Messing About In Ships

Messing about in ships was an old but interesting podcast  From across the ocean Captain John Konrad watches the sunset from the bridge of his ship. From this perch 100 feet above the water's edge he stands before a computer system that controls six enormous thrusters letting him move the 835 foot ship effortlessly. With each thruster able to move independently Captain Konrad says, "This ship can really turn on a dime."

What's impressive about Captain Konrad's story however, is not the spread of flat panel displays illuminating the bridge; it's his off duty hobby. You see in addition to his duties as the ship's first officer, he's also a talented podcaster, possibly the first to regularly record from the Hi Seas.

"I was lucky to be assigned a ship with satellite technology that allows me to record our podcast 'Messing About In Ships' regardless of my location," he says.

Captain John was lucky in other ways too, "I started by writing the blog on the site gCaptain.com and through that met some interesting people including my co-host Peter Mello."

While John's perspective is certainly unique, it's the dynamic interaction between him and Co-Host Peter Mello that makes the podcast so interesting.

Sailing since a young age, Peter fell in love with the sea during his high school years sailing tall ships at Tabor Academy. As life progressed Peter worked in marine insurance and later as CEO of a nonprofit that organizes Tall Ships events. His years sailing eventually led him to create a company that provides leadership consulting to non-mariners worldwide. This, coupled with an interest in social networks, led him to create the blog Sea-Fever.org, which is where he met John.

"I've always had a passion for the sea and teaching others about its rich and storied culture," says Peter. "If we can share a small part  of our passion we'll surely succeed in enriching the maritime community."

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