Part 1 It’s been two weeks since our last correspondence. What have we missed? I got home over a week ago, and despite exhaustion from a four-week trip at sea, I launched into an urgent attempt to pick up some of the load from my wife. I could feel the strain increasing in her voice […]
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Well. Where to begin? Tonight, in Vlissingen the Dutch begin to celebrate Carnival. A crazy celebration involving costumes and role reversal, that will last until Ash Wednesday. Carnival celebrations traditionally involve masks, cross-dressing, jesters acting like the king, and lords and ladies waiting on their servants. Linked to Purim, it indicates how the proper order […]
My hire car came early on Monday afternoon, and my flight to Edinburgh from Stansted on Tuesday was looking dicey due to the winter travel disruption around London. Only one thing for it. I finished my jobs in the shipyard and signed myself off the ship early. A quick eight-hour drive through the freezing fog […]
I was told a few days before coming to this vessel that my main client had no work for me this month, as previously promised. The client doesn’t have enough business to keep their ‘on-the-books’ staff busy, let alone contractors. I’m self-employed, so this was to be expected at some point. Logical enough, as the […]
Apologies for the slight delay in this (last) week’s edition of the blog. I’ll owe y’all one. I have been repositioning a little workboat from the Netherlands to Germany, and we had a few issues with watertight integrity, steering, power, and so on. Turns out engines and electrics don’t like being ankle-deep in seawater. It […]
Good morning, all. I hope you are well. I certainly am. The kids were off school this week for their October break. For non-Scots, this is a ten-day holiday subtracted from the summer holidays, to allow the children to help with the potato-picking season. And indeed, we did get a very full bucket of potatoes […]
I have returned to the sea, for a three-week trip. On this occasion, I have signed on as Mate. That is second in command on this ship and entails a 12-hour night shift from 7 pm to 7 am. After the manic trip we had last time I was here, nights are a blessed relief. […]
Threat detection, empiricism, relativism, and authority. It’s been a busy old week! Since joining my ship on Wednesday I’ve had nine arrivals and departures, shifted berth twice, went alongside a ship in harbour for cargo, and pushed on to so many ships and towers offshore that I’ve lost count. And I’ve been training a new […]
Top Gun, Punch Ups, Management, Ukraine and Christ. It is my birthday today. It is one of many that I have spent at sea, away from my family, friends, wife and children. It is a painful aspect of the job and one that honestly does not bother me as much as I thought it would […]