Latest Happenings

Hello all! I've just gotten back from another at sea period. It's been very busy and every day has it's own little adventure to it. We just got back from a short underway were we conducted a great deal of training and I really got to put my ship driving skills to the test. I drove the ship to a precise anchorage spot and made a 10000 ton ship hover in one spot for 40minutes. Did I mention that I did all this while attempting to navigate in a fog so thick I could barely make out the front of the ship! It's hard to believe I'm actually getting paid to do this. I'm still learning quite a bit and I'm finding out that a lot of ship driving just comes from experience and experimentation. This is completely backward from what I've learned in my Engineering background where there are hard rules you follow and definitive guide lines for everything. Before that we conducted a transit to the Great Northwest. The ship stopped in at Portland for the Portland Rose Festival. It was a blast! I played in a golf tournament and a softball tournament over our weekend stay there. Portland is a beautiful city and, besides the eternal cloudiness, I really enjoyed the site seeing. Both the trip up and the trip back were full of adventure.

The seas were not kind to us and I'm pleased to report that I do not get sea sick. The ship was essentially turned into a giant inflatable play pin. It was common for the deck to drop right out from below you or find yourself temporairily floating when you laid down. Eating had to be the funnest part. I couldn't stop laughing in the wardroom when I'd watch everyone's plates shift from the right to left and back again. It was almost like you had to time when to take a bite with the sway of the ship. On the trip up we spotted a lot of whales. Normally when I've seen them they just surface and sink, but these were actually breeching the water and apparently playing. It was an awesome site! Well folks, thats all I really have to talk about for now. I'm heading home this week so I'm sure the next post will be filled with stories of the adventures I'll have with my family. Until then.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,

Rob