I've worked at a marina for four summers straight. It mostly consists of tying up boats, cleaning the docks, dealing with dockage schedules, and making sure there isn't trash within the marina. Throughout my four years, I've noticed that to be able to do your job you can't be afraid of some simple things.
1. Falling in water
GiphyYou never mean to fall in, but sometimes it happens. Once a year one of the dock hands are going to fall in, especially if you have floating docks on a windy day.
2. Being told you're wrong
GiphyYou can be doing everything right when helping a boat dock, and still be told you're doing something wrong. Boaters are very picky when it comes to how their lines are tied up. More than once a couple will be docking together and they will miscommunicate with each other and blame it on you.
3. Mayflies
You might call them fishflies, shadflies, Canadian soldiers, or mayflies. Whatever you call them they're incredibly annoying. They're an aquatic insect, so they love to hang around marinas. They only last about two weeks and each one only lives about a day. They love any lights, so at each pedestal on the docks is full of them. When you walk by or try to spray them off, they swarm and stick on you. The only redeeming quality that they have is that they don't bite or sting.
4. Sweat
GiphyYou're scrubbing the docks and sprinting to catch boats all days. You are going to sweat, and the best thing to do is embrace it.
5. Bad tan lines
GiphyIt's almost impossible to not notice your collared shirt, Bermuda short, and Sperry Top Sider tan lines.
6. Sprinting
GiphyIt doesn't matter if every boat called you on the VHF to tell you they're coming in, you will need to sprint from one side of the marina to the other at one point.
7. Spiders
GiphyThe electrical pedestals on the dock are going to be filled with spiders of all different sizes. We have to go out every day to get rid of all the cob webs. Personally I used to hate spiders, but because of this job I'm no longer afraid of them.
8. Talking on the VHF
GiphyBefore most boats enter the marina, they will call the marina on the VHF radio. You have to be comfortable enough to answer knowing that all other marinas in the area can hear you.
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