Married to the Sea

...what happens with the real wife tags along.

Getting used to a new ship...

So part of shipping is living and working on different ships.

Peter's current home is the Alliance New York, which is a ro-ro...things roll on, and roll off.  Essentially, it's a huge floating parking garage.

And it's...rather different in set up.  It has an elevator.  The "house" (where everyone lives, the mess hall, officers lounge, etc) is all on the same deck (floor)...and it basically runs the length of the ship.  

If you remember, on the Glory, there was "upper deck" (ships office, stuff like that), "A Deck" (unlicensed, mess hall and lounges), "B Deck" (Unlicensed, cadets, and the third mate and third engineer), C Deck (second mate, second engineer, first engineer, chief mate, captain and chief engineer, officers laundry) and the Bridge.  The "house" was located at the back/aft part of the ship...so it seems weird to me, to imagine living further forward on the ship.

Ro-ro's sit higher in the water (more freeboard, I think they say?) so they tend to ride a bit rougher.  I can only imagine what it is like...maybe being further forward you don't feel the ship pitch as much?  Hmm.

Maybe I'll see if I can ride the coast on a Ro-ro someday.

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Fire and Boat Drills, the Boat edition...

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So Peter is back at sea and it's been more than two months, but I'm still here and the blogs not yet done.  

Life explodes.  It really does.  About the time we got home and took a deep breath, we were off and running with things here at home.  It makes me feel for those at sea, really--think about how much has accumulated that needs to be done in that brief time they're home?  All the honey-do's and such.  Not to mention the "see people!" aspect of being home.  

I really, really, missed seeing other girls.

But that's a whole 'nother blog entry--the time at home, that is.  I sat down with the intention of reminding you about the fire and boat drills and just how strange the life boats were.  So...they're weird.

They're covered/enclosed, as that increases the likelihood of survival in the event they ever need to be used...but they're also a bit like being inside an enclosed plastic tunnel--you know the ones, on playgrounds?  The ones with "Caution: May be hot!" stamped on them? Yeah, those.

The guy in the photos is Peter, my lovely husband, taken after work while we were out walking on deck on one of the "good days" weather wise.  That's why he's so dirty. ;)

Peter is just shy of 6 ft tall.  He might actually BE six feet tall in his boots, I don't know, I never measured.  Notice--he's standing on the VERY first step/ledge inside the boat.  In another picture, (the one with the blurry hand) you can see the "sit here" black marks...that's how close they want you sitting.  Spread out for comfort? No.  To disperse weight, yes, somewhat.  But they like you to be "tight"....helps keep you from moving around in rough seas, I was told.

In any event...I'd hate to have to use on of those boats.  And I think I'm in the majority when I say...I hope NO one ever has to use one.

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The Many Uses of Bags

Hello all,
  So I am back at home and sitting here with a sleeping Adri on my feet and a purring black Pixel in my lap (or just anywhere he can be that is in my way somehow?).  It's good to be home, and I am even enjoying the fluffy white stuff falling outside.  But...that doesn't mean I'm done with the blog.  At least, not yet!  As I posted before, there are many interesting ways in which the workers in Djibouti used the plastic bags...so today's blog?  Well, it is in pictures.  Some taken by me, some by the Mate, others that I found on the network on the ship...so not sure who took them.  But...
  Well, here are just a few examples of the ingenuity...
 

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"It's a little like prison," the second mate said.

I have been assured that I do, in fact, have channel fever. One of the
unlicensed guys pointed at me as I did a happy dance in the mess hall and
laughed "Channel FEVER!"

I don't miss somethings, like laundry and cleaning up after my dogs, but I
do miss other things...like deciding what I'm having for dinner and
walking more than 189.5 meters without turning. And I miss grass...or
maybe carpeting (walking around on metal is getting old) at the very
least.

And I miss color. On occasion there is a rainbow out here, and sunsets
are rather spectacular...but most of my world is shades of grey mixed with
blue. The ship, of course, is mostly red...but that doesn't break up the
monotony. It is, what I imagine, much like it is in a prison--shades of
drab with a side of dull.

I think, when I get home, I might get my huge box of crayons out and color
with each and every one of them.

The second mate, looking a bit frazzled and definitely ready to be home
told me the other day that being out here, "Is a little like prison," with
a laugh that sounded slightly like an evil kitten. "Only with the risk of
drowning."

What do you do...?

On your birthday while on a boat? So far (apparently this is a
progressive update-the-blog-day)...

Well, you go out on deck with your husband and learn how to sound tanks. This involves getting your hands dirty (and your pants when you forget
your hands are dirty and wipe your hands on your thighs or back
pockets)...with heavy fuel oil.

