Well, today is my last day of work on the boat. Neil will return this evening to a clean, well fed, running, happy tank. After diligently babysitting the RO unit for 3 days, Dan finally answered my prayers and took me out in the tender to get ocean water to fill the tank. I had (half jokingly) put that as an option for replacing the water lost from the incident on Monday and everyone kind of laughed it off. Dan came around yesterday before lunch to see how things were going and when he saw how slowly the water was being made, he said he'd ask if we could take the tender to collect water.
After lunch we loaded up three 20 gallon trashcans and a five gallon salt bucket into the tender a headed about one mile offshore. We rinsed the big buckets, filled them as much as we could while still being able to drag them on board, then took turns using the 5 gallon bucket to top them up. On the way back to the boat we were forced to go slowly because of all the extra weight in the boat but that helped to prevent too much spillage. Once back, we dropped a submersible pump into one of the buckets, ran a long hose all the way to the reservoir and started filling it up. I, or course, tested the water for basic water quality parameters (Nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, pH, temp and salinity) but we really had no way of knowing if any other toxins might have been in the water. It took us 3 trips out to get enough water to fill the tank. We got it all up and running though!!
When we were done cleaning up from our adventures, we donned wetsuits and jumped in a bright pink, 2-man kayak and went for a cruise to the beach. About halfway out my paddle snapped in half - I guess I'm just too strong for my own good, or the thing was crazy corroded from the inside out. Luckily, we were passing John and Sandy in another kayak on their way in. They gave us a good paddle since they didn't have as far to go. Dan and I continued on and landed on the beach, hung out for a bit, decided we were starving and shoved off again. He got in and I pushed him out and he started paddling like crazy to get out of the surf, I thought he was going to just take off without me but I caught him and jumped in. It was alot of fun and hard work!
After dinner Dan and I walked down to the bar and I bought him his first beer since he passed out in a doorway in Sitges last weekend to say thanks for all the help today and this past month. If he hadn't been around I think I would have destroyed everything.
As I said, Neil gets back tonight and I leave the boat tomorrow at noon. I will arrive in Pisa at 4:45 and hopefully someone will be there to pick me up. Hopefully we recognize each other! Miro and I are going to get some wine and tapas tonight so I can sample the local cuisine before leaving Spain.
I'm glad my job is over, I've made some friends (and probably some enemies),I've seen some cool stuff, done some cool things and eaten some great food. I can't wait to get home.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
No, that's not where I'm working, but it looks cool.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Weekend Recap
OK, where do I start?! Where did I leave off? I don't know. Anyway, arrived in Spain Thursday afternoon, went out for a few beers that night. Friday, worked then wandered around town in the evening. I ended up running into one of the stewards from Shadow so he and I walked around a bit then grabbed a beer before heading back to the ship. Pretty sure that was if for Friday.
Got up early on Saturday to feed the fish and do any tank maintenance that was required for the day. Made - the chef - made me some delicious pancakes for breakfast!! At 10 AM, Miro, Bryan and I headed into town to catch a train to Barcelona. Miro had been there before so he was our tour guide. When we got off the train we came up into one of the main shopping areas in the heart of the city. Something about Barcelona immediately reminded me of San Francisco but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because it's a port city on the ocean, maybe it's the hills, maybe it's the way the streets were designed, I don't know but I got a good feeling about the city, it made me happy!
We walked down the main street, or Rambla, which was blocked off to cars but it was packed to the gills with people. There was a big festival all weekend called Merce which celebrated the city and the patron saint so there were more people than usual for the end of September. Along the Rambla there were all these "street performers" dressed in crazy costumes posing with people for money. It was like the guys in SF that paint themselves all gold or silver and then pose. There was a cowboy, some reapers on bicycles, Cleopatra, a demon, all kinds of crazy outfits, all begging for money. We soon turned off the Rambla and headed toward the main Cathedral - which, just like every other historic building I visit in Europe was being restored so it was covered in scaffolding. Luckily, we could still go in and look around. These things are amazing, so massive inside they make you feel like a tiny little ant. It's truly a testament to human ingenuity that so many centuries ago, we were capable of building something like that. I guess that's why now, hundreds of years later, they are just now getting around to doing some fix-it projects. My favorite thing - the electronic candle that you pay to light now instead of a real candle. Classic.
