Most people work long days. We get up early, spend time stuck in traffic during our commute to work and when we come home from work, we have a dozen other things to do. But at the end of the day, there is a dark, quiet room, a comfortable bed and sleep.
What if you worked on a boat that spent weeks, or even months, out at sea? You don’t have much of a commute to work, but when your shift is over and it’s time to go to sleep, you’re not climbing into a roomy, comfortable bed. You’re climbing into a bunk on a moving vessel. The engine is still running in the background, the room may not be dark and there are other crew members running around above deck because now they’re on watch.
You may have a generous amount of time set aside for shut-eye, but is that quality sleep you’re getting?
Does all this sound familiar? Would you be willing to talk to a reporter about your experiences and take a video camera with you the next time you shove off? Get in touch with Ariel Zirulnick, who is reporting on issues of marine safety, at ariel.zirulnick@news21.com.