Sailors, Women & Wine: Myths vs Facts

The sailors are often associated with women and wine. It is believed that the lives of sailors revolve around these elements. This is exactly why many women even today don’t want to marry a mariner. They have the fear that the long distance in the marriage may spoil the essence of the same and their husbands may be involved in adultery. Well this is exactly what we are going to discuss in this article today. We are not sure how this idea has come up. Maybe it is the books that we have read and the movies that we have seen where the sailors were mostly represented in a wrong way.

Drunk Sailor

Drunk Sailor

Let us first start with how the life of the sailor is. They live a much disciplined life and they are away from their families for months. It is not easy to spend months on a ship and the only thing that you see around is endless sea water. It is enough to make one lose their sanity but a sailor has the mental and physical strength to face these hardships. Apart from the physical and mental isolation the sailors also have to face the perils of nature.

Almost on a regular basis they face sea storms and other perils that are commonly associated with the sea. In spite of these hardships they continue their work. The sailors have to be on high alert all the time a single mistake by them can be very dangerous for the whole crew. Now that you know the basic life of a sailor let us move on with the topic.

When the job is such that it requires both mental and physical strength then how can the sailors indulge in excessive drinking. They do drink and wine is a part of the daily food that they are served in the ship too. Well it is absolutely fine to have a good drink after a hard day of work. Most people who live a normal life and do a normal nine to six jobs also indulge in slight drinking.

If you feel that the sailor is drunk all the day, then you are wrong. The sailors have to be in high alert when they are on duty. Drinking and coming to duty is not acceptable in any ship across the world. The sailor must ensure that they are all fresh and ready for the duty. The captain of the ship himself keeps a track of the alcohol that is being served in the ship. The sailors are not allowed to drink more than they can take in the ship. The drug and alcohol policy of the companies is very strict these days.

Any case of indiscipline is not tolerated. However, it is a fact that when the sailors land in their destination they are allowed to have fun and party. In this time the captain has no control on what the crew is doing off the board. When the sailors re enter the ship they are again tested for the alcohol traces. They are not put on duty unless alcohol in their body is under acceptable limits. Reporting to the duty drunk can have severe consequences for a sailor. They may either lose the job if they were found drunk on duty. It is against the professional code of conduct for the sailors.

The sailors are well paid and when on ship they hardly have any expense. This is exactly why they splurge when off the ship. However, most of them drink in their limits and ensure that they report to duty sober. We hope we have answered the part of wine. It is not necessary that only sailors drink like a fish. Even normal people may get in party mood sometimes and drink heavily. You cannot consider the profession responsible for drinking habits. Many people who are involved in other professions can also have a drinking problem.

Thanks to technology the sailors now can call their family and also send and check mails while they are sailing. By doing so they are in constant touch with their family and friends. If you are related to a sailor it is easier now to be in touch with them. Many women who are married to a sailor will tell you how much they trust their husbands. After all trust is the base of all relationships in life. At the end of the journey all that a sailor wants is to unite with his wife and children.

As far as women are considered they can be a weakness common to men. We cannot put the blame on sailors alone. If a person is involved in adultery it can be anywhere. It is a human nature and depends on the morality of the person completely. It is true that women often like the company of sailors. They are generally good looking and have a good personality. Moreover they have a good amount of money to spend. Well it is not necessary that all sailors would like to spend their hard earned money on women. It is a very wrong idea that is often associated with sailors.

Maybe it was the case in the olden days when the sailors were not professionals. The sailors today are professionals who are associated with big shipping companies. They have a certain amount of responsibility for the company they are working for. They are put up in reputed hotels when they are visiting port cities. It is true that they are derived from the company of women when on board but that does not actually mean that they will indulge in adultery.

The party and having fun might be more in the young sailors. However, slowly this becomes like a normal thing and as result the sailors prefer to spend quite evenings in the hotel and perhaps get in touch with their family.

The sailors are normal people like you and me. They live a hard and a different life from normal people. However, they are humans too and they have the same concerns like us. We are not sure how Sailors, Women and Wine became terms that are closely associated to. The fact remains that they live a highly disciplined and respected life.

There can be exceptions definitely we don’t deny that. Each human being is different. Wine and women can be associated with men involved in other professions too. All that we are trying to get at is the wine and women depend on the person and not on the profession they are involved in. If you are considering your decision to get married to a sailor then please ignore the aspect of wine and women from the decision you make.

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