Losing a loved one while at sea
Losing a loved one while at sea is a nightmare every seafarer endures, every day of his life at sea. Loss is painful for everyone, but for a seafarer, that loss is compounded by the fact that they may not be able to see off their dearly departed. A friend of mine, Captain Baldeep Singh shared his personal experience of grief with me.
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Recalling my toughest & emotional moment at sea when I lost my father- Capt.Baldeep Singh
Being a sailor is not an easy job. The very fact that a mariner is far away from his/her loved ones makes it one of the most difficult professions in the world. Today, I am sharing an incident which was certainly the most difficult time of my life at sea (so far). A lot of mariners would relate to it.
We completed loading in Peru, South America on 31st May 2019 and set sail for a long and beautiful trans-ocean voyage through the Pacific Ocean. The vessel was bound for her discharge port in Qingdao, China. The voyage duration was supposed to be a little over a month. Beautiful weather and calm seas had set the tone of the voyage.
I completed my navigation watch from 0000-0400 and handed over the bridge to the Chief Officer and reached my cabin. In a short while, I had gone to sleep but there was
something that was causing some sort of discomfort within myself. I told myself, that maybe I was starting to get homesick as I had completed 4 months at sea but little did I know that dreadful news was on its way.
09th June 2019, 1030: Woke up to freshen up, have lunch and proceed to bridge for my navigation watch at 1200hrs. While freshening up, I connected my phone to the ship's wifi and received a flurry of messages. My wife's message was "Call, it's urgent". Without any delay, I called and there was the dreadful news.
She picked up the phone. Her voice was trembling, she was crying and she said - "Please be strong but Papa is no more". It took a moment for me to realise what she said and accept it. I kept the phone, immediately went to the Captain of the ship and informed him about this unfortunate incident. He was in shock too.
The fact that the vessel was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the next port of call was more than a month away, I knew that I would not be able to see my father ever again. I will not be able to perform his last rites. Never knew that I had to face such a situation. With some courage, I managed to speak with my mother and my family.
I was devastated. But thanks to my shipmates for giving me emotional support in order to keep me calm and composed.
Such are the hardships that mariners face. Life can be very uncertain.
I am left with the photographs and memories of my father. A feeling of guilt has crept into my heart and mind as I could not be with my family during this unfortunate incident which haunts me time and again even now.
Parents are indeed the most precious people in our lives. Value them, respect them and cherish every moment spent with them because life is very uncertain.
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The original article can be found here.
Losing a loved one while at sea is a nightmare every seafarer endures, every day of his life at sea. Loss is painful for everyone, but for a seafarer, that loss is compounded by the fact that they may not be able to see off their dearly departed. A friend of mine, Captain Baldeep Singh shared his personal experience of grief with me.
+++
Recalling my toughest & emotional moment at sea when I lost my father- Capt.Baldeep Singh
Being a sailor is not an easy job. The very fact that a mariner is far away from his/her loved ones makes it one of the most difficult professions in the world. Today, I am sharing an incident which was certainly the most difficult time of my life at sea (so far). A lot of mariners would relate to it.
We completed loading in Peru, South America on 31st May 2019 and set sail for a long and beautiful trans-ocean voyage through the Pacific Ocean. The vessel was bound for her discharge port in Qingdao, China. The voyage duration was supposed to be a little over a month. Beautiful weather and calm seas had set the tone of the voyage.
I completed my navigation watch from 0000-0400 and handed over the bridge to the Chief Officer and reached my cabin. In a short while, I had gone to sleep but there was
something that was causing some sort of discomfort within myself. I told myself, that maybe I was starting to get homesick as I had completed 4 months at sea but little did I know that dreadful news was on its way.
09th June 2019, 1030: Woke up to freshen up, have lunch and proceed to bridge for my navigation watch at 1200hrs. While freshening up, I connected my phone to the ship's wifi and received a flurry of messages. My wife's message was "Call, it's urgent". Without any delay, I called and there was the dreadful news.
She picked up the phone. Her voice was trembling, she was crying and she said - "Please be strong but Papa is no more". It took a moment for me to realise what she said and accept it. I kept the phone, immediately went to the Captain of the ship and informed him about this unfortunate incident. He was in shock too.
The fact that the vessel was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the next port of call was more than a month away, I knew that I would not be able to see my father ever again. I will not be able to perform his last rites. Never knew that I had to face such a situation. With some courage, I managed to speak with my mother and my family.
I was devastated. But thanks to my shipmates for giving me emotional support in order to keep me calm and composed.
Such are the hardships that mariners face. Life can be very uncertain.
I am left with the photographs and memories of my father. A feeling of guilt has crept into my heart and mind as I could not be with my family during this unfortunate incident which haunts me time and again even now.
Parents are indeed the most precious people in our lives. Value them, respect them and cherish every moment spent with them because life is very uncertain.
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The original article can be found here.
