Captain Igor Filichkin Seamen

Captain, director of the fishing vessel, a sailor with 46 years of experience - on fish, marine law, the romance, the harsh conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, and women on board




Leave the land

Sea I have been associated with freedom and man's will. I knew that there is no rails and trails, and only a wide scope and uncharted road. And somewhere mulatto among palm trees should be ... All around was gray and the colors I wanted, I wanted to escape. And then I decided - the farther from our Soviet homeland, the more interesting.

The first time I got off the boat in the Canary Islands 18-year-old cadet, it was the province of Las Palmas. We left the Russian port with barbed wire and endless checks and enter the territory, where fences and chains he has never been. Exactly 300 meters from the landing was a huge green five-storey building: a brothel, an institution for lonely sailors - in general, our hotel for the next three days. When I saw all this giddy. Then there was the Strait of the Sound, the Skagerrak, the castle of Prince Hamlet ... I often wanted to stay in this paradise where you can do what you want and it will be nothing, where no CIA touches and prostitutes is not a spy. No we did not need, in short.

I realized that I was in another world, and Soviet propaganda, which I was taught in school - complete nonsense. And something in the brain then turned over. The abundance of sausages, jeans and feminine charms dizzy. Then I realized our fundamental difference from other people in the world. We Soviet citizens who have been programmed to another: the ideology on the Komsomol detachment, moral values, to global goals, and those who live overseas - in the family business and money.

Even in the third year, studying in Leningradke, I do not understand why the senior students so much different from us. They in 1970 already with the "Marlboro" in the teeth paraded in tight jeans and behaved as if they all do not care. And then I became the same.

First voyage

I was a trainee, when the third day of sailing ship with full speed flew into the reefs: the third co-driver, drunk, confused direction and almost sank the ship. In my sleep - and sleep soundly on the ship - we heard a terrible sound of tearing metal, the ship received a roll. We did not sink, but the food was hanging, and then have no way of us did not shine. It was a scandal ... All the ship was covered with fuel oil, more than a thousand tonnes of oil was spilled overboard huge money thrown to the wind and the enormous damage inflicted clear waters. Three hours later, we hung over us three helicopters. Returned home empty-handed, diving escaped.

Weekdays sailor

When I graduated from the Merchant Navy, was the distribution to Sakhalin. Rushed gloomy weekdays. Then the flight lasted six months, long dirty hard work. We all went under the watch: climb to the bridge four hours engaged in fishing, then go to the freezer department and helps in treatment. And so the circle. Everyday. Six months. Cabin - two and a half meters high, two bunk shelves, the middle - table. In this area live privates - four. In modern ships living conditions better, but the difference is small. And here you are trapped in this little room half the day, rest of the time you are in the shop. Subsidiarity - sailors - working 12 hours a day. With the interruption time is divided into periods of work, safe for the human body, otherwise not survive: the constant pitching, vibration, noisy smelly cold shop, eternal roar ...

It should be understood that some of the processes for continuous processing of fish, so work is being done around the clock mode can throw only force majeure. Sedentary work is not so except in case your task is still to hold himself upright. After the workshop, spattered with blood and guts of fish, chilled to the bone, you're running in the shower. Then the food. It takes about two hours, three and a half hours away on a dream and a half hour to eat something, get dressed and make it to the shop.

As fish

Fish caught by trawl - a huge net, drop by 12-20 meters wide and 500 meters long, is attached to the nets kutets - bag, which turns the whole nalovlennaya fish. Fish afraid of vibration and, once in the network, from it is no longer floats. This huge edifice have to pull for 4-5 hours. A catch - a matter of chance, of one hundred tons of tons. There are many factors that govern us: stormy weather, places where fish ... Sometimes we have to take refuge in bays, sometimes - to go into the ice.

On deck there are pockets of fish or fish tank, all nalovlennoe poured back; downstairs is a shop where handlers are ready. It uses absolutely all extracted material and the more waste - of which make fish meal, and she, by the way, the most expensive fish because the full utilization. Because it is done, and cod liver oil when cooked meal squeeze, fish oil flows into the tank from the remaining dry flour tortillas that come to feed in fur farming. Small animals from such food grow healthy and beautiful.

Approximately every 20 days the ship is moored ships and everything caught and treated, and charged with all new, straight into the sea - there is a huge idle for months Court of 20 thousand tons, which ships dumped the catch extracted.

