Farewell Note

My other two cents is that unions have a long history of being both good and bad. I agree that union help does guarantee competence. Nor does using a corporate compensation plan guarantee fairness.

In any employer-employee relationship, both parties have to feel that they are gaining something or you do have high turnover and worse.

DN's practises after Katrina hurt some staff quite a bit. MAL is new management and while some people are clearly going to lose out because new management frequently shuffles things, we still do not know that everything will be dire.

The problem we have is the unknown entity in MAL. But there are many old familiar names and faces in the company and it is equally possible that new and improved will be new and improved.

Sure, I thought the trumpeter swan a bit lame. Sure, I want a safe boat first and foremost. But I also want a happy boat- a boat of souls who are glad to be where they are and when they are.

I just hope this time around things work out fine.

Hello, I would like to follow John and Dennis and thank each and every passenger that I had the pleasure of serving during my 17 years onboard. The Delta Queen was my Home away from Home, and each and every passenger that I had the pleasure of meeting, was very much apart of that Home. I started in the Galley in 1989, I washed dishes, I made salads I served bussed tables, carried luggage, and then maintained the safe passage of the Vessel, Passengers, Crew and Contents until I turned over keys at 1505hrs, December 10, 2006. I will miss all the personalities that I have come to know. I will miss Cruisin Onboard the Delta Queen with you all. Phyllis I will miss you. And believe me that list doesn’t end there.

Well, I sort of knew about the pilots and the engineers, but now we're hearing distressing news from First Mate Johnny Speed too. Do you know what they plan to do for mates, Johnny? And do you know where you will be going now? You have been there on the DQ for so many years. You probably don't know who I am -- just another repeat passenger -- but I sure as heck know who you are, and have watched for many years as you capably carried out your duties. Thank you for your service to the boat and all the people on her. You, along with Dennis, John and others, will be greatly missed.

Alan Bates;2760 wrote: Although I am notorious as a critic of the Coast Guard, I think concerns about safety are not valid. The USCG does insist that competent personnel run the boat and that all of the safety equipment and appliances are properly maintained and used. They are very good at that phase of their work. The boat will not leave the dock without a thorough inspection of personnel and equipment.

Mr. Bates, the US Coast Guard can only license the applicants for the jobs aboard the vessels. They have no knowledge as to the extent of the persons experience. When one gets a license through a credited course, that person usually has no hands on experience. I know this from serving on a lot of vessels and by running my own school for many years. The requirements to obtain a license is pretty minimum, by doing it through an academy the services time aboard vessels is almost nil. There is no doubt that you will disagree, that's ok. The people that are not returning to the vessels know what I am talking about and you, if you ride trips in the future will come to understand also.
Jim Davis

Jim Davis, I disagree with virtually everything the Coast Guard has done about licensing in the last ten years, and much of what they did before thet. When I got my license I had to have two years on deck to sit for the examination. I was obliged to serve five years to get a grade higher. I disapprove of pilots who have never looked out the window, who steer by electronic machines in the sky, a flashlight and a chart. If an engineer hasn't calluses on his hands and no burn scars, he is not worth a fig. If the USCG is approving licenses without demanding proof of experience, I disapprove of that.
As a retired mariner I have not kept current with the new rules.
In addition, I think a firm that lays off all of their experiewnced officers en masse is asking for trouble of the first order, yet I don't think the clientele will be in grave danger.
I did not intend to offend you in any way.
Alan Bates

Allen, you have not offened me. Takes much more than that my friend. I guess if we had met on the Queens you would know better. I'm way to laid back to let much in the life bother me. I've been laying up 4 1/2 months with a broken leg and even with the pain, I have enjoyed it. The only reason that I replied to your statement is that I have no faith in the USCG making sure that compitant people will be running the vessels. They feel that if they have a license that's enough. Take care and keep an eye open.
Jim Davis

You are right, Jim. Competence requires more than training and even experience. Knowing the particular quirks and settings for engines is gained on a particular boat. Replacing a man or two does not have the same shock as starting over. The new man, regardless of his skill, will be obliged to trace out lines all over the engineroom and beyond, for there will be no one to tell him where they are and where they go. He will not know by sight the valve that frequently sticks nor the precise firing rates needed for each speed change. He will not know that a particular lubricator must be filled more often than another. That is gained only on the particular boat and with its special machinery. My heart goes out to both you and your successor.