Introduction

In today’s article you are going to meet an amazing maritime mentor, Capt. Russ Garbutt. I use the word “amazing” for many reasons, not the least of which is his willingness to improve the maritime industry by volunteering to share his 48 years of maritime experience with young or prospective maritime industry workers. From the very first email exchange I had with Capt. Garbutt, I instantly knew several things about him. First, he is an incredibly experienced and multi-faceted mariner. Secondly, he cares deeply about the maritime industry (and more importantly about the individuals who make up the industry) and is generous with his time and effort to the betterment of the industry. And finally, most importantly, I instantly found that I liked Russ very much, and continue to like him more with every interaction.

I plan to introduce you to one of our outstanding mentors roughly every 4 or 6 weeks, and Capt. Garbutt came to mind immediately when considering who would be the subject of our inaugural  spotlight article. If you would like to be informed when new maritime training articles are available, and have not already done so, please sign up for updates on the right sidebar.

But before we say more about Capt. Garbutt, a bit of background about the maritime mentoring site. If you are already familiar with the site, please skip directly to today’s featured mentor (but don’t forget to help spread the word!)

The Maritime Mentoring Site

If you have been following my writing over the last couple of months, you will be aware of the maritime mentoring initiative which we have started to help connect experienced mariners (and others working in the maritime industry) with those who are either considering a career or moving up the ranks in the industry. This is an initiative which is near and dear to my heart. I have had a number of people throughout my education who I consider to have been tremendous mentors, and as a former faculty member at a large university, I have tried to be of help as a mentor to many students. Also, being someone who has been involved professionally with on-line learning and web-based social-learning communities since 1995, it seemed natural to me that the maritime community could make good use of a site where protégés could find mentors, and mentors could make themselves available. Thus the “International Maritime Mentoring Site” was established.

Reminder to Spread the Word

Now that the site is up and running smoothly, the task at hand is to get the word out. After all, the only people who can benefit from the site are those who are aware of it.  Therefore we need to make the entire industry aware of it, and of the wonderful mentors there who collectively represent over 3,500 years of maritime experience ready to be shared. So please – spread the word to:

1. Every mariner or maritime worker you know
2. Every maritime school you are aware of (faculty can be mentors, students can be protégés )
3. Every maritime company you know (experienced workers can act as mentors and new workers as protégés)
4. Every maritime blog and publication you are aware of
5. Any other maritime organization, association, etc. that you are aware of.

The goal of the “International Maritime Mentoring Site” is to provide a venue where maritime mentors and protégés can find one another and connect to share knowledge. I believe one of the greatest values to protégés will simply be the ability to browse the expertise and experience of the various mentors to find those who can provide advice of value given the needs of the protégés .

The site facilitates one-on-one mentoring, and provides general mentoring areas where any protégés can ask questions of the community of mentors at large. Groups exist in order to allow people to follow and discuss their maritime interests. This will help focus discussions and create repositories of targeted advice and knowledge.

The mentoring interactions can take place via the site’s discussion areas or direct messaging as appropriate. For those who have the ability, connection through other avenues such as Skype can be facilitated.

But the foundation of the mentoring site is the growing group of wonderful mentors who have volunteered to share their experience to help the next generation of maritime industry workers. Capt. Russ Garbutt was one of the first mentors to sign up.

About Capt. Russ Garbutt

Capt. Garbutt is not only a deeply experience mariner, but he also has maintaining a consistent focus on mentoring and training throughout his career. Capt. Garbutt introduces himself on the mentorship site as follows:

My formative years were spent at Hull Trinity House Navigation school from 1961 to 1964 when I embarked on a World Wide, sea-going career on tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo, coasters and ferries culminating in Command with P&O North Sea Ferries on the routes between Hull, England to Europoort, Netherlands and Zeebrugge, Belgium.

I was instrumental in establishing the introduction of cadets in to P&O North Sea Ferries and was the original Mentor onboard “Norland” then subsequently “Pride of York” in ensuring that the young professionals had the best possible training, assistance and guidance.

My active interests include being a Fellow of the Nautical Institute and Humber Branch Treasurer, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and member of their Ports, Maritime and Waterways Forum, Past President of the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping and Immediate Past Chairman of their Shipping Committee, Past Chairman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, NE Outport, among others.

The developing World is absolutely dependent on Maritime trade. May we, by our efforts, foster the finest to achieve Maritime excellence!

