We have now been at sea for 44 hours as I write this ( 11pm Sunday , October 18, 2015) and already a routine is settling in. Everyone onboard is on a 6 hour rotation. So 6 hours on duty 6 hours off then back on again. Robert and I releive each other as does the Captain and the Engineer. I spend half of my shift with the Captain and half with the Engineer. My main responsibility on duty is to perform hourly engine room checks. This requires the "mine field walk" as i refer to it. You see the engine room is very tight quarters to say the least. Everything in the engine room is very hot!---somethings are over 400 degrees. The room was not designed for somebody of my "monumental stature"! You learn very quickly where to step and what not to touch. I fashioned some insulating covers for my arms and always wear gloves......both of which have already saved me several times.
When doing the engine room check i have to look for leaks of any kind, loose fittings and hoses as well as check different guages to ensure they are in the proper range for operation. Anything abnormal is to be reported to the captain on duty. The whole check takes about 5 ~10 minutes including putting on and taking off the previously mention PPD (Pete Protective Devices). The Engine room is extremely loud so you have to wear ear muffs as well. By the time you come out you have a nice glisten of sweat built up---reminds me of my days at UPS opening up trailers that have sat on the yard all day in the south Louisiana sun!
The rest of my time on duty can be spent sleeping, fishing, updating my blog etc. I just need to be accessable to the captian on duty. I spent most of the day today fishing....no luck yet...several good hits but I screwed those up with my inexperiance with off shore fishing. Learning as I go...I am very lucky that the engineer spent 10 years on sport fishing boat so I am learning everything I can from him.
So my shifts are 10 am to 4 pm and 10 pm to 4 am. After the 1st shift I have been cooking dinner for the crew and then catching a few hours of sleep before I come back on at 10 PM. Last night I was able to sleep for a couple of hours off and on during my 2nd shift. So its not all fun and games.
We will probably stay at sea for at least another 3 or 4 days before coming in to a port. Hopefully I will have better fishing news to tell you at that time. But for now here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.
Picture 1 is what the pilot house looks like at night while at sea
The rest are just some cool sights while we cruised today.
Cheers,
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab® S
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