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“Well, Captain, I must say, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten such a good meal.”
“Gabi, I’ve told you already that when we’re not on the ship you can call me Pablo,” he said for the seventeenth time.
“Okay, okay, Pablo, then.”
They had gone to El Faro, a very famous restaurant in Cadiz located right in the La Viña neighborhood. It was frequented by high-profile customers such as the members of the National Basketball Team.
They took advantage of this dinner time to get to know each other better since the last few days had not given either one a chance to relax. They didn’t talk about Albatros. They both knew they needed to forget about work for a while.
Still, as sailors and as passionate as they were about their work, most of their conversation had revolved around past experiences at sea. Of course, they had also touched on some personal and family topics, but what really interested one about the other was their seafaring adventures. Pablo listened intently to Gabi’s stories of his missions in the Indian Ocean and Gabi discovered through Pablo a facet of the Merchant Navy he didn’t know.
After three hours and a hearty dinner, the two seamen were as tight as if they’d known each other their whole lives. In the past, Pablo had become that close to some of his subordinates, and that type of familiarity had resulted in some uncomfortable situations in the course of his work. But he knew that Gabi was different. Their dealings with each other when they were in front of the rest of the crew would continue to be professional. But while they were in private this newly acquired comfortableness would allow Gabi to advise Pablo more freely.
That is the ideal situation. A good boss would never want his subordinates to tell him what he wants to hear. A good boss wants people who will advise him in spite of the consequences. It takes someone who sees what the boss cannot. As long as, once the captain makes the final decision the subordinate supports it unconditionally.
After they had finished their desserts, Pablo decided to take advantage of the relaxed setting to ask Gabi a question that he had wanted to know the answer to for a long time.
“Well, what do you think of all this? As a colleague, not as the XO of Albatros.”
Gabi smiled and took a sip of his drink giving himself time to think. When he answered he did so sincerely and carefully evaluating the facts.
He began by saying they were indeed lucky since they had an almost unlimited budget, an ideal ship for the mission, and a boss who seemed to have things clear in mind and be very competent.
Then Pablo asked him to evaluate the crew and Gabi began by proposing a toast to its magnificent commanding officer and executive officer. After the two laughed a bit Gabi became serious again and started talking about the officers.
First, he expressed his gratitude for the relative ease with which they worked and said he would not miss the endless paperwork at the Navy.
“If we worked the same as in the Navy, there’s no way I could be the executive officer and at the same time be the operations officer. But here, I know I won’t be pestered with personnel issues, and since we’re a private enterprise we won’t have to constantly submit reports which, after all, is what the operations officer mainly does.
He congratulated Pablo for his choice of Grease as chief engineer because he had an intuitive understanding of engines and the vast number of auxiliary equipment on a ship. In addition, the people he had brought along also seemed totally competent and Manuel, from Damage Control, had fit in with them perfectly forming the tight engineering department that characterizes good crews.
Gabi pointed out that all his evaluations had been based on his brief but intense dealings with the crew in the previous days and that the voyage to the Indian Ocean would be the ideal time to get to know them better.
After Gabi had finished speaking, Pablo took advantage of what he had said about reaching the Indian Ocean to bring up his idea to develop a plan of intensive training while they headed towards the zone of operations. That was his next priority once the crew was complete and the ship was equipped. Pablo knew that Gabi’s ideas regarding training would be fundamental in bringing the crew up to the level of preparedness they needed.
The executive officer of Albatros couldn’t agree more with his captain and admitted to having already thought about the matter. They needed to train a relatively large group of people to do a very specific job and that some had not done before. And, more importantly, they needed that group of people who, for the most part, didn’t know each other to forge a team. That’s the only way to get a crew to become efficient and turn a ship into a war machine.
Going back to the subject of personnel, they both agreed that their most important shortcoming was the lack of an officer to take charge of the navigation section and that could also stand watch on the bridge. Also, an additional bridge officer would be advisable.
