Friday, February 15, 2013

tastes like ashes in the mouth

...This is what I get for being lazy.

       First off, I'm now on a different barge, one that travels more than my staid little bunker barge. I drove down to Philadelphia for crew change for this 1-week assignment, and we were shuttled to Baltimore, there to pick up the barge and sail for NY. So far so good. A somewhat bumpy but not terrible ride ensued. In NY, we stopped briefly to anchor a few hours and then sailed again to Riverhead, Long Island, to the offshore platform where I now sit... every oil guy who has worked on the east coast has probably been there. I haven't been here in 10+ years, and it's a pretty locale, so that's a good thing. At any rate, my watch ended when we moored at the dock. I helped out a bit on deck (mostly to ensure that the little job we have would be finished or damn near so when I woke up at midnight). Alas, some slow-ass people combined with a series of hoops to jump through vis-a-vis paperwork and some prep work ashore to open up a pipeline for us saw to it that when I woke up, we were just getting started with the discharge.

     ....so it goes, sometimes. My chickens were counted in utero I guess, and it's going to be a busy watch... so much for plans of sloth and lollygagging. We're going to anchor later today, come back here tomorrow some time for another batch of oil, and drag that parcel up to Portsmouth NH, which should be about it for yours truly, and time to get home.

3 comments:

HT said...

I ran there for quite a few years, the dock men are on their own agenda...but overall are good people. It never failed though we would always head there on tuesdays,night before crew change.Once upon a time this was not bad,we were allowed to use their boat, then after 9/11 that stopped...making crew change for us a pain in the ass.Anyway Paul enjoy your run up to NH, and have a good time off!

Paul, Dammit! said...

Yeah... so much for plans, HT. We discharged, and are now weatherbound in New Haven, waiting for a Penn (now Kirby, but until they repaint, it's Penn) ATB to discharge and backload before we do... but we all have to wait for a gale to blow over.

HT said...

Sound work (esp the platform)always changes this time of year.I had a relief for about 6 years that drove me nuts,started calling me on Fridays,to let me know what was going on...Finally I said Dude its the platform! shit will change so call me on Tues and maybe it will work out.I just started not answering the phone till I thought it was time.Well at least your anchored in New Haven ( just dealing with the 0400 drag) We spent many nights with no where to go,but being towed around in circles waiting. Get home soon Paul, what do you have left off? a week.