So today I got to "grease and exercise" the round, bulbous cargo vents all
over the ship. You attach the grease gun, give it a squeeze- three-quarters
of which goes all over holy hell, of course- then turn the wheel all the way
to the left. Repeat, the only variation being you turn the wheel to the
right the second time. And by "you" I mean me.
I went out in simple coveralls and got good and wedged up in the catwalk
between container mountains, down under the all the walk-ways, conduits,
turn-buckles, etc. and began "greasing and exercising" one particular vent
when a good squall hit. All the water that hit the top of the containers
rained down. All the rain in the catwalks rained down. Ankle deep water
ran like a flash flood as we heeled, then pooled as we came level, then ran
like a scalded cat in the other direction. I was soaked in seconds.
Needless to say, after coffee I was in my Polyvinyl Chloride superhero armor
with only my eyes exposed, and while my gear does repel the crap out of
water, it seems to magically attract grease...
We passed through the Strait of Gibraltar tonight before my watch (while I
slept). Currently I am between Morocco and Portugal, about 85 nautical
miles east of Gibraltar. Tomorrow will be day 1 of the visible
Mediterranean (I am excited to see the colors of the waters). And my union
delegate is now pissed at Academy Boy based on my conversations about how my
watches have been going... it will be interesting to observe how this
interaction plays out... the Delegate has twenty-something years of living
these politics, so I suspect it will not go well for Academy Boy.
Interestingly enough, the company who owns this boat is trying an experiment
by having two 3rd mates on this trip and the other 3rd mate is a bit of a
douche nozzle, too. How is it the Chief Mate and the 2nd mate are so
congenial, approachable, and genuinely likable, and then their underlings
are such asshats? WTF?
OK. Time for my second sleep... we advance the clocks almost every night
due to crossing time zones, and I lose an hour of sleep each time we do...
over the ship. You attach the grease gun, give it a squeeze- three-quarters
of which goes all over holy hell, of course- then turn the wheel all the way
to the left. Repeat, the only variation being you turn the wheel to the
right the second time. And by "you" I mean me.
I went out in simple coveralls and got good and wedged up in the catwalk
between container mountains, down under the all the walk-ways, conduits,
turn-buckles, etc. and began "greasing and exercising" one particular vent
when a good squall hit. All the water that hit the top of the containers
rained down. All the rain in the catwalks rained down. Ankle deep water
ran like a flash flood as we heeled, then pooled as we came level, then ran
like a scalded cat in the other direction. I was soaked in seconds.
Needless to say, after coffee I was in my Polyvinyl Chloride superhero armor
with only my eyes exposed, and while my gear does repel the crap out of
water, it seems to magically attract grease...
We passed through the Strait of Gibraltar tonight before my watch (while I
slept). Currently I am between Morocco and Portugal, about 85 nautical
miles east of Gibraltar. Tomorrow will be day 1 of the visible
Mediterranean (I am excited to see the colors of the waters). And my union
delegate is now pissed at Academy Boy based on my conversations about how my
watches have been going... it will be interesting to observe how this
interaction plays out... the Delegate has twenty-something years of living
these politics, so I suspect it will not go well for Academy Boy.
Interestingly enough, the company who owns this boat is trying an experiment
by having two 3rd mates on this trip and the other 3rd mate is a bit of a
douche nozzle, too. How is it the Chief Mate and the 2nd mate are so
congenial, approachable, and genuinely likable, and then their underlings
are such asshats? WTF?
OK. Time for my second sleep... we advance the clocks almost every night
due to crossing time zones, and I lose an hour of sleep each time we do...
This really could fall under TMI... Just sayin'... but regarding my own personal habits, much of my usage goes to my nose. Now that chronic sinus issues and allergies have been diagnosed, I have back-up. Again, just sayin'... I don't think you need to let us know when the roll is finished.
ReplyDeleteSorry you missed Gibraltar but you'll have other opportunities. Hope you describe the Med. waters.