As for Reyes’ recruits, Pablo and Gabi had only shared a few minutes with them, but they all had given them a good impression. Ana, the accountant quickly had asked to be brought up to date on the ship’s situation and aided by Carlos the cook and Agustin the secretary, she seemed to have gotten a handle on things and had even already made a couple of recommendations.
As for Esther, the doctor, the first thing she had done was ask if she would have an assistant. When she found out they hadn’t thought of it, she proposed that one of the new recruits still left to complete the crew would at least have some type of nursing knowledge. This way, even though he would be assigned to work in another department, he could still help when necessary. Gabi’s first reaction, as head of personnel, was to point out the difficulty of finding someone with those characteristics in such a short time, but Esther had offered to find someone herself.
She had also handed Pablo a list of the instruments and medications that she thought would be advisable to carry on board and drafted out several plans of action in case of emergency, from man overboard to possible evacuation. Pablo had looked at Gabi to see if this was a joke, only to find him completely speechless. Once he recovered, he had admitted his ignorance of the subject and the only restriction he had stipulated was that of space. Then, he had asked Esther if she had experience at sea and she had replied that, after she had been recruited, she had contacted several colleagues who had worked in the maritime field and together with their experience and some research on her part she had come up with the plans. She acknowledged she still had to adapt the plans to the ship’s characteristics.
Recalling the meeting, Gabi hesitated whether to reveal the thought that was running around in his head so he just stared at his boss. Pablo was able to read the silence and encouraged him to continue. That was the kind of trust he wanted.
Gabi took a deep breath and blurted out, “Idon’tknowifthefactthatthey’rerelativelyyoungandattractivewillbeaproblem.”
Pablo let out a loud guffaw. After a few seconds, Gabi joined him and when they both had recovered, Pablo explained why he was laughing.
“You’re like my brothers. It’s obvious you’re married with children. You’ve been off the market for too long,” he teased. Those two ooze rejection of any man who approaches them with the most minimal romantic intentions. They might as well have a sign on their foreheads that says NO,” he joked. “Besides, they’re too smart to be duped by someone from the crew. As far as officers, I think I’m the only one that qualifies to try something, based on my age and marital status, but I promise I’ll behave.”
Gabi admitted he was right, but didn’t comment on the last of his arguments.
Pablo agreed that their new employees were attractive, but neither one of them was his type. And the last thing he wanted was a relationship. He had enough. Both were probably somewhat older than him, but they had the bodies of a twenty-something.
Ana was tall and slender, with strong but not aggressive features. Light brown hair to match her eyes, wide but nice hips, and few curves. She seemed to be somewhat arrogant, but nice at the same time.
Esther was quite different, a little shorter and with rounder features, including an ample bosom which had already attracted more than one glance. She had dark hair and eyes and a playful smile.
Even with those features, Pablo was certain that neither one of them would give them any trouble after the talk he had given them when boarding. He had made the situation clear and had also informed them that they would be responsible for the female-specific issues on board and therefore would be his immediate advisors in this regard.
Both had reacted positively and he was happy with the outcome of the meeting because he had put himself a level above the rest of the crew, as his position demanded, even though his age didn’t show it.
Anxious to avoid raunchy subjects, Gabi went on to speak of the two officers left to comment on, Paco and Joseba. They were the ones he had dealt with the least, but both agreed they had made a good impression on them. It was clear that they could not have found someone with such adequate experience and in both cases, they seemed to be people with guts. The best they had going for them both was that they provided virtually all of their own teams and materials. And the fact that their teams were made up of volunteers used to working together not only reduced the work of the seafarers, but also ensured the smooth functioning of their respective groups.
Gabi expressed doubt, though admittedly unfounded, that Joseba might struggle to adjust to the discipline on board. While Pablo hoped Paco could adapt to a perhaps less aggressive type of mission than those to which he was accustomed. Still, both knew they had to consider themselves lucky for having a former SWAT member and pilot.
