Next… .Port Call!
The ship is almost to its destination! The crew is anxious to get ashore and set their eyes on food, drink, entertainment, and whatever else pleases them. This next port will be primarily, however, for unloading purposes.
The Northerly Seas and swell has made for a challenging ride much like a wild boxing match. The ship has returned with a counter active punch, however, in which she stabilizes herself as she lunges or sways back the other way; each push from the sea seemingly attempts to knock her off kilter and most aboard are the spectators feeling the punches. This ship has tonnage which is on her side- all twenty thousand tons to back her. In fact, her little secret is that she is an ‘ice class’ ship whose internal framing is much more closely spaced than an average ship withstanding the impact from exterior forces; an Armor plating, if you will. Not to say we’re getting seasick, not hardly, but by working or doing preventative maintenance is difficult when the setting is ever swaying and moving about.
Try and conduct business, yourself, during a ten hour earthquake or while being in a drunken stoop.
The end of month is near, and end-of-month inspections are wrapping up. The permanent Captain will return in this port as Captain Bartlett’s time is up. As well, a new First Assistant Engineer will replace ‘Keith’ who has managed to make two months.
The ship will be done with time changes for at least five days more days. It’s a nice reprieve from having to advance the clock every other day. And for this, the hour is evenly divided into twenty-minutes as each of the three Watches in the evening taking their part; making for a longer or
shorter Watch. ‘Advancing Clocks’ affords a shorter Watch, but you end up losing the hour when you move the time ahead an hour at the end of the night. “Retarding Clocks’ gains an hour with turning back the clock, but your Watch time ends up extending by twenty minutes. The Able Seaman changes all the clocks down by the Galley and Mess Rooms by twenty minutes per
Watch, accordingly.
I’m sure our land legs will take a bit of getting used to. Don’t be surprised if I talk towards the ground for a while. “Oh- There you are!”
Hope your holiday week is going well. Have a good day!
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