In Command

200 things I wish I'd known before I was Captain

Author:	Michael Lloyd
Published:	2007
Format:	Paperback, 229 pages

£30⁰⁰

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200 Practical Lessons from a Life in Command

Capt. Michael Lloyd offers clear, candid advice for shipmasters, blending decades of experience with humour and sharp observation.

In Command: 200 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Was Captain is an engaging and practical guide to the realities of commanding a ship, written by Captain Michael Lloyd. Drawing on 50 years of seagoing experience, Lloyd offers sharp, often humorous insights into the challenges new Captains face.

Entertainingly written and scattered with checklists, ‘must do’ items and ‘whatever you do, don’t forget’ reminders, this book manages to be both useful and highly readable. It will amuse, provoke and inform anyone preparing to take command or interested in the demands of life at the top of the ladder.

1 Command
2 Shipping Companies
3 Joining the Ship
4 Relationships
5 Sailing
6 At Sea
7 Your Ship
8 Ship Management
9 Discipline
10 Safety
11 Difficult Circumstances
12 Collisions
13 Man Overboard
14 Welfare
15 Communications, Letters and Reports
16 Surveys and Inspections
17 Breakdowns
18 Helicopter Operations
19 Stowaways
20 Passengers
21 Ethics
22 Portage Accounts, Budgets and Stores
23 Ocean Routeing
24 Weather Conditions and Ship Handling
25 Drydock
26 Port Entry
27 Anchoring
28 Arrival at the Port
29 In the Port
30 The Final Word

About the Author

Michael Lloyd started his career on the training ship HMS Conway and went to sea as a Cadet with P&O. He was promoted to Master on a deep sea tow vessel at the age of 32 and went on to command a wide variety of ships, including general cargo, passenger, reefer, heavy lift, container, bulk carriers, anchor handlers, supply vessels, response and rescue vessels in the North Sea, oil field support vessels in Nigeria, and multi-purpose vessels in the Black Sea and the Baltic.

He retired from the sea in March 2007 after 50 years seagoing, including 35 years in command. Michael served 35 years in the Royal Naval Reserve and for 10 years represented shipmasters on the Council of Numast. He is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute and a Younger Brother of Trinity House.