Page 23: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2015)

22 24

A Long Sea Passage

Tretheway joined Mercy Ships in January 1987 and has since served on most, if not all of their platforms. According to Tretheway, there was a great sense of history on board the old ? agship, Anastasis, an Italian liner built after WWII. As for his total experience, he wouldn’t change any of it. “I loved the smaller Mercy Ships vessels, as these ventured into the more remote locations, some not even properly charted. These ships had very hardworking, versatile and adaptable crews and truly impacted the world’s most forgotten poor. With each ‘new vessel’ the capabilities and livability have improved. The current Mercy Ship, the Africa Mercy, has high initial stabil- ity, which is a good thing for the eye surgeons. It also has a vastly larger hospital and surgical area, greater than all the previous vessels combined.”

Putting those tools to work means everything, says Trethe- way. “There is no comparison knowing that what you do has given a future to an otherwise dying child, changed a commu- nity’s priorities and even a nation’s view of the importance of healthcare and the need to alleviate the suffering of their peo- ple. While I interact with the poorest of the world’s poor, I have also met many presidents and prime ministers and other world leaders. I don’t know of many organizations that can really say they impact an entire nation in the way Mercy Ships does.”

In all things there comes a time for change, and soon, Trethe- way and his family will end their time of service with Mercy

Ships. Tretheway says, “There are many factors, ? nances be- ing one of them. We have always had what we have needed as a family, but with only a few ‘earning years’ left, we thought it was time to look for a position to prepare for the later years and to start saving for our son’s future education. We will probably live in the UK, are open to possibilities and are going to take a break and see what may present itself for us as a family.”

Tretheway steps ashore after more than 28 years – far richer than a Wall Street hedge fund trader – secure in the reward that comes with lifetime friendships and the knowledge that the world is a little bit better because he came and said ‘yes’. That’s a job well done, Captain Tretheway. Bravo Zulu from MarPro.

18-33 Q3 MP2015.indd 23 9/18/2015 9:42:30 AM