Career Ladder

The captain of the ship is responsible for everything on it, and production management. We have not had salary: everything depended on our catch. The sailor received 300 rubles a month, the captain - from 1 000 to 1 200 rubles, the Soviet era a lot of money, while the average salary was 100 rubles. Captains of morehodok not go, so I went from being the bottom. Edition, you get a training certificate, after which you need naplavatsya qualification - term continuous at sea, the first qualification period - 12 months. To get the younger post commanders - among the people, "the fourth mate," you should have them otplavat, and then you waited for Qualifications Commission ... Without cronyism, to captain you need to get 15 years in the merchant navy can not grow at all, there are looking at morality. Spit gum in Singapore, paid $ 500 fine - and for all forget about the post of commander (in 1992 in Singapore was a complete ban on the import of chewing gum, is now limited partially lifted, but for spit gum relies heavy fine. - BG).

We, fishermen, everything is much simpler: you are an ordinary person with their sins, moderately alcoholic, with a pair of sexually transmitted diseases (early love was harsh - condoms nobody used in case of emergency measures ship's doctor gave antibiotics), several times married, even with several children ... But it does not matter, you still become a captain, because there need ordinary people. I'm still in the school explained: in the sea do not need academics, there needs hard workers.

To survive in the sea

For a long time at sea I would compare with the conclusion of the colony, sometimes it's worse than prison, because it walks on the ground there is not provided. To survive on the ship do not need big intricacies. Shutter speed and composure in conditions that are not suitable for a human being - that is what is most important. Claustrophobia, sotsiozavisimye, impatient and, God forbid, with seasickness people on board should not be exposed. Prolonged separation from family, loved ones, lack of comfort, strong tension, the constant pitching, bad food ...

Sad to say that there are people who have not found themselves on land. Or for some reason forced to leave the beach to forget something, for example. Some go from the bay. Here you will feed, clothe, wake time and sent to work, it does not have to think, this system works, but still you will always be in the money. When wages in the sea on the shore of feeling on two levels above comes syndrome "can all kings" as long as the money does not run out, or you do not rob, and then again in the sea.

On land too much fuss, too many conditions for quality of life, unnecessary thoughts, and on board you nothing distracts.

I have another story, I knew that realizing his dream would become a captain. I was not sure that I will, in the Soviet era, there are many factors of success: it was necessary and the party loving and paint the wall newspaper. But I have not thought about another profession. What I got to the shore, it makes me very happy in retaliation for those six months bestial conditions at the limit of tolerance. Drink rusty water, not to see women - in such circumstances the psyche is also exacerbated by: me in my youth and captains chased with scissors, when I was trying to prove his innocence. But what occurred then ... it's all justified!

Women on board

At 100 generally have from 8 to 12 women in the vessel. And all of them, regardless of beauty, size and intelligence feel Aphrodite. Well, at least Jennifer Lopez. Every two or three gentleman. At sea, the men are more loyal and treat everyone with understanding. Love wants everything, and few opportunities.

Those huge ships, which ships generally unload fish, we called plavbordelyami. There are many women - it obrabotchitsy fish for them there, poor, sad, except that on weekends dancing suit, so do not become sad. Grimy fishermen for their good fortune. Captain at the entrance to these vessels treated us seriously: "So, fellow sailors, the day after tomorrow - mother ship! There are 200 women to 50 men. We - hungry men there - hungry woman. Darned underpants, prepare, get dressed if possible, do not disgrace, comrades ».

And the upcoming holiday. It's like a carnival in Brazil. Everyone looks into his pockets as there are money and that it is possible for them to offer the lady. Beads, linen, alcohol, chocolate - all went into circulation. We were not disturbed even cotton pants girl, everyone knew that there, under your clothes, there is a beautiful female body, which is simply to look at, and the soul will rejoice.

Some women find the fate of the sea. But nepotism is not encouraged. Women are women, the sailors have sailors. Mad with loneliness, for a night of love they can give and diamond earrings, and her monthly salary. Faithfulness here too easily defined ...

At sea, no one gives birth. But many go just because of the possibility of getting pregnant on board or work there, being in the position because maternity were huge, and she could live like a queen for another four years after the birth of the child. So it was a very lucrative option - to conceive a child in the sea. And what it means to love a sailor ... We rude people with sensitive soul, who do not know who wrote "King Lear", but good. Loneliness, hunger, tests educate our soul - we understand much, much forgiving and rarely get angry.

About this

For 20 years, I left the civil service to the private fleet - it is much more dangerous; I traveled almost the whole world - Korea, Japan, China, New Zealand, Tanzania, our ships even in the Arctic for iced fish went. Countless tales and dire cases, deaths and tough humor, a thousand points on the map and memories, from which no escape.