We then walked back across the Catalonia Square to a little cafe that Miro liked. It's called Happy Bar and Grill and is apparently a chain started in Bulgaria (which is where he is from). They serve all kinds of food, American, Spanish, Japanese and Bulgarian. I ordered a shopska salad which is a traditional Bulgarian dish that is essentially just a Greek salad but with a shredded white cheese instead of cubed feta. For our main course, Miro talked to the waitress and asked her to bring us some traditional Bulgarian fare like kofta and kebapcheta and french fries. Everything was quite tasty but it was strange to eat Bulgarian food while in Spain. Anyway, to begin our meal we got robbed, which was fun. Miro left to use the restroom and while he was gone a woman came to our table with a piece of paper with writing on it and she appeared to be asking for money. She kind of help the paper up while gibbering at us in another language and we politely just kept saying "no." When Miro got back he couldn't find his phone. Apparently, when we got to the table, he took it out, laid it on the table and then left. the woman had covered the phone with the paper and grabbed it, then walked away. Bu this time, of course, she was long gone. Good times!
After lunch, we walked to La Familia Sagrada which is a famous cathedral, partially built by the artist/architect Antoni Gaudi. The thing was begun in 1882 and still is not finished and it is - wait for it - covered in scaffolding right now!! We didn't pay the 12.50 Euro to get in, mainly because the line went around the block, but also because the outside was fantastic enough. There are all these things carved into it - animals, people, words - you could spend all day just looking at the outside. It was pretty spectacular.
Then we walked to another Gaudi landmark, the Guell Park. This is up at the top of a hill and has an amazing view of the entire city. Gaudi designed these crazy bridges and houses and sculptures all through the park, most of which are decorated with mosaics. I read that the mosaics were created by breaking plates and then piecing them back together.
When we returned to the ship, the barbeque was in full swing so I stuffed myself with food and beer! I probably consumed about 20,000 calories this weekend. We went out that night to Sitges, which is a small, coastal town not far from Vilanova. We have been told it is the place to go for nightlife so we figured might as well check it out. The Barcelona soccer game was one, so some of the smaller bars were full of people watching the game but other, more club-like places, were practically empty. We started asking around and found out that nothing really gets going until about 2AM. Seriously? That's when they kick us out back home! We had a few beers at some different places, we found a little Irish Pub, so we had to go it. We played a round of Killer on the pool table and somehow I wasn't the first one out. Matt and I then bugged out to go see if anything was happening elsewhere and we found where all the people were so we went back and got the rest of the guys. Either Spanish people are really short, or the clubs were filled with 14 year olds - by the looks of it, they were 14. We decided to try to find something with a slightly older clientele. Then, Will started buying shots of terrible Spanish tequila. I help onto my empty beer bottle so that I could spit the crap back out into it - and thank god I did. Apparently Ross found Dan passed out in some doorway in an alley at 5am and he hasn't been out of his bed since. Sounds like he had fun!
Sunday was very low key. I woke up late, fed the fish, had some breakfast, read in my cabin until lunch. After lunch I walked the length of the beach, watched some jet ski races, read some more then walked back to the boat.
Neil returns on Wednesday so I'm looking forward to finishing up here and heading off to Italy this weekend!
Got up early on Saturday to feed the fish and do any tank maintenance that was required for the day. Made - the chef - made me some delicious pancakes for breakfast!! At 10 AM, Miro, Bryan and I headed into town to catch a train to Barcelona. Miro had been there before so he was our tour guide. When we got off the train we came up into one of the main shopping areas in the heart of the city. Something about Barcelona immediately reminded me of San Francisco but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because it's a port city on the ocean, maybe it's the hills, maybe it's the way the streets were designed, I don't know but I got a good feeling about the city, it made me happy!
We walked down the main street, or Rambla, which was blocked off to cars but it was packed to the gills with people. There was a big festival all weekend called Merce which celebrated the city and the patron saint so there were more people than usual for the end of September. Along the Rambla there were all these "street performers" dressed in crazy costumes posing with people for money. It was like the guys in SF that paint themselves all gold or silver and then pose. There was a cowboy, some reapers on bicycles, Cleopatra, a demon, all kinds of crazy outfits, all begging for money. We soon turned off the Rambla and headed toward the main Cathedral - which, just like every other historic building I visit in Europe was being restored so it was covered in scaffolding. Luckily, we could still go in and look around. These things are amazing, so massive inside they make you feel like a tiny little ant. It's truly a testament to human ingenuity that so many centuries ago, we were capable of building something like that. I guess that's why now, hundreds of years later, they are just now getting around to doing some fix-it projects. My favorite thing - the electronic candle that you pay to light now instead of a real candle. Classic.
We then walked back across the Catalonia Square to a little cafe that Miro liked. It's called Happy Bar and Grill and is apparently a chain started in Bulgaria (which is where he is from). They serve all kinds of food, American, Spanish, Japanese and Bulgarian. I ordered a shopska salad which is a traditional Bulgarian dish that is essentially just a Greek salad but with a shredded white cheese instead of cubed feta. For our main course, Miro talked to the waitress and asked her to bring us some traditional Bulgarian fare like kofta and kebapcheta and french fries. Everything was quite tasty but it was strange to eat Bulgarian food while in Spain. Anyway, to begin our meal we got robbed, which was fun. Miro left to use the restroom and while he was gone a woman came to our table with a piece of paper with writing on it and she appeared to be asking for money. She kind of help the paper up while gibbering at us in another language and we politely just kept saying "no." When Miro got back he couldn't find his phone. Apparently, when we got to the table, he took it out, laid it on the table and then left. the woman had covered the phone with the paper and grabbed it, then walked away. Bu this time, of course, she was long gone. Good times!
