A Nautie Excuse

Nautie Friends, I miss you - I do!  I want to post - really!

I'm suffering from what can best be described as 'end of rotation apathy'.

I'm tying up loose ends at work, I'm planning my next two port stays, I'm organizing my drill and inspection matrix, I'm double checking that all my log entries are made....and then I sleep.

If I'm not working I'm sleeping because sometimes just looking at my shipmates irritates me.

This is what I call, 'squirelly season'.  Everyone onboard is a little squirelly....and it's best to keep my distance.  Everyone feels excatly the same way I do....just looking at me irritates them!  People start picking petty little fights, people start complaining, essentially...people start loosing it.

There you have it - my nautie excuse - it's squirelly season!

I'm arriving on the East Coast tomorrow morning first thing.  I'm excited because today is my 29th straight day at sea and even one day in port sounds freakin' awesome.  I'm super bummed because I don't have my iPhone so I can't call home.....or take photos....or post on the blog on the fly....

Mostly I'm excited because a US port means I'm that much closer to getting off!

Love you guys!

Clouds. We're making it an adventure!

This morning on watch we spotted a little sail boat.  In.the.middle.of.the.Atlantic. I looked at that boat and thought, 'there would have been a time if someone asked me to sail across the Atlantic where I would have felt like the Gods were smiling down upon me...now? meh.  not so much.'.  It was a strange feeling.  Knowing that my lust for adventure has shifted.

Go to Bali?  Yes please!  Stay in a hostel in Bali?  Mmmm...is there a private cottage available?  Anyone up for New Zealand?  Of course!  We're gonna rent a car right?  I mean, I don't really want to rely on the bus.  Sail across the Atlantic?  Ummm...have we subscribed to a weather routing service?  Do we have an EPIRB and SART?

These days taking photos of clouds with my camera set to aperature priority feels like an adventure.  Sunrise with no flash?  No way man, I'm gonna be daring and go with aperature priority!

I love how aperature priority darkens my shots.  As in looove how it darkens my shots.

Please excuse my crooked horizon.  You should try taking a photo of the horizon on a rolling ship.

I have millions of cloud photos.  That means that this post could be considered lacking with only four photos.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Things In Mason Jars :: Semi-Homemade Ginger Fizz

Pops.  This one is dedicated to you.

My Dad emailed me and said, 'I've been looking at weather in the Atlantic....you should look at the weather....and eat saltines...'.  Ok fine, that wasn't exactly what he said.  I emailed him back and said, 'Pops, I'm all over that shit'.  I know.  What kind of daughter emails her Dad that she's 'all over that shit' with reference to eating saltines?!

Listen, I know it is slightly bizarre for a so-called professional mariner to complain about being sea sick all the time but, honestly, I've never been on a ship that rolled like this one!

In fact, I've written about it in great length.

When the icki-ness set into my tummy yesterday I got creative.  I had my trusty ginger drink mix and a sprite.  Boom!  Semi-Homemade Ginger Fizz!  Of course I also took two homeopathic sea sickness pills.  Just in case.

Now, I know what you're thinking....you're looking out at that beautiful blue ocean and wondering why we're rolling.  This can be attributed to a ground swell.  It's a long and rolling swell caused by wind that is a substantial distance away (i.e. The North Atlantic).  We're feeling the effects of a North Atlantic storm all the way south at 27 degrees North!  This type of swell is much, much different than a locally genereated wind driven swell.  This is like a gentle roll back and forth every 12 seconds.  It's just big enough that you have to brace your body and every now and then a draw will open on its own.  It's not big enough that you have to hold on.  For whatever reason, it's just enough to make my stomach flip over.

There you have it: a ground swell, a ginger fizz and, no ability to sit in front of the computer without feeling like I'm gonna hurl.

Love you guys.

(also you can read a really good explanation of a ground swell here.)

Too Late? It's never too late for Suez Canal Photos!

This is me attempting to re-enter the blogosphere... Is it too late to post some Suez Canal photos?

Never!

When we transited the canal it was one of the prettiest days I've seen there.  It wasn't too hot - there was a nice little breeze - and it was crystal clear.  This is rare.

I actually got some pretty decent photos and I'm happy to be able to add them to my 'canal collection'.

My favorite photo of the day was watching this dude prepare to dive after having clearly already been diving.....in what looks to be pink accented pajama bottoms.  I mean, I wouldn't ruin my good pants diving in the Suez Canal either!

Second favorite but almost my favorite was of a small fishing boat using a tarp as a sail.  There is something so awesome about seeing people make do with what they have.

Now you know I didn't only take two photos!

View the rest here:

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Scintilla Day Four :: The Infamous Lifeboat Email

Being trapped in a confined environment can turn an ordinary experience into a powder keg. Write about a thing that happened to you while you were using transportation; anything from your first school bus ride, to a train or plane, to being in the backseat of the car on a family road trip. Having fun a few days ago in the Rescue Boat has had me thinking about Lifeboats.....you know where I'm giong with this right?

How about we take time to reflect on My Worst Day At Sea Ever.  The one where I puked uncontrollably for hours in a lifeboat that must have been 130 degrees.  The one where the lifeboat broke down and we had to get rescued by an Arab Fishing Boat....and then hauled on board by the Coast Guard.  The one where I ended up totally delirious and wanted to take my clothes off?  Riiiight.  This was majorly pre-blogging days BUT I did send an email home that has been immortalized forever as The Infamous Lifeboat E-Mail.

If a Lifeboat doesn't count as a confined environment I seriously don't know what does!

I'm participating in The Scintilla Project.  Yay!  So far it's been a lot of fun - join in!  (Also, here is the disclaimer that I skipped Day 3....and that I'm linking to an old blog post....apparently this is allowed....)

Scintilla Day Two :: Like A Champ

Day Two.  Tell the story about something interesting (anything!) that happened to you, but tell it in the form of an instruction manual (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3….)

1.  Consult your annual inspection / drill matrix.  Confirm that a quarterly launching of the lifeboat and rescue boat are indeed required - and plan on conducting launch while at anchor.

2.  Have all essential personnel standing by ready to assist in launching immediately following anchoring of the vessel.

3.  Load the Rescue Boat with the Third Mate, Third Assistant, Cadet and Yourself.

4.  Lower the Boat into the water.

5.  Release the Boat.

6.  Motor the Boat around the vessel to exercise the engine.

7.  Listen to the boat motor putter out and die.  Turn to the Third Mate and say, 'Oh.My.GOD.'.

8.  Get out the oars and begin paddling!

9.  Quickly assess whether you are getting any closer to the ship.

10.  Switch places with the Third Assistant Engineer who is not having any luck restarting the engine.  (He's bigger anyways and maybe he can paddle harder....not...)

11.  Watch the Third Assistant fruitlessly paddle away.

12.  Determine that the priming bulb is rock hard.

13.  Unplug the fuel line.

14.  Shove your knife into the plug and drain all the gas in the line into the Rescue Boat.

15.  Plug the fuel line back in.

16.  Start the Rescue Boat like a fucking champ and motor back to the ship (that is now a mile away).

I'm participating in The Scintilla Project - and you should too!

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