As far as the ugly situations...you just go back to the very basics..if you have to hit something, hit it flat, if you have a chance to choose, choose to hit something cheap....not as funny as it sounds. Tug boats are hard work..lol

I was lucky in that I had some very old very very wise Captains that I could go back to and recount what had happened and get advice and get a different perspective...in all the cases they said I did the right thing...when you operate really old boats you get lots of suprises. You have to constantly think about things like..."what do I do if I lose an engine now" it has ahppens to me docking a 190 ft tug and barge combo.....20 feet from the dock and lose an engine, that will wake you up....or moving a barge for the Navy full of ammo and have you steering system literally fall off of your rudder post :o...

I would'nt trade my career for anyones, it's been the best.

I have been telling myself one thing for years "if no one is bleeding and nothing was bent, it was a good day at sea"