Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
No, that's not where I'm working, but it looks cool.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Fruit
I've been out of California for about 50 hours and I already miss GOOD fresh fruit. Don't get me wrong, we have fruit and some is ok. Nice kiwis, pineapple and melon at lunch but the apples are mealy, the bananas are brown and the oranges have no taste. I really miss the wonderful peaches and nectarines that are in season right now...
Tuesday 31 Aug 2010
Today I got in the tank for the first time with Neil watching and trying to guide me through stuff from the other side of the window. Now, as SCUBA divers we have a small repertoire of hand signals that we would use to communicate while underwater. Unfortunately, those signals are mostly limited to things like, "are you ok," "I'm out of air," "SHARK!" and "let's go up." I am unfamiliar with the hand signals for, "please move that mushroom coral from its current location to up on that rock over there behind the clam." Not only was he making ridiculous hand gestures, but his facial expressions were quite humorous. Did I mention that I am no good at charades? After alot of laughing at him through my regulator I seemed to accomplish what it was that he intended for me to do.
We started talking about some of the special circumstances that I might encounter if we go cruising. Rough waters pose the biggest complication as the reservoir tanks could slosh around creating a big mess and therefore headache. The life support system is housed beneath the tank in a very small, very cramped room. The reservoirs are located in this room. I would need to cover the tanks and secure the "lids" - which are simply pieces of plexiglass that attach with rusty bolts. There is also a phosphate removal dosing system that Neil has MacGyver'd up which would need to be drained and stowed. There are also about 5 different ways to do water changes depending on the circumstances so I have to keep all that straight in my head. Luckily, Neil is very well organized and had prepared a document with the basics of how to do everything so I feel pretty confident.
So, why might I need to know all this info? Turns out we will be leaving port. There is some event happening at the port which will require us to undock and sit at anchor for a few days. That won't be too bad, we will still have access to shore via tender boats. We will probably go to Beaulieu which is between here and Monaco.
Another possibility for leaving port would be if the boss comes aboard for a cruise. This would probably be sometime after September 15 and stay relatively close to Nice. In this case I would stay aboard the shadow boat and be shuttled over to the Odyssey to work on the tank.
The last possibility would be that the boss doesn't come and we sail to Hamburg, Germany where the ship will be in dry dock for repairs and inspections. This is my favorite option! We would sail through the Straits of Gibraltar, around Spain, through the English Channel and into Germany. I'll keep you posted as to which option wins.
Time to get back to work...
We started talking about some of the special circumstances that I might encounter if we go cruising. Rough waters pose the biggest complication as the reservoir tanks could slosh around creating a big mess and therefore headache. The life support system is housed beneath the tank in a very small, very cramped room. The reservoirs are located in this room. I would need to cover the tanks and secure the "lids" - which are simply pieces of plexiglass that attach with rusty bolts. There is also a phosphate removal dosing system that Neil has MacGyver'd up which would need to be drained and stowed. There are also about 5 different ways to do water changes depending on the circumstances so I have to keep all that straight in my head. Luckily, Neil is very well organized and had prepared a document with the basics of how to do everything so I feel pretty confident.
So, why might I need to know all this info? Turns out we will be leaving port. There is some event happening at the port which will require us to undock and sit at anchor for a few days. That won't be too bad, we will still have access to shore via tender boats. We will probably go to Beaulieu which is between here and Monaco.
Another possibility for leaving port would be if the boss comes aboard for a cruise. This would probably be sometime after September 15 and stay relatively close to Nice. In this case I would stay aboard the shadow boat and be shuttled over to the Odyssey to work on the tank.
The last possibility would be that the boss doesn't come and we sail to Hamburg, Germany where the ship will be in dry dock for repairs and inspections. This is my favorite option! We would sail through the Straits of Gibraltar, around Spain, through the English Channel and into Germany. I'll keep you posted as to which option wins.
Time to get back to work...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Fresh ON the Boat
I arrived in Nice, France yesterday evening to beautiful weather, friendly faces and good food! Neil, the aquarist I am relieving for 4 weeks was off mopedding around Italy and San Remo (lucky) and didn't get in until midnight. Needless to say, I was asleep. The flights were relatively uneventful. I got the lucky middle seat on the flight to London (awesome) but got to watch "Date Night," "Invictus" and most of "How to Train your Dragon." On British Airways each seat has it's own screen so you can watch whatever TV shows or movies you want. They also have an extensive music list that you can create your own playlists with so that was a perk. Amazingly, I slept for about 3 hours or so which, for me, is great when I'm on a plane. Put me in a car and I will pass out within 5 minutes, but on a plane I just can't get comfortable. Blame it on the long legs - and the guy with longer legs behind me constantly ramming his knees into my vertebrae.
Got to go through security AGAIN in London. Set off the metal detector. Got a very thorough pat-down by a nice gentleman who then asked what was in my pocket so I pulled out the chapstick and he said, "That was it." Seriously? Chapstick set off the metal detector? Wasn't aware that chapstick had metal in it. Anyway, had time to kill in London so I just walked around. Then a massive downpour occurred out of nowhere. Not in the airport, or course, but outside where it could delay airplanes. Luckily mine was not delayed. Funny thing at Heathrow, they don't feel it neccessary to announce that your flight is boarding. I was sitting in the waiting area facing away from the gate, checked my watch and thought, "Gee, we're supposed to leave in about 15 minutes, you would think they would announce the flight." I turned around and there was a big line of people getting on the plane. Really? Too lazy to come over the loudspeaker and tell us that it's time? Anyway, I made it on.
I arrived on time in Nice, collected my bags and walked right out, no customs, nothing. I wish the journey home was going to be that easy. I was picked up by one of the crew members who was told to look for, "the guy with the big earrings." The guys last time made a big deal out of my earrings and it must have made an impression because that was what they remembered!
So, here I am, on a mega yacht, in the south of France, heartbroken and jobless, taking some time for introspection and relaxation. There are worse places I could be and worse things I could be doing. For now I'll write as often as I can, try to stay positive, keep the fishies happy and go for long walks on the beach!!
Cheers!
Got to go through security AGAIN in London. Set off the metal detector. Got a very thorough pat-down by a nice gentleman who then asked what was in my pocket so I pulled out the chapstick and he said, "That was it." Seriously? Chapstick set off the metal detector? Wasn't aware that chapstick had metal in it. Anyway, had time to kill in London so I just walked around. Then a massive downpour occurred out of nowhere. Not in the airport, or course, but outside where it could delay airplanes. Luckily mine was not delayed. Funny thing at Heathrow, they don't feel it neccessary to announce that your flight is boarding. I was sitting in the waiting area facing away from the gate, checked my watch and thought, "Gee, we're supposed to leave in about 15 minutes, you would think they would announce the flight." I turned around and there was a big line of people getting on the plane. Really? Too lazy to come over the loudspeaker and tell us that it's time? Anyway, I made it on.
I arrived on time in Nice, collected my bags and walked right out, no customs, nothing. I wish the journey home was going to be that easy. I was picked up by one of the crew members who was told to look for, "the guy with the big earrings." The guys last time made a big deal out of my earrings and it must have made an impression because that was what they remembered!
So, here I am, on a mega yacht, in the south of France, heartbroken and jobless, taking some time for introspection and relaxation. There are worse places I could be and worse things I could be doing. For now I'll write as often as I can, try to stay positive, keep the fishies happy and go for long walks on the beach!!
Cheers!
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