Winter 2010 - Shipshape Magazine Bristol

interview
feature
I ❤ Harbourside
This issue, Shipshape caught up with Bristol
Ferry Boat Company skipper and educational tour
operator Rosie Dee to talk seagulls, the M Shed and
what she’d miss if she got a “proper job”
Why did you decide to get a job
working on the ferries?
Having finished my MA I was desperate to
escape the silence of lonely rooms and the
artificial air of a centrally heated building:
I needed the outdoors. My best friends had
worked the boats for years and, as it was familiar
territory for me, having lived with my mum on
a barge, it seemed an ideal way of scraping a
living. It was just supposed to be a stopgap before
getting a ‘proper job’ but I fell in love with it.
Then I got my ticket, started learning all about
the history of the harbour, met my partner Steve
(who’s also a ferry skipper), made loads of great
friends and that was it – I was totally hooked.
What’s the best part of your job?
Interacting with the passengers, helping them
out, witnessing their pleasure, sharing our
passion. And we get everyone on the ferries, of
all ages and from all walks of life, from tourists
to commuters – it’s a mini microcosm of society.
The commuters are my favourites – there’s
a sense of camaraderie between us because
we’re all at work; we see them first thing in the
morning and last thing at night so they become
almost like friends. And we love the couples
from the Caravan Club up at Baltic Wharf
– you get to know them over the week and
hear what they’ve been up to and what
they’ve discovered and then they’ll recognise
you when they return the year after! The
hardest part? Winter and the long hours
being cold and damp – wet ropes are never
a joy, particularly first thing in the morning.
What’s your favourite spot around
the Harbourside?
The ferries, without a doubt – no single spot
can beat perambulation. Out there you’re
in the centre of it all; you get to shelter from
the rain under the bridges or chase the sun
as it goes down, and watch all the little events
unfold around the harbour while listening
to the splash of the bow waves (if you’re lucky
enough not to be stuck by a noisy engine).
Do you go out on the Harbourside much?
Most of the ferry crew spend their spare time
around the harbour; quite a few are sailors and
live on boats or help on the Matthew and the
other tall ships that enter the docks, so it’s our
stomping ground in or out of work. For me it’s
the Grain Barge: I like that it was built just across
the way from its present mooring at Charles
Hill’s yard in 1936. It’s one of those little signs of
Bristol’s trading history you can find all around
the harbour, plus the food is exceptional and
affordable, there’s always a crossword in one
of the newspapers to do, and it’s just a really
comfortable place to sit and watch the water. ➳
Shipshape
twenty-one