When Does Vacation Begin?

I "signed off" a ship last week (6/5). It was one week earlier than I had planned (6/11), and a date I chose for safety margin. I will be a groomsman at a friend's wedding on June 26th, but did not want the tempest of the seas delaying my launch boat, nor a weak-willed relief crew deciding to quit at an inopportune moment. While I do appreciate the time off, and the opportunity to catch up on a whirlwind of tasks that accumulated over two months away, I just wasn't ready yet mentally for a long vacation. This is a benefit of seafaring, but one that I hadn't indulged in. While sailing for the Military Sealift Command, I averaged 6 weeks off the clock per year. The average American deep sea mariner will put in 20 weeks of vacation. After careful consideration (does one week really mean one week?), I decided to take a one-week offer. After this, I'll be ready for vacation.