Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 25, 2013 12:36:24 GMT -8
Love the ships, hate the company ?
I am curious of anyone identifies with this statement, in regards to BC Ferries or Washington State Ferries. Totally or somewhat. I know that hate is a harsh word, and love is also an extreme word. So tone it down, if you wish, to "Enjoy the ships, Annoyed by the company."
For me and BC Ferries, I've been identifying with this phrase more and more lately.
I am keenly interested in the ships that are operated by BC Ferries. For many of us, an early childhood fascination with the "big ferry boats" is what started us on the path of following the ferries with more than just a casual interest. And many of us have been able to live out that fascination to new levels through more extensive travel of the ships and routes as adults. We can spend time enjoying the experience of seeing a ship from shore, and then riding that same ship. We enjoy the experience of being on the water with the other marine traffic and also enjoy the technical things like navigational routes and docking procedures.
I also have a good respect and admiration for those who work on the ships in the professions of navigation and engineering. Full of skill and experience, these professionals both young and old are entrusted with the ships that we admire so much.
But those same professionals also have to deal with unreasonable demands made by management and governors (ie. Government) of the company or agency. Forcing ship personnel to somehow make certain ships work on routes that the ships aren't suited for. Creating a culture where on-time performance can be seen to trump safe operation of the ship. Forcing crews to keep old ships barely operational with Band-Aid repairs. Forcing crews to operate ill-suited vessels such as the possible future cable-ferry to Denman Island. Showing disrespect to the travelling public by public-consultation charades over faulty ship-utilization data or over unproven and foolhardy cable-ferry plans.
And the on-shore managers can show little appreciation or understanding for maritime traditions and company history. Take a company like BC Ferries and consider the lack of maritime experience on the board of directors or at the senior management level. It's easy to see why there is so little regard for maritime traditions and history at BC Ferries; it's a top-down culture shift away from the maritime traditions that most of us love and respect.
The on-shore managers now have a security template that identifies people into only 2 categories: "Customers" and "Terrorists." The company is incapable of understanding that there are some people, who are also their customers, who have a deep appreciation for maritime transportation, culture and history. The company seems to tolerate this interest in children or in handicapped adults, where it can be seen to be helping to make someone's dream wish come true. But there is little room in BC Ferries for other people who have an interest in their ships. Not everyone on the ships is just mindlessly listening to their IPod on board or texting the time away, or reading the Globe & Mail in the SeaWest Lounge. There are some (perhaps many) people who still look at a ferry trip as a fun and fascinating voyage.
So for me, that's why I can say that with regards to BC Ferries, I love the ships and hate the company.
I find that my recent ferry photography efforts are mainly to record and preserve the history of soon-to-be-retired ships. I'm doing my part to record and preserve the history that company management likely shows no interest in.
And maybe that's a common and typical management attitude in transportation companies. I've read that Hunter Harrison (CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway) has a dislike for steam.
from here: link
Maybe my attitude is tainted by my readings of history of Union Steamships, CP Steamships and the CP railway, where the grand history is available to be read in musty old books that now line my home bookshelf. I read the rich history of those other companies and then I wonder why BC Ferries is so non-maritime in its culture and image.
Or maybe what I'm reading in my old history books is stuff written by outsiders or by non-typical employees, and maybe those old companies had an upper-management who were also apathetic about history and traditions.
Maybe it means that it's people like us, and those rare employees that we sometimes meet, who are charged with recording and preserving this generation's ferry history for the coming generations?
-------------------
Please share your own thoughts on this topic, as well as any feedback on what I've shared about my outlook.
I am curious of anyone identifies with this statement, in regards to BC Ferries or Washington State Ferries. Totally or somewhat. I know that hate is a harsh word, and love is also an extreme word. So tone it down, if you wish, to "Enjoy the ships, Annoyed by the company."
For me and BC Ferries, I've been identifying with this phrase more and more lately.
I am keenly interested in the ships that are operated by BC Ferries. For many of us, an early childhood fascination with the "big ferry boats" is what started us on the path of following the ferries with more than just a casual interest. And many of us have been able to live out that fascination to new levels through more extensive travel of the ships and routes as adults. We can spend time enjoying the experience of seeing a ship from shore, and then riding that same ship. We enjoy the experience of being on the water with the other marine traffic and also enjoy the technical things like navigational routes and docking procedures.
I also have a good respect and admiration for those who work on the ships in the professions of navigation and engineering. Full of skill and experience, these professionals both young and old are entrusted with the ships that we admire so much.
But those same professionals also have to deal with unreasonable demands made by management and governors (ie. Government) of the company or agency. Forcing ship personnel to somehow make certain ships work on routes that the ships aren't suited for. Creating a culture where on-time performance can be seen to trump safe operation of the ship. Forcing crews to keep old ships barely operational with Band-Aid repairs. Forcing crews to operate ill-suited vessels such as the possible future cable-ferry to Denman Island. Showing disrespect to the travelling public by public-consultation charades over faulty ship-utilization data or over unproven and foolhardy cable-ferry plans.
And the on-shore managers can show little appreciation or understanding for maritime traditions and company history. Take a company like BC Ferries and consider the lack of maritime experience on the board of directors or at the senior management level. It's easy to see why there is so little regard for maritime traditions and history at BC Ferries; it's a top-down culture shift away from the maritime traditions that most of us love and respect.
The on-shore managers now have a security template that identifies people into only 2 categories: "Customers" and "Terrorists." The company is incapable of understanding that there are some people, who are also their customers, who have a deep appreciation for maritime transportation, culture and history. The company seems to tolerate this interest in children or in handicapped adults, where it can be seen to be helping to make someone's dream wish come true. But there is little room in BC Ferries for other people who have an interest in their ships. Not everyone on the ships is just mindlessly listening to their IPod on board or texting the time away, or reading the Globe & Mail in the SeaWest Lounge. There are some (perhaps many) people who still look at a ferry trip as a fun and fascinating voyage.
So for me, that's why I can say that with regards to BC Ferries, I love the ships and hate the company.
I find that my recent ferry photography efforts are mainly to record and preserve the history of soon-to-be-retired ships. I'm doing my part to record and preserve the history that company management likely shows no interest in.
And maybe that's a common and typical management attitude in transportation companies. I've read that Hunter Harrison (CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway) has a dislike for steam.
"I hate steam engines. They are expensive to run; the liability is too high and they serve no useful purpose"
from here: link
Maybe my attitude is tainted by my readings of history of Union Steamships, CP Steamships and the CP railway, where the grand history is available to be read in musty old books that now line my home bookshelf. I read the rich history of those other companies and then I wonder why BC Ferries is so non-maritime in its culture and image.
Or maybe what I'm reading in my old history books is stuff written by outsiders or by non-typical employees, and maybe those old companies had an upper-management who were also apathetic about history and traditions.
Maybe it means that it's people like us, and those rare employees that we sometimes meet, who are charged with recording and preserving this generation's ferry history for the coming generations?
-------------------
Please share your own thoughts on this topic, as well as any feedback on what I've shared about my outlook.