After lunch, we walked to La Familia Sagrada which is a famous cathedral, partially built by the artist/architect Antoni Gaudi. The thing was begun in 1882 and still is not finished and it is - wait for it - covered in scaffolding right now!! We didn't pay the 12.50 Euro to get in, mainly because the line went around the block, but also because the outside was fantastic enough. There are all these things carved into it - animals, people, words - you could spend all day just looking at the outside. It was pretty spectacular.
Then we walked to another Gaudi landmark, the Guell Park. This is up at the top of a hill and has an amazing view of the entire city. Gaudi designed these crazy bridges and houses and sculptures all through the park, most of which are decorated with mosaics. I read that the mosaics were created by breaking plates and then piecing them back together.
When we returned to the ship, the barbeque was in full swing so I stuffed myself with food and beer! I probably consumed about 20,000 calories this weekend. We went out that night to Sitges, which is a small, coastal town not far from Vilanova. We have been told it is the place to go for nightlife so we figured might as well check it out. The Barcelona soccer game was one, so some of the smaller bars were full of people watching the game but other, more club-like places, were practically empty. We started asking around and found out that nothing really gets going until about 2AM. Seriously? That's when they kick us out back home! We had a few beers at some different places, we found a little Irish Pub, so we had to go it. We played a round of Killer on the pool table and somehow I wasn't the first one out. Matt and I then bugged out to go see if anything was happening elsewhere and we found where all the people were so we went back and got the rest of the guys. Either Spanish people are really short, or the clubs were filled with 14 year olds - by the looks of it, they were 14. We decided to try to find something with a slightly older clientele. Then, Will started buying shots of terrible Spanish tequila. I help onto my empty beer bottle so that I could spit the crap back out into it - and thank god I did. Apparently Ross found Dan passed out in some doorway in an alley at 5am and he hasn't been out of his bed since. Sounds like he had fun!
Sunday was very low key. I woke up late, fed the fish, had some breakfast, read in my cabin until lunch. After lunch I walked the length of the beach, watched some jet ski races, read some more then walked back to the boat.
Neil returns on Wednesday so I'm looking forward to finishing up here and heading off to Italy this weekend!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Hauling Ass
We are making some good time to Spain. We should be there about 9 am tomorrow. The original estimates put us in port around 2 or 3 pm. I guess they were going to just use one engine but Captain Mike decided he just wanted to get there and get it over with so we're running both engines. I wanted to make sure that I did a water change in the tank while we were still at sea so that I don't have to make synthetic water, so I just did one. At 8:00 at night. I had thought I would be able to do it tomorrow, since we were going to be at sea most of the day but Matt called me to the bridge to tell me we were making better time than he had anticipated.
Here is the main reason I don't want to have to make seawater - that Reverse Osmosis unit still scares the hell out of me. The last thing I want is for that hose to pop off again while I'm not around and flood the pump room which will then seep into the galley and cause major problems. It takes about 30 hours to make enough RO water to do a water change, so I really don't want to sit in that pump room and babysit it for 30 hours. By doing a water change now, I was able to refill the reservoir with seawater which I can use for the water change on Monday. I will technically still need to do a water change on Thursday (which is the day Neil gets back) but at least it's only one. I figure I can run that RO unit for a few hours at a time for a few days and get enough water.
Anyway, we took off from the Port of Nice after getting our fuel and installing the fire suppression bottle at about 2pm. I tried to find reasons to wander around outside so that I could look for "charismatic megafauna" - otherwise known as big animals. I didn't see anything until this evening I caught a glimpse of a single dolphin in the light shining off the water from the moon. I watched a beautiful sunset from the Bridge where I was hanging out with the new officer Matt. Then I went to the aft deck to see the amazing full moon. I'm going back out there soon to check out the stars. I have a cool app for my iPhone that shows me the stars and constellations.
Here is the main reason I don't want to have to make seawater - that Reverse Osmosis unit still scares the hell out of me. The last thing I want is for that hose to pop off again while I'm not around and flood the pump room which will then seep into the galley and cause major problems. It takes about 30 hours to make enough RO water to do a water change, so I really don't want to sit in that pump room and babysit it for 30 hours. By doing a water change now, I was able to refill the reservoir with seawater which I can use for the water change on Monday. I will technically still need to do a water change on Thursday (which is the day Neil gets back) but at least it's only one. I figure I can run that RO unit for a few hours at a time for a few days and get enough water.
