Friday, April 9, 2021

The lull is here

 Well, finally we have had a humane schedule for a few days in a row here at HAWSEPIPER's Afloat Global HQ/hot dog safari.  This quarter has been a shit show for us, just nonstop work for weeks, coupled with the occasional accidental watch off when a fuel dump gets clogged up with traffic and we get to rest. 


    Well, we're finally feeling the impact of the Suez canal closure 2 weeks back, I'm told.  We had a lull, and a day off, worked 2 days, and now we have TWO days off, in theory, unless something happens. And while my employer might be a little bummed out, to be honest, I need a damn break, and I'm in the home stretch of this tour. I go home in 5 more days, and I don't want to go home feeling like the Unibomber, ready to write a manifesto. 


       When we've had a watch off, the on-watch guy gets to catch up on everything that is behind, starting on any basic maintenance, like oil changes, inspections, chasing down hydraulic leaks, fuel sampling, inventorying and ordering parts, splicing lines out on deck, and that sort of thing, The days of being able to go out on deck with a needle gun and bust rust are long past now. Nobody has that sort of time in bunkering anymore- maintenance is a hurried, business, doing the best one can with the time one has. much of the time we do maintenance on our off watch, cutting into sleep time. 

 And now here I am with a wealth of time , and we had a day off already this week, so maintenance is already close to current.  I'm on nights this week, and we're out in the anchorage. I'm enjoying the time and the peace very much. I've been peeing over the side all evening, enjoying the skyline. 



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