Hussein Al Ra’isi
A love of the sea
17th April 2010
Hussein Al Ra’isi, Bosun
Hussein Al Ra’isi, ship’s bosun and rigger, tells of his love of life at sea
I am proud to have grown up in Muscat, not far from the palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. When I was young I loved the sea. In fact, I have to admit that I enjoyed playing at the beach and fishing more than I enjoyed school. So as soon as I was old enough, I applied to join the Royal Yacht Squadron. To my happiness, I was accepted, and that is where I have worked every since–nearly 25 years. Most of that time I have worked on the sailing ship Zinat Al Bahar. It is a beautiful ship and I enjoy my job as bosun and rigger. I feel privileged to have sailed to many interesting places in service to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. I’ve been all over the Indian Ocean as well as Egypt, Spain, France, England and Germany. My life has been enriched by so much travel, but I especially enjoyed visiting Mombasa and Zanzibar because they have played such an important role in Omani history and there are still so many Omanis who live there.
I heard about the Jewel of Muscat in the media and went on my own to Qantab to see the ship myself. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to become part of its crew, so I applied for the position through my commanding officer. Thanks to God, I was selected for the voyage to Singapore. At first many of my friends recommended that I shouldn’t go because the Jewel of Muscat has no AC, bathrooms, electricity, or proper beds. But I knew this was an historic ship like those used by ancient Omani sailors, so I decided to go. I am very happy I made that decision. Yes, life on board is a bit difficult at times, and lately the rains have kept us quite busy, but it is an exciting life and I feel honoured to be a part of this crew. We are all committed to delivering this beautiful ship safely to the government of Singapore, and God willing, we shall achieve that goal together.