Anyway, we took off from the Port of Nice after getting our fuel and installing the fire suppression bottle at about 2pm. I tried to find reasons to wander around outside so that I could look for "charismatic megafauna" - otherwise known as big animals. I didn't see anything until this evening I caught a glimpse of a single dolphin in the light shining off the water from the moon. I watched a beautiful sunset from the Bridge where I was hanging out with the new officer Matt. Then I went to the aft deck to see the amazing full moon. I'm going back out there soon to check out the stars. I have a cool app for my iPhone that shows me the stars and constellations.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Weds 15 Sept 2010
Latest word on the stre...errr, ocean is that we are going to be in port somewhere about 30 minutes out of Barcelona. I will definitely make the trip to visit the aquarium at the very least. Dan says the nightlife in Barcelona is top-notch so we will probably go out at least one night to take that in.
Dove in the tank today to pick-up and rearrange some corals that had fallen over. As soon as I was done, dried off, tank hatch closed with the system back up and running, I walked through the dining room and looked in the tank to see another coral had since fallen. Ugh. It's ok, it at least fell right side up so I'll fix it Friday if I decide to dive. It depends on when we leave for port. I'd rather not dive while we are in transit.
We had sushi for lunch today and it was incredible! One of the guys joked that I needed to go do a head count of the fish in my tank.
Last night I finally got around to creating an account on the website called livemocha.com. It's a community based language teaching site. I have finished my first Italian lesson and I know how to say "the building is not blue." That should be useful when I go to Italy. It's cool because, like Facebook, you can connect with alot of different people from all over the world and they can comment on your progress and you can comment on theirs. So, I have to write sentences then I submit them, somebody reads them and makes corrections and sends me comments. In return, I can correct and comment on other people's submissions. You can also do voice recordings and submit those for comments. I have gotten alot of positive comments on my speech, and my accent. It's a great idea and I'm so glad I heard about it from James and Joyce, the folks who so graciously rented me a room in their house this past summer.
Oh, and on a positive note, I think I may have gotten the whole eReader thing figured out. I finally got a useful email from one of their help representatives. It's about time.
Dove in the tank today to pick-up and rearrange some corals that had fallen over. As soon as I was done, dried off, tank hatch closed with the system back up and running, I walked through the dining room and looked in the tank to see another coral had since fallen. Ugh. It's ok, it at least fell right side up so I'll fix it Friday if I decide to dive. It depends on when we leave for port. I'd rather not dive while we are in transit.
We had sushi for lunch today and it was incredible! One of the guys joked that I needed to go do a head count of the fish in my tank.
Last night I finally got around to creating an account on the website called livemocha.com. It's a community based language teaching site. I have finished my first Italian lesson and I know how to say "the building is not blue." That should be useful when I go to Italy. It's cool because, like Facebook, you can connect with alot of different people from all over the world and they can comment on your progress and you can comment on theirs. So, I have to write sentences then I submit them, somebody reads them and makes corrections and sends me comments. In return, I can correct and comment on other people's submissions. You can also do voice recordings and submit those for comments. I have gotten alot of positive comments on my speech, and my accent. It's a great idea and I'm so glad I heard about it from James and Joyce, the folks who so graciously rented me a room in their house this past summer.
Oh, and on a positive note, I think I may have gotten the whole eReader thing figured out. I finally got a useful email from one of their help representatives. It's about time.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday 14 Sept 2010
Nothing much to report so far today. We are still at anchor off of Beaulieu but it looks like we will be headed to Spain on Friday or Saturday. Maybe Barcelona, maybe not, but probably somewhere in that general vicinity. I'm hoping to catch a Barcelona football match if I can. There are tickets available for about $50. I would also like to visit the Barcelona Aquarium. If we end up in the Port of Barcelona that would be great since the aquarium is right there.
Once Neil returns I think I will fly out to Italy to see my family and spend some time with them before heading to Hungary with my nonna and Roy. I'll probably just finish out my trip with them exploring around that area.
The weather is still beautiful. The storm that threatened yesterday just missed us. We got a little rain and there was some distant thunder, a little rough water but that was about it. I went outside last night and watched the lightning way off in the distance. It was pretty cool, it made the sky light up this bright orange color.
Once Neil returns I think I will fly out to Italy to see my family and spend some time with them before heading to Hungary with my nonna and Roy. I'll probably just finish out my trip with them exploring around that area.
The weather is still beautiful. The storm that threatened yesterday just missed us. We got a little rain and there was some distant thunder, a little rough water but that was about it. I went outside last night and watched the lightning way off in the distance. It was pretty cool, it made the sky light up this bright orange color.
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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