The Heat is on!
The trip across the Gulf has been non eventful, with respect to weather and seas. Our ship has been making an average speed over 13 knots during the three days, underway. However, the air conditioning throughout the ship has proved to be a challenge as most of the staterooms have warmed up over eighty degrees!
Apparently, the air conditioning system has faults that are a direct result of the warm up! I’ve not slept too well these past few days. I don’t do well in the heat! My desk fan wasn’t very clean, to begin with, as it barely circulated any air due to all the dirt on the blades and I made a point to clean the blades of the collected dust and grime. Once doing so, the fan worked marvelously and made temperature in the room bearable, at best! I think engineering will work on the air once we transit back westward.
My Able Seaman on Watch, Ted Lukawski, is heading home after doing his seventy-five days. He was a great bridge-watch companion and we shared many sea stories between us. He made coffee just perfect for the Mate as well as the Captain during ‘coffee time’ at around ten o’ clock .
I was also fortunate to spend some time ashore as Ted and an Engineer Pete, and I, seeked out a Tiki bar while in Galveston. I heard about his replacement, an AB named, Pedro, will join in a day or so.
So anyway,we’re in standby mode as a boarding time for a pilot, hasn’t been established. In the meantime, each mate during watch has to do small course changes within a pre determined area and to stay close to the ‘pilot station’, off the Florida Coast- just five miles or so east of the main town. The engine is set for only a slow speed so as not to go too fast or too far.
Moving on….the current Chief Mate, Mike Fowler, is planning on heading home as his replacement, Tom, who had taken off a two week vacation to tend to some business at home, is returning. Mike has been onboard for ninety days and this is for a routine vacation period, ashore.This also would be Tom’s second or third trip as Chief Mate.
Best of luck as Chief Mate Mike will see his six month old baby for only the second time since the child’s birth.
Have a great day folks!
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