Capt. Garbutt has spent 40 years at sea plus an additional 8 years ashore working in the maritime industry. Can you possibly imagine anyone more equipped to help guide the careers of prospective or developing mariners? This is what makes me so excited about the mentoring initiative. Where else would a maritime protege have access to the accumulated wealth of knowledge provided by Capt. Garbutt and others like him.

Q and A

I asked Capt. Garbutt to comment a bit more about mentoring and his maritime background by posing a few questions. Here are the questions and his responses:

Why do you believe mentoring is important in the maritime industry?
Mentoring is essential in the Maritime Industry due to the rather fragmented make-up of its’ sectors, especially shipping, which may leave young professionals feeling isolated and with no one to turn to for advice on firstly their original choice of employment and secondly on how to progress into one of the many other areas of the Maritime business.

It is said that “You should learn from your mistakes” – far better to “Learn from others mistakes” – and, indeed, their successes. So mentoring is more than just telling someone how to perform a task, more than imparting academic knowledge. It is the guiding of protégés to fulfil their aspirations and Continuing Professional Development, successfully, throughout their Maritime Careers. I, most certainly, do not claim to know everything and when you do not know you must say so – ‘flannel’ is not an option. However in a team of Mentors with experience and knowledge from right across the Industry one of those Mentors will know the answer to a question.

Tell us one of your most memorable stories from your experience as a mariner.
One of my most memorable stories from my experience as a mariner was when we rescued two yachtsmen who had got themselves into trouble in the North Sea (UK). I was in command of the passenger ro/ro “Pride of York” of 30,000tons bound from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Hull, England, when we received a distress call from the coastguard that a yacht was having difficulties in the strong winds being experienced at that time. The position given for the yacht was close to our track so we made all haste to assist. Upon sighting the yacht it was obvious that she was in a poor condition with tattered sails and struggling in the heavy seas. As the “Pride of York” has less than 6m draft, 52m from keel to top of funnel and a wind area of over 3,600 square metres we had to be careful when coming alongside the yacht not to ‘over run her’ due to our leeway. Fortunately we had a pilot door suitable for embarking the two yachtsmen which we did courtesy of the expert seamanship of the Bosun and his team. The yachtsmen were on their last legs with fatigue. It transpired that one was totally inexperienced and they had left Ipswich bound for the Netherlands without checking on the weather forecast for the duration of the voyage. And the name of the yacht? …..”Folly”. The sea is a demanding taskmaster. Planning is essential and knowing your limitations crucial!

Thinking back to a memorable mentor you had – how did that relationship help you as a professional mariner?
My memorable mentor would be have to be a great Scottish Captain by the name of Kelly. I was a deck apprentice onboard the  tanker “Hamilton Trader” which had British Officers and Chinese crew sailing world-wide. Finding myself the only apprentice onboard, at seventeen years old, among seasoned Officers and crew it was a little daunting. However Captain Kelly took personal charge of my well being and not only assisted me through my formative training but also became a mentor I could turn to in time of need.

Running a ship takes dedicated teamwork to successfully prosecute a voyage safely and efficiently from A to B. The Master depends on every crew member from galley-boy up to enter into the spirit of that team. Captain Kelly taught me that everyone is important onboard a ship. Treat all with respect and they will respect you.

What is the one best piece of advice you can offer to a young man or woman who is considering entering the maritime industry?
The best piece of advice that I can offer to a young man or woman who is considering entering the Maritime Industry is to do your homework first. It can all be found on the World-Wide-Web if you look hard enough. Contact the Colleges, Employers and Institutes in your area. Decide upon which sector of the Industry you wish to commence your career in, what qualifications you require and if possible talk to someone directly involved in that sector. Also enquire as to how you can transfer from one sector to another if that is your ultimate desire.

However you could not do better than ask the Maritime Mentoring Community. They will certainly assist in your deliberations.

I commenced my formative maritime education at fourteen, went to sea at seventeen, spent forty years in the British Merchant Navy culminating in command. In the latter years had the pleasure of Mentoring a number of cadets onboard ship along with Mentoring an associate through the Honorable Company of Master Mariners. My life still revolves around Maritime Interests and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I wish all those entering the Industry the same delights, pleasures and rewarding satisfaction.

Conclusion

I am truly in awe of the mentors we have on the site, their tremendous experience, and their willingness to give back to the industry they helped build. Young mariners (and other maritime workers) are indeed truly fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with these people, ask them questions, and benefit from their wisdom and experience.

Please join the Maritime Mentoring Site, and spread the word about what we are doing there.

Thanks for reading, and if you would like to be informed when new maritime training articles are available, and have not already done so, please sign up here. Have a great day!