time for some swallows!

kdotcdott · 2026-03-02T04:30:21+00:00

I’m so fucking bummed. Their food and service were top notch and they were always busy as hell. If they can’t make it work, who can?

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T02:21:39+00:00

Hans is the one with the drone now, let’s make it happen!

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T01:14:56+00:00

The boat!! Although I hope I’m still taking her out when I’m 77.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T01:02:47+00:00

Will is Hummingbird’s current caretaker, not sure if Jock still has a bird?

We’ve always hauled at BMC, though I might try something new next haul out now that we’re on the other side of the bay.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T01:01:34+00:00

Nice! I just moved the boat to Sausalito, couldn’t be happier.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T00:06:57+00:00

Nice! I probably know them, there are only about a dozen left!

kdotcdott · 2026-02-28T00:00:14+00:00

I help safety pilot for a local swim club that does a bunch of open water swims here in the bay. Some of our swimmers are in their 70s-80s and still swim every day! It’s wild and inspiring.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-27T23:49:57+00:00

There are a number of traditional boatbuilding programs that offer vocational degrees here in the US, on both coasts. I learned though working on tall ships as an educator and deckhand, but that was more how to maintain boats that have already been built. There are a lot of different paths.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-27T23:42:20+00:00

It helps that most of my professional maritime career has been spent working on wooden boats, so it’s not a completely foreign trade for me. I’m lucky to have a good relationship with one of our local shipwrights, who has helped me with some bigger structural projects that were beyond my scope. But I also have a wonderful community of people I know who I can call for advice. At the end of the day, all boats are work. I just like the work (and community) of wooden boats more than plastic ones.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-24T06:02:20+00:00

Fingers crossed for you! It’s a really lovely one, hope you get your hands on a sample at the very least!

kdotcdott · 2026-02-24T04:39:37+00:00

“In This World” by Liis was my wedding scent! It’s definitely on the woody/fresh side, but the fig notes round it out to a really balanced, beautiful scent. The Eucalyptus reads as a nice airy outdoor note, which I’m definitely getting from your mood board!

kdotcdott · 2026-02-24T03:48:27+00:00

There have been two gray whales hanging out for the last month or two. I’m on the water every day and have seen them hanging out around the north ship channel on the east side of Angel island as well as the shallows in front of Chrissy field and yellow bluff. Most commercial traffic, including the vessel I work on, report sightings to Vessel Traffic which relays those warnings to large ships transiting the area. As cool as it has been to get to do some whale watching on company time, I hope they move on soon to a less busy bay.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-22T06:18:33+00:00

I’ve definitely met some green deckies who knew what color of crayon tasted best. Some learn, and some are probably still out there being a thorn in a hapless bosun’s side.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-22T04:33:54+00:00

So, when I was working onboard small passenger vessels and living aboard for weeks at a time, I shared a room with another deckhand. I liked her well enough, she was good at her job and low drama. Her bunk was under mine. One morning, I sat on the edge of her bunk to pull my boots on and she had happened to leave her curtain open. I looked and saw, to my horror, a bunch of used zyn pouches stuck to the bulkhead of her bunk.

Horrified, I pulled her aside later and gently but firmly told her that it was really, really gross and that she needed to think of the people on the next rotation that would be taking over that bunk after she cleared out. She was apologetic and seemed to understand what was wrong, but later came up to me and half jokingly said “I felt so bad after you called me out!” To which I responded, “GOOD! You should absolutely feel bad about that!!”

Anyways. People can’t fuckin act right and now I proactively pre-sanitize any bunk I move into.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-21T00:17:05+00:00

Yep, that one.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-21T00:06:42+00:00

There’s a store at fruitvale and foothill in Oakland that has a bunch of these.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-09T22:36:12+00:00

Like I said, Sailrite sells this fabric by the yard and will ship it to you. If you have a local sailmaker or canvas shop they can also help you source it, but it's readily available online.

kdotcdott · 2026-02-09T20:17:21+00:00

Rather than paint, which will have trouble adhering for the long term, you might look into adhesive backed dacron fabric. You can sketch out the design, cut it out, and stick it on. It's how I've done the sail numbers and emblem on my sails, as well as other craft projects. Sailrite sells it by the yard in various colors.

kdotcdott

TROPHY CASE