We build Houses and Hopes......

Its long time since I write anything on my Blog.
There were several reasons
    1. I forgot my password
    2. there was nothing so special( other than spending three & half months at Panama anchorage thanks to RECESSION.

Panama Anchorage....

Anyway..  It's over.... means not the Recession but waiting at Panama Anchorage.

So this is all  about Habitat( the short form we used for "Habitat For Humanity"-HFH)
If I'm correct I last volunteered for Habitat in 2003. It s almost 8 years I was away from It, mainly because of my Marine training, and then my  Job....
Thanks to my good friend Francis( coordinator of the global village programme in  HFH Sri Lanka )
I  received an invitation to join again to Volunteer to Build some houses in Negombo, in the city where I live with a Global Village team from Northern America.
Since I know the Spirit of Habitat I couldn't say NO.......

I'm Strong.....

young and old..... visitors and locals all together for a goal....

Mainly I became an interpreter to translate  between SINHALESE  & ENGLISH, so it helped me to be friendly with both parties( the GV team and homeowners/ locals)

I can also do hard work......

Young spirit..

Though it was bit hard on first day, believe me It was so much fun....... Sailing all around was a great advantage to get along with the team. 'cos I've been to many places where they came from in USA and CANADA( of course I've just been  many  areas of USA and CANADA but haven't spent much time in any place explore it very well.... still we had a slight idea about those places and people living there.)

Digging a Foundation is not a easy job...                                                

I was amazed when I learnt from Francis that the team leaders Bob Bell and Leslie Bell have participated 41 and 39 tours in order. I said earlier it is fun but anyway if you are to volunteer to build houses...... then you have to work..... work really hard, for example mixing a concrete, digging a foundation...etc are not at all easy jobs. On the other side there were girls  at the age of 22, 23, 25..... and I know they can find lot of interesting holiday ideas than building a house under the hot sun in Sri Lanka. So as a whole I was so impressed....

its play time.....

Oh...shit What  I've done?

I've never seen a Rooster before.... Can i take this one home?

Photo time..... 

wanna have some Ice cream?

I know HABITAT always have that spirit..... that can do wonders....  So I have to thank Millard Fuller for founding such a great organization and specially to Francis for inviting me for this event( Personally it helped me to lose some pounds also....lol )


 

Life of a Seafearer

hi............., let me introduce my self,
I'm PRABATH FERNANDO( that's what my colleagues who works with me call), but all my school friends and people who knows me since my childhood call me ESITH. 'COS my full name is ESITH PRABATH FERNANDO. Pls don't worry about that you can call me in any way you like.

Currently I'm working as Navigation Officer or simply a SAILOR.........My job is to manoeuvre a ship from one place to the other. That's what we called Navigation in simple.

Navigation at sea is a field that people like to do as a leisure but mostly not as a carrier. With my experiences I know it's a unique and really difficult to explain to another.

Life at sea is a unique existence. Whilst seafarers come from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds, and work in diverse areas of the shipping industry, they share many common experiences.

During my vacation days ashore, many friends have asked me what life is like aboard ship. It is a good question, especially for a prospective passenger. It isn't an easy one to answer, either. Much of your experience aboard ship depends upon your temperament, and your situation in life. Are you a person who doesn't mind being alone, or do you need company? If you have some free time, would you like to read a book or to have a party? Are you single, or married with children? No matter what your answers to these questions are, you may or may not enjoy going to sea, but they do have an effect on the type of ship and type of voyage

Some people choose to work at sea because it gives them a chance to travel or because they like the way they can get responsible jobs relatively early in their careers(that's me...). But for others, it may be the only way they can earn a wage to support themselves and their families.I'm a lucky guy who have travelled in many parts of the world, worked with different nationalities..... my cost? nothing( may be the taxi fees)

Working ashore or at sea – difference is not much so far as the working conditions and hours at duty are concerned, especially if one is employed in transportation sector of which shipping is a part.When I look around at people working for different sectors related to merchant shipping ashore, they work long hours without having any regard for the so-called ‘normal’ working hours

Around the World.....Across the Seas.......

Down below is a link to a live map, which will help you to find where I am......... right now !!!?

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?level0=100

Mainly this works with a system call AIS(Automatic Identification System) Simply Works as a VHF transceiver which can identify another ship within its VHF range(50 Nautical Miles).Here some more info about AIS........

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a system used by ships and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) principally for identification and locating vessels. AIS provides a means for ships to electronically exchange ship data including: identification, position, course, and speed, with other nearby ships and VTS stations. This information can be displayed on a screen or an ECDIS display. AIS is intended to assist the vessel's watchstanding officers and allow maritime authorities to track and monitor vessel movements. It works by integrating a standardized VHF transceiver system with an electronic navigation system, such as a LORAN-C (LOng RAnge Navigation Version C) or Global Positioning System receiver, and other navigational sensors on board ship (gyrocompass, rate of turn indicator, etc.).
The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires AIS to be fitted aboard international voyaging ships with gross tonnage (GT) of 300 or more tons, and all passenger ships regardless of size. It is estimated that more than 40,000 ships currently carry AIS class A equipment.[citation needed]
For long range tracking system on ships, less frequent transmission can be achieved by LRIT (Long-Range Identification and Tracking System) for ship trading outside coastal AIS (VHF or A1) Radio range .

But this system has its limitations....... as I mentioned earlier this work only within the VHF range. Since this map managed by Land VTS stations in combination...... they can detect a ship only when those are at ports, during arrival, departure or when steaming within a range of 100 nautical miles from land.
the good news is that soon whole World Fleet will equipped with LRIT, unlike AIS they use satellites for transmitting and reception...............

Welcome to the world of shipping