After that is done, well, then you learn about Gojo (orange smelling oily
liquid soap...not sure if that's the "real name" of it or not since I
can't read the label through the dirty on it) and LAVA soap (that's
imprinted ON the soap). And now my hands have slight traces (looks like I
was polishing some shoes or something...or maybe writing with a black dry
erase marker. With my left hand.) of oil on them, smell like oranges and
feel...oily.

And I broke a nail (seriously--but saying so kinda sounds like I'm being
prissy girl).

You also, if you happen to be celebrating a birthday, get your hair blown
about by curiously strong winds (I may use an entire bottle of conditioner
trying to untangle the knots!) while seeing a tug and barge, a Chinese
tanker ship, and a few birds out fishing.

If you can't tell...I'm having a blast. ;)

(But oh am I looking forward to celebrating AT HOME, too! :))

Happy Pi Day!

Or in my world, "Happy 27th Birthday, to me!" (I'm getting old!)

I think Teddy, the second mate, might very well be my new best
friend...because while the rest of the world only gets 23 hours of Pi Day
(okay, not the whole world, just the daylight savings time practicing
world)...we're doing our last retard today...so my birthday? Is 25 hours..

For me, anyway (as technically, doing clocks today means that the ship
clock changes 'round 2am on Monday, but since we change the clock before
we sleep, it's an extra hour of awake time).

Thanks, Teddy! ;)

Incidentally, I should have cell phone service this afternoon/evening
sometime as we'll be near the coast of Florida...so double birthday gift?
lol...an extra hour AND internet (Other Mom--can you BELIEVE I've actually
gotten used to not carrying my iphone around with me all the time?) all on
one day...? I guess I'm easy to please.

;)

(And thank you for the birthday emails! They've been thoroughly
enjoyable! :))

"I love the retards..." wait, what was I thinking?!

This blog could, likely, be called "Channel Fever" but I am not overly
certain that I am suffering from it yet, so we'll just go with...what on
earth was I thinking?!

We're scheduled to be back at a US port on St. Patrick's Day
(incidentally, my favorite holiday). That means that right now, we're
under a week out from being "home" (assuming weather holds and nothing
goes wrong, of course).

And we're doing clocks. We should have two more to go, but thanks to
Daylight Savings Time starting this weekend we only have one more retard
left.

But...it seriously sucks. Why?

Because I'm starting to look forward to things. Like...deciding when I
eat dinner and what it is beyond four choices (two entrees prepared by the
stewards department, pb&j, or cereal). Driving. Walking for longer than
189.5 meters (I think that's the length of the ship) without having to
turn. Soft serve ice cream (I may eat that for dinner, just wait!). Seeing people other than the ones I've seen for two months. That sort of
thing. And every time we retard clocks...well, I suddenly feel like I
have another hour separating me from important things, like cheese (I'm
going to the cheese importer place and getting some fantastic cheese when
I get home!).

It's sort of like...when you're a kid? And you're super excited to do
something or go somewhere? And finding out "whoops, it's not at 7,
sweetie, it's at 8." You're dressed, ready, excited, and...well, hurry up
and wait.

But we are making good time (15.5 knots right now!)...and the weather has
been nice. And I've seen dolphins and bio luminescent stuff in the ocean,
amazing stars (though I think comparable to what you see above timberline)
and spent great time with Peter.

Can you tell I'm trying to be optimistic?


(And another fitting title for this blog? I like parenthetical phrases
way. too. much.)

The Wildlife I have yet to see...at sea.

So there is one particular type of fish I am really hoping to see in the
next week before we tie up to a dock in the US.

That is...flying fish. To the point that I have asked all the mates
and/or deck people to call me if they see any. Apparently this is a
fairly common occurrence out here...one that EVERYONE seems to have seen,
but me.

I thought, at first, that this might be a case of "blinker fluid" or "stop
signs with white borders are optional" (neither are true, kids, though I
know people who believed others when they were told such nonsense). But...I had a friend look it up for me back home. They're real.

I've seen something that MIGHT have been flying fish, and it looked weird,
but we were in rough seas so I am leaning towards believing that was more
or less fish enjoying the ride, not gliding about.

Maybe the reason I haven't seen these fish yet is because I keep
explaining them away? Hmm.

I have managed to see a stingray (or at least, I think that's what it
was...manaray is popping in my head, too, but I'm not even sure that's
really a living thing), dolphins, a shark (yes, I'm sure!)...no whales
yet, but we're a bit north for that...I've seen the sea glow at night when
the propeller kicks up something (plankton, maybe?) and I've seen some
strange looking birds.

But what I really want to see, and get a photo of? ...well, we'll see if
I do! :)