Once he reviewed the officers, Gabi went on to comment on the NCOs, although not individually. They both knew the importance of these, especially with so few officers, as each NCO was head of a division. Altogether he was very happy to know they were all volunteers, positive and proactive. In addition, all of them, whether former servicemen or not, seemed to already have developed the sense of discipline that they were already instilling in the sailors. Everyone seemed to know their job well and the cook was a virtuoso of the stove. A well-fed crew is a happy crew.
As for the seamen, all Gabi had to say was that if they followed the guidelines of their leaders they would have no problems. Again, the fact that they were all volunteers, knew the mission of the ship and, why not say it, were well paid, made for good performance. Gabi was especially satisfied with the meticulous screening they had carried out, even going as far as to contact former employers to make sure the candidates were hardworking and willing.
Pablo thanked Gabi for his sincerity and apologized for the shoptalk, after which he took some papers from his pocket and showed them to him. The papers contained designs of uniforms and badges for the crew. They had decided that a uniform would help keep the environment they wanted to have on board and Pablo had personally taken on the task of selecting them.
The main piece was a blue, fireproof jumpsuit with Velcro fastenings instead of buttons or a zipper and also a Velcro belt. The main objective was comfort and practicality. Under the jumpsuit, they would wear a blue T-shirt. The shoes were mid-calf boots with a reinforced toe. Pablo had made sure that they were the best on the market: safe, light and most of all comfortable. He had not yet established mandatory headgear, although there would be ball caps and beanies available for the whole crew to wear, also work and wool gloves and a neck gaiter, everything top of the line. There were also parkas, overcoats, rain gear, rubber boots and other items commonly worn on a boat. They even supplied polarized sunglasses in different sizes to avoid the use of personal accessories. The idea was to provide everything that the crew needed for their uniforms so they wouldn’t need to wear their own clothing.
In anticipation of the temperatures they expected to find, he had also ordered blue pants to wear with just the T-shirt. In this case, the T-shirt must be the regulation shirt and be worn tucked into the pants to avoid the risk of snags and the unpleasant experience of seeing someone’s butt crack.
All items of clothing were engraved with Albatros either on the back or on the leg. The intention was to promote a sense of group or entity and Pablo had already planned a contest to find a badge for the ship later on.
Regarding ranks, Pablo had decided to base theirs on a similar hierarchical system used by the Navy but changing the insignia. The officers would have yellow horizontal bars; three for himself, two for Gabi and one for the others, (Grease, Paco, Joseba, Ana, and Esther). The NCOs would have one or two orange vertical bars according to the seniority issued to them (figuring that out had brought on more than a headache at first). The petty officers would wear a red circle and seamen the upper semicircle. This would allow them to keep a system of equivalences that they were used to but with enough differences to separate them from the Navy. The insignia would be worn on the chest of the jumpsuit and engraved on the T-shirts.
Pablo was tempted to have a dress uniform but he knew it would be useless so he discarded the idea.
“Very American,” opined Gabi. “I like it. It’s very practical.”
With that, they set aside work and ordered their first drink. That evening would have ended much later had the two seamen not been fully aware of the work ahead and the need to be at a hundred percent for the next days.
Chapter Five
Pablo reviewed the events of recent days as he headed to the quarterdeck. They were sailing the Mediterranean transiting towards the Suez Canal. They had finished fine tuning the ship in record time and had set a course for the Indian Ocean five days earlier.
The crew was complete. They were a total of eighty-two men and women. This included the helicopter maintenance team and the boarding team. Pablo only regretted not having been able to find a navigation officer. They just couldn’t find anyone suitable for the position. This had left Gabi and him to keep watch on the bridge, so they had hired a young sailor named Miguel. He had very little experience but he had a good career and had excellent references.
