Offramp wrote:
On Wednesday, 21 February 2018 13:58:50 UTC, michael adams wrote:
"Offramp" wrote in message
...

I was on the Isle of Wight ferry recently and it was obvious to me what a dull job it
was crewing that little boat. It's a ha;f hour journey every half an hour.

But each journey has the potential to be a bit different, even if its only to the
extent of counting the number of seagulls at various times of day, or watching
out for stuff floating on the water, potential collisions etc etc

Such a job will be far less dull than one involving a repetitive task that has to produce
identical results every time. Instead of making 8 journeys back an forth on a ferry
Imagine having to turn out eight ferry propshafts every day on a lathe. Where each
propshaft has to be exactly the same - within the specified tolerances - as the
last one. That's eight propshafts a day, five days a week, with maybe half day
Saturday overtime if you're lucky - so thetas an extra four propshafts making
44 per week. And whets more its not as if the weather, the time of day or the
seasons are going to make any difference to the "work experience"
either.

I believe that the Henry Ford model (one guy one job) has slightly been
overtaken buy a more holistic conveyor belt concept: 5 guys build one
car, each having the ability to build any of that car. That's what
Marland suggested earlier. The crew rotates.

I did not know that. It sort-of blows my brilliantly phrased paragraph out of the Solent.

HOWEVER, has anyone here seen those ferries operated by one old geezer?
Normally over a tiny, thin stretch of some stream or rivulet. And
sometimes the ferry hasn't even got an engine: the guy pulls it across
via the agency of a strong metal wire. THAT must be dull. There is no crew rotation there.

Adge Cutler's Wurzels sang a song about the Pill Ferry, which went from
Pill to Avonmouth. I can find the song online, but no trace at all of
there ever having been an real ferry. The brilliant song describes a
wonderful, storm-toss'd crossing.


If you get the chance, I recommend a ride on one of the reaction ferries in
Basel. The ferries are tethered to a cable spanning the river by a rope
attached to a pulley free to run on the cable. The operator uses the rudder
to angle the boat against the current of the Rhine and the motion of the
water pushes it across the river. You might think that to be a thoroughly
dull job, but as a tourist attraction, the self loading cargo is usually
game for conversation and banter to lighten the mood.

Robin