ey ey captain!

Captain Jeremy Kingston walks with an air of superiority. He appears aware of the fact that he has control over the lives of hundreds of young passengers and he his proud of it. As he stepped into classroom #5 this morning, the Captain, donning his crisp white uniform, had no idea what he was about to get himself into. With a reserved yet pleasant look upon his face he found himself to be the center of an interview and with the following 30 minutes he divulged information he may not have been prepared to share. Surprisingly calm before the firing squad, the Captain took a seat and was primed for the attack. “What do you do in your morning meetings?”… “Why work at sea?” the students began, and with an automated instinct the Captain shot back with clever one-liners and then remained quiet, refueling before the next blow. An awkward air settled over the room as we slowly collected an assortment of facts about his life piecing together the story of a man, that of the Captain of the MV Explorer.
Born in 1956, the British Captain has had many an adventure within his 51 years of life. 33 of those years have been spent at sea after he saw a Royal Navy Officer magazine that caught his eye as a child. Little did he know that this magazine would play such a large part in his future life’s profession. Having always had ambitions of piloting an airplane or driving a ship, the closing of flight schools in England along with the romanticism involved in the open sea together made his decision for sailing a clear choice. “Besides,” the Captain added, “I realized that in case of an emergency my chances of survival by swimming were a lot higher than that of my ability to fly.” This sort of humorous logic was weaved into many of his responses confirming his intelligence and mix of dry English wit. Not to be mistaken for conceit, the Captain used this style of jest in order to disguise intimate facts and leave no room for retort.
The Captain has had a very interesting life thus far. Living in various places such as France, Ukraine and now presently residing in the Philippines has offered as sense of worldly knowledge that further supplements his wisdom of the sea. He is currently married to his third wife, a Filipino fashion model who resides in her home country, and she is the last key player in a long line of relationships that have impacted his life. These said relationships offered an abundance of intimate facts, which the Captain graciously answered as intrigued with our interest in his personal life as we were with him. His first wife was British but has since past away leaving his two eldest children who are now ages 13 and 8 to also reside in the Philippines. He has two other children ages 7 and 4 whom are the products of an “overlap in relationships”. Those two live in the Ukraine presumably remaining with their mother who was never married to the Captain as the two adults “never made it that far.” “I try to stay in touch regularly.” says the Captain of his younger children, but the pressed look upon his face left no room for further questions as it was clear that he had little to do with their lives as of now. “There are many hardships within relationships,” the Captain truthfully advised, then with a smile he finished with “but the Internet makes it easier” to add a sense of lightness back into the mood.
Maintaining his precise posture, the Captain folded his hands across the table in front of him. “I think I am one of the nicest people that I know.” said the Captain creating somewhat of a paradox between his outside personality and his actions within his personal relationships. “I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this ship as the passengers do not complain much,” the Captain added, “and I enjoy the enthusiasm in everything that you students do…It is quite rewarding.” People are a topic in which Captain Jeremy’s life revolves around. “I would be happy sitting on a pavement café watching life pass,” the Captain states with a profound glance. He enjoys small ships as “the passengers are not just numbers” and the involvement with the passengers as well as the crew is more open. His life is all about observing and striving to learn something more. At his various ports of call, the Captain is much more likely to discover the culture of the people and of the place than to lie on the beach with the other tourists. He enjoys music of all sorts, water sports and he defiantly states he is scared of nothing.
Like many others, Captain Jeremy is a distinguished man who appears to have everything together. Today we learned that like many, he has his own secrets and interesting past. Bringing humor and seriousness into his life, the Captain remained poised during the prodding of his personal life. Throughout the session he became less of an icon and more of a mere mortal while preserving a deserved level of respect that has been earned from years of hard work.