Name : Commodore Howie C Ratcliff
Rank: Master
Nationality: British
I joined CNCo in 1979 at a time when jobs at sea were fairly easy to get. My thoughts at the time were "CNCo doesn't seem a bad company, I think I might give them a couple of years before moving on. " The fact that I am still here 28 years on shows that CNCo is a good company to work for.
They are a very fair company who hold traditional family values. Like everything else in life nothing is easy and you get out of life what you put in.
During my time in CNCo I have seen many changes. When I first joined them we were still using a sextant to find our way around and the sounds of morse code emitting from the radio room could be heard on the bridge. Over a period of time the electronic age has taken over and now it seems you are never far away from a computer,email or the dreaded mobile phone, which incidentally I still do not possess. Some may consider me a dinosaur.
I have been very fortunate with the officers and crews I have sailed with. For the most part they are happy to work for CNCo and are treated well.
Many of them return time and time again because of this. Of course there is always going to be an exception to the rule. I don't think a company exists where no one has ever made a complaint.
During my time with CNCo I have managed to serve on most of their vessels in most of their trades, which has taken me nearly all over the World, from Papua New Guinea to Manaus, a port a few hundred miles up the Amazon River. I am currently employed on a vessel which was built in 1984 and is on a round the world service transiting the Panama and Suez Canals. There is never a dull moment. CNCo are always actively looking for new trades to consolidate their existing ones and can be considered to be a progressive company.