This way, they had someone to navigate the ship even though he needed supervision but now they could have three watches. They had not been able to qualify Grease as deck officer. Normally as captain, Pablo wouldn’t keep watch. But he knew dividing the load between Miguel and Gabi would wear upon both the men, especially Gabi, and Pablo wanted them both at a hundred percent. At his age it wouldn’t be a big deal to keep watch and besides, it would give him an opportunity to get used to the ship. He wanted to arrive in Somalia as familiar with Albatros as if he had skippered her for years, and the best way to do that was by spending hours on the bridge.
As for Albatros, she was completely equipped and ready to be in the area of operations for the time required (refueling and stocking up, of course). The helicopter was on board, as well as all the armament, medications, and all the other necessary items.
The day before leaving, Reyes had given the crew some final instructions. In case they captured pirates, they would be handed over to Somali authorities as soon as possible. The crew had to keep in mind at all times that they were sailing under the Somali flag and all papers on board backed that up. However, they would receive all their orders from Reyes.
The only thing the Somali government asked was that they help anyone who was in distress within its area of influence, which was certainly not a conflict of interests for Albatros and her crew. Reyes had met with Pablo and Gabi, and had discussed the strategy they would follow. The three had agreed that they had too little information to develop a detailed plan, so they had agreed to initially only escort Alps Tankers’ oilers. During the dead time in between Pablo would have freedom of action. He had requested to begin their stay in the area of operations with a port visit in the Seychelles. That would allow the crew a few days rest after the intense journey that was planned. The Seychelles are more civilized than Somalia and the crew would be able to rest and enjoy themselves in a friendlier and safer environment, something the ports in Western Africa couldn’t offer. It would be an authentic tropical paradise. Pablo knew that the opportunity to spend their first well-earned paycheck after intense navigation would encourage and motivate the crew.
As for operations, Reyes had stressed to them that their employer had already lost three ships at the hands of pirates and that the idea was to nip the problem in the bud, but with the information they had up to now there wasn’t much they could do. So it was essential to collect as much data as possible.
Regarding international military forces in the area, Reyes had used his contacts to secure the approval of NATO and the European Union, although not their cooperation. Their operatives had been advised of their presence there but they were not about to share information with them. Reyes had urged them to call the commodore of European forces to at least maintain contact and report any sightings, attacks and other important events. The military there would value the advantages of having another ally in the area, even if their political superiors didn’t see it the same way.
Pablo stopped at the end of the flight deck watching the scene unfolding below in the quarterdeck. Following the training plan prepared with the aid of the executive officer they were conducting a man overboard exercise with the deck watch personnel. The exercise was simple; it began by throwing a lifesaver in the water with an orange distress flare. Once the supposed crew member was in the water the alarm was activated at the bridge, and from there action was taken.
It was Gabi’s watch, so Pablo had decided to leave the bridge to his executive officer and had gone to the quarterdeck to watch the RHIB being lowered onto the water with the rescue swimmer and the ship’s nurse (which Esther had finally found). The exercise was pre-programmed. As he went down the ladder to the quarterdeck Pablo observed how the first steps were carried out quickly and smoothly.
Pablo saw the operator of the RHIB and the rescue swimmer, who acted as bowman, get in the boat before it was lowered onto the water beside the ship. They had two rescue swimmers, always keeping one on standby.
Pablo was thinking about the watch distribution of the crew when he noticed that Ivan, the rescue swimmer, unfortunately bumped his head with a protrusion on the boat.
He watched, as if in slow motion, how Ivan collapsed and fell into the sea off the side of the boat furthest away from the ship.
His brain went into emergency mode.
Gabi was on the bridge. He would know how to react.
“Man overboard! Throw a lifesaver and anything that floats in the water!” he heard his own voice as if it was someone else’s.
It was broad daylight, the sea was calm and there was hardly any wind, but it was possible the swimmer was unconscious.
“Alert the bridge!” He, again, heard his voice.
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