mcculley

28 ms·

451.
by mcculley 3y ago
Before I decided that this industry was a poor place to deploy capital, I was open to paying whatever was necessary to fix the pipeline.
452.
by mcculley 3y ago
I did not write "quality of life". I wrote "lifestyle". I find that many young candidates do not want to be on a boat for a week or more away from family. Some do. Most do not. I, personally, enjoyed long voyages when I
453.
by mcculley 3y ago
I have considered perks and implemented as many as I can. The biggest lever I have found so far is flexible schedule. We are willing to fly the captains out to the boat and fly them back home on whatever schedule they want. All companies in
454.
by mcculley 3y ago
It is both. The pay has increased. But that doesn't make licenses magically appear now. They still require training and seatime.
455.
by mcculley 3y ago
There are X projects funded right now that need captains. These projects need roughly 2X captains. There are, right now, Y licensed captains. Y < 2X. More pay today does not make Y == 2X today. I agree that this shortage could have been
456.
by mcculley 3y ago
I am not "complaining". I recognize the reality of the situation. This is why I am selling the company and reallocating the capital. I have been running the company for three years. Yes, my predecessor could have invested more ear
457.
by mcculley 3y ago
Just to be clear, we have deckhands in the pipeline to become captains now. We understand the need to invest for the future. That does not make it any less of a shortage today.
458.
by mcculley 3y ago
I fully agree that the industry does not price the labor correctly. This is one reason why I am selling the company and reallocating the capital. There are many funded projects not executing for lack of captains today. The captains I manage
459.
by mcculley 3y ago
I don’t know that we could get immigrants ready in less than three years. Jones Act is the limitation. We would have to find other work for them to do while they become citizens or green card holders. I never argued that the shortage cannot
460.
by mcculley 3y ago
Yes, my company could have hired unlicensed deckhands that they did not need then and invested in them in the hopes that they would become captains later. I don’t know what boats they would have found to fit them onto at the time. It is a s
461.
by mcculley 3y ago
Indeed. A lot of the captains retired early when things slowed down.
462.
by mcculley 3y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36951413
463.
by mcculley 3y ago
I have been a software engineer for 30 years before falling into running a tugboat company. I am not assuming anything.
464.
by mcculley 3y ago
Certainly, I could poach a license if I could pay a $1M.
465.
by mcculley 3y ago
Licensed captains with Master of Towing endorsement are currently getting $800-$1,200 per day in regions I am familiar with.
466.
by mcculley 3y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36951413
467.
by mcculley 3y ago
I’m uninformed? I have been hiring captains for 33 months. Do you have information I do not? Yes, if there had been a good pipeline for the last decade, there would be no shortage now. It is an industry-wide problem.
468.
by mcculley 3y ago
I wrote that three years is theoretically the fastest one could get enough seatime. This would mean three years constantly at sea. Most take at least double that.
469.
by mcculley 3y ago
Most of the captains who are retired will not be able to get their annual medical certificate. Not every job is like a desk job where we can just add more money and get more COBOL programmers back out of retirement.
470.
by mcculley 3y ago
We have paid to license captains. It is a shortage and a business decision and a government decision. USCG Subchapter M increased demand for captains while we are producing fewer humans overall.
471.
by mcculley 3y ago
At this point, there are insufficient captains/hammers at any price. Lots of projects are blocked on lack of captains. I am selling tugboats because we cannot crew them. This is a direct result of USCG Subchapter M. edit to add: This w
472.
by mcculley 3y ago
Yes. When USCG rolled out Subchapter M and increased demand, one solution would have been for companies to hire three years previously people that they did not need and find a way to get them the necessary seatime. Maybe they could have ins
473.
by mcculley 3y ago
There are a few trends working together. The two biggest are the demographic decline in the U.S. and the rollout of USCG Subchapter M, which increases demand. For example, some boats now require two captains on board for voyages over 12 hou
474.
by mcculley 3y ago
My pleasure. Once I sell the tugboat company, I intend to write up some lessons learned about the ways in which building my software consultancy did not prepare me for managing pirates.
475.
by mcculley 3y ago
There are definitely better employment options these days.
476.
by mcculley 3y ago
That is a good way for a company to be better prepared three years from now. Right now, there is a shortage.
477.
by mcculley 3y ago
The failures of industry and government in this case are obvious. That doesn’t change the fact that there is a shortage. I agree the shortage is due to myopia.
478.
by mcculley 3y ago
Retirement is not very voluntary in this industry, in my experience. The majority of the tugboat captains I have encountered are not in good health and lose their annual USCG medical approval before 65.
479.
by mcculley 3y ago
This is an accidental outcome. I was doing software work for 30 years. My father was building a tugboat company. He passed away. I have stepped in for now.
480.
by mcculley 3y ago
There is still a shortage now, regardless of failures to predict the future.

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