Halfway Point!
I’ve reached my five weeks aboard which makes it the halfway point of my voyage!
Our satellite television reception has been fixed and we are now receiving a signal. Both the Chief Engineer and the 1st Assistant Engineer have worked feverishly at trying to get the system to work over the past couple of weeks and it finally paid off!
You see, the last week without television sure made things aboard very dismal! With no chance at taking liberty ashore, and only a small gym, the television would be the only sense of recreation by which to make the time pass.
However, I’ve been reading a few World War II books and perusing through a couple maritime magazines, while on watch, at night. And while at anchor, periodic checks by scanning the radars and comparing GPS positions every half hour are all that are required by the mate on watch as the ship lumbers from side to side in a swell, as it sleeps with only a creak or two coming from the bulkheads and decks. And so boredom sets in, yet, I’m always alert for anything that might happen, at anchor.
During these four hours of watch, the Able Seaman makes hourly rounds and visual checks of the chain extending into the azure colored Gulf water. Along with the checks comes the audible cry over the portable radio which rests on my waist belt and attached is a flexible coiled cord with a secondary speaker/microphone which clips to my shirt collar. Able Seaman Pedro replies with, “..Anchor leading 1 point off the Port Bow with light to moderate strain.”, ensuring that all is well.
Our bridge has four VHF radios which monitor various channel frequencies.
The two starboard radios monitor channels 13 and 16. The former is for bridge-to-bridge as the latter is for hailing and distress. On the portside of the bridge, channels 5 and 14 are for Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and Harbor pilots respectfully. You would think there’s a party going on as all four radios can come to life, if you happened to hear all of the transmissions as you approached the bridge from below decks.
More than half if not two thirds of the commercial vessels which call to the Galveston region are foreign flagged. And the various noticeable accents of other mates hailing or responding to inquiries by port authorities paints a picture in my mind that many countries are represented within the anchorage area. I can pick out the Filipinos, Indian, and East European accents. And in some cases, the local port authorities have to repeat their requests as some of the mates respond with a slight hesitation as they repeat what info was presented in a version of English I could not recognize.
Even though sitting at anchor can be boring, and may make one go mad with the lack of information of not knowing what lies in the near future, work continues such as chipping and painting of marked areas that have rust deposits by the day working AB’s. Cargo valves are checked for chance of leakage and are greased enabling ease of use while opening or closing. These cargo valves are operated via twelve-inch diameter painted wheels turned horizontally on deck extended through a threaded post and are reminiscent of a steering wheel you see in your family automobile.
Have a great day, folks!
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