Office on Board
Working on a ship? - How it works for us.
Workplaces on board differ little from those on land.
Mostly we work moored in the harbour/marina or at anchor, the slight swaying on the water promotes creativity through higher brain activity and resilience. And the internet connection is more stable and reliable than at sea.
ONBOARD WORKSTATIONS:
We usually sit opposite each other at our table in the deck saloon. The saloon also offers space for smaller workshop situations for up to 6 people and with flipchart.
We retreat from the saloon to the cabins for videoconferencing and virtual coaching to discuss confidential topics and not to disturb others on board in their work: In the port aft cabin we have a small folding table with space for a laptop, and forward in the port master cabin there is a workstation with an extendable table and work shelf above it.
Another work option is the navigation station, from which we can also comfortably navigate the ship from the inside.
It is equipped with a comfortable skipper’s chair at the desk, a Windows navigation computer (with navigation programmes and office package) and a 23 inch screen from ASUS, both running on a 12/19 V power supply.
Navigation and office work are redundantly supported with iPads. In addition to the usual Office software, Navionics also runs on them in the on-board network and on the Internet.
It is important to have the right working posture:
With my height, I need a carrier for my MacBook Pro. As an experienced yoga teacher, Petra works cross-legged with a slightly lowered gaze and additional back cushion.
We work with MacBook Pro and iPad Pro for the creation of strategies, concepts, presentations, as well as websites and printed matter in the design area.
For email, communication, virtual coaching, streaming, video conferencing and web design, we need fast internet, which we mostly generate with the iPhone and a powerful LTE contract. In parallel, we have a Glomex 4G marine antenna in the mast, which connects to the internet via its SIM card in the coastal area and generates a WLAN network on board, in which the printer also runs.
And with a bit of luck, the WLAN in the marina will also work…
OFFSHORE COMMUNICATION:
Outside the LTE range (approx. 10 nautical miles offshore), our Iridium phones come into play:
The Iridium Go manages data connections such as text emails and weather data excellently with its prepaid card. Using the IridiumGo app on your smartphone, you can make phone calls as usual. Surfing the web does not work with it because the response and data transfer rate are too slow.
We reactivated the old, permanently installed Iridium satellite phone with a new contract (redundancy). In operation, this old device is more reliable than the new Iridium Go, because of the better external antenna and higher amplification power.
GLOBAL REACHABILITY HAS ITS PRICE:
With two iPhones, a Glomex 4G mobile antenna with WLAN (9.6 kbit/s) for coastal travel, two Iridium satellite phones and the costs for DP07 and our marine radio station with shortwave mailbox, we are at around €300 per month in communication costs for our professional office operations. In return, we have global accessibility and unlimited data traffic near the coast, which we use abundantly with about 3000 GB per month.
The telephone system in our Hamburg office has been converted to VOIP with a global flat rate for 4 outgoing lines, which are forwarded to our iPhones. This means that our clients can reach us at any time free of charge via their usual office numbers.
Office technology:
- MacBook Pro
- iPad Pro
- Windows Shuttle XPC DH470 (12/19V)
- Asus 23″ monitor (12/19V)
- Epson Workforce printer in WLAN
- Facilitation materials
TV via Internet
On-board communication on the coast:
- WIFI in the harbour
- iPhones with large XL flat rate for hotspot WIFI (roaming limit in Europe to 32 GB)
- Glomex Marine Antenna 4G/WIFI
in the mast with mobile phone card 12GB
Offshore Communikation:
- Simrad RS35 VHF radio system with HS35 mobile second station.
- Iridium satellite telephone,
fixed with monthly contract - IridiumGo with prepaid card for 1000 minutes per year (mobile phone calls possible with smartphone app IridiumGo)
- Shortwave system with Pactor modem
