23/04/2010 - 2 week anniversary

Average Temp: 8ºC

Yet again a blue sky greeted me as I emerged from the salon, I am beginning to think spring really has arrived, the fog and rain that welcomed us 2 weeks ago seems to be in the distant past!

This morning was going to be fun; fire, first aid and equipment training is the order of the day! We were the first to do the “fire extinction” training and with the basics covered (i.e. types of fire and how to extinguish one) we were let loose on the fire tank with a chemical extinguisher,… fun!!!  (mike W – aka Fred – demonstrates a perfect fire fighting technique in the photo below!).  Next came the first aid and then the equipment training, I became “Captain” for a brief period as I suited up and the real captain took us through the breathing apparatus.  I found it ironic that immediately after the training, the fire crew went onto the well deck for a smoke!!  Aren’t these people meant to be setting an example?.  Now some of you may be thinking “why do you need fire training on a boat, can’t you just pump water at it?”, the answer is no!  Fire is one of the single most dangerous issues that a ship can have and we have to be prepared!

That afternoon my good humour was dashed as Joani and I were sent to scrub down the inner topside with my favourite liquid “Green Knight”,.. the first hour was spent in much the same way as with my previous green knight experiences, however as one tub was emptied and we started with a new one my opinion of Green knight was reversed, I take back all the nasty comments I previously made about it, the first bucket we had used had either been mislabelled or was so diluted it was little more than coloured water, this new one was something else,.. the rust literally melted off the steel!!!   Although not as fulfilling as rust-busting with a hammer, there was a certain satisfaction in being able to complete this rust-banishing task!

So today is my 2 week anniversary in Lunenburg and looking back it seems like I arrived months ago,.. I have learnt a huge amount, acclimatized myself to cold I never thought I would be able to and accepted that my hands were never again going to be the same colour as before!  Looking down at them now I have more small cuts, blisters and splinters than I can count, my nails and cuticles are black and I took off the top part of one of my fingers a few days ago on a piece of rusty iron and it refuses to heal, bleeding every time I use it!  My fingerprints are non-existent due to the industrial cleaners we are using and make it impossible to grip anything when they are wet!

 

So am I enjoying myself? Hell yes! I go to bed exhausted every night, I wake up wondering what new things I am going to learn and what I am going to be doing, am I going to be beating the crap out of the ship with a hammer?, painting her up?, going 15 metres above deck to attach stuff? Or just hauling stuff from one place to another? Every day teaches me something new and gives me a new experience!  Did I know what I was letting myself in for when I signed up? In retrospect, No! Am I glad I am doing this? Definitely.

 

Bending (attaching) sail tomorrow,.. should be fun and hopefully means more aloft time!

 

Relaxing after training with Donald

Fred showing us how to do it!

Fireman Liam

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