Time is gold as they say. And for seafarers every tick of the hands of a clock is important. Time management dictates the tempo of all activities on board ship. But like in any other human activities, may it be in sports, work stations etc., R & R takes a front seat after intense activity for the human body to rest and relax for a certain period of time.
For seafarers onboard, Rest and Recreation or R&R rarely happen because of lack of time, location and disposition of the Master or Captain. Frankly, R&R depends on the Master’s attitude towards his men. If the Master is indifferent and offensive to the common sense of camaraderie, R&R is usually put under the rugs.
But this weren’t the case of Master Mariner Jessie Juanico and Chief Officer Alejandro Bersaluna, both Filipino Officers who commands respect from their subordinates. The two officers were born leaders that they came-up with an idea to have R&R during in one of the voyages in Vietnam so they can share ideas, motivate their subordinates and enhance camaraderie among them.
It was during a lull in ship-to-port cargo operation when the R&R activity excitedly shared by the seafarers along the shoreline of Vung Ru, a serene, laidback, rustic and underdeveloped place in Southern Vietnam. The harbor-less LPG depot offers a beach of its kind which the locals frequently spend their time swimming, walking or by just sitting on the color brown sand to view the peaceful ambiance of the place.
The fun-filled and full of memories R&R in Vung Ru started in the morning and lasted till dark. Foods and drinks flowed like the cool breeze that continuously covers the horizon. More so the homesickness was eased by the sounds of the ocean waves that go back and forth on the shore and the swinging trees which also serve as canopy for beach goers.
It was such a good chance for seafarers to experience the place because Vung Ru is one of Vietnam’s LPG depots that serves international vessels, especially LPG Tanker ships that calls port in a regular basis, thereby giving seafarers a unique opportunity to splurge on the beach and spend much needed R&R to overcome mental and work fatigue. Here, raison d’être makes sense though.
