Absence Makes....

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...the heart grow fonder? Alright fine.  I know I've been lame.

We pull into our first East Coast port late tonight....and then in about 4 days I'm due off the ship.

You know what that means, right?

It's crunch time!

I'm busy.  Tying up loose ends (i.e. all the things that I put off until today).

I've been taking photos but, have I taken them off my camera yet?  Nope.

Be patient Nautie Friends!  I'll have cellie reception tonight and then I'll be posting away on the go!  Yippee!

 

 

Thank You For Not Talking Like A Pirate

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Nautie Friends, did you guys know that September 19th was International Talk Like A Pirate Day? You know that I'm pulling my soap box out of the closet while typing so that I can begin discussing the seriousness of piracy, right?

Thank goodness my favorite source of maritime news bits The Old Salt Blog wrote about The Human Cost of Piracy so I didn't have to.

My poor father had the misfortune of emailing me a little somethin' somethin' he wrote about allowing pirates to attend church.  I tell you one thing, I wouldn't let a pirate anywhere near my cute little old Japanese ladies.

(For the record, what you wrote was great Dad....minus the whole Pirate thing...)

*Also, if you're in the mood to read old rants, raves or musings you can find them here, here and here.*

 

Nautie Notes :: Greetings From The North Atlantic

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Dear Mom, I love to see you writing so many notes on your iPhone and iPad.  You really are quite the techno-savvy chica these days!  Good on ya!

Dear Dad,

The way you passed on my spider crisis and made things happen was so 'effin cool.  Seriously.  I can't wait to write a post about my 8 legged friends.

Dear Family,

Your photos of a lone bagpiper warmed my heart.  How I wish I could have heard Amazing Grace with you.  I'm so glad that you're all together.

Dear North Atlantic,

I know you've had a lot to deal with lately....like Leslie and Mike....and Nadine but seriously, enough with the beam seas already.  I'm tired of rolling.  Do you know how hard it is to type in overtime while sitting in a swivel chair?  No?  I didn't think so....

Dear Nautie Books Readers,

Well?  You've been amazingly quiet about UNBROKEN.  Was September just not the right month for such a serious book?

Dear Stewards Department,

If you try to feed me one more hot dog I might go mental.  Just sayin'

Dear Head Lamp,

I love you so much.  I think I've told you this before but, I don't think it can be said enough.  The way you show me the light....it's amazing.  I especially love the way you fit in my pocket.  You help me walk home from the bar, you help me enter cargo holds, you help me type on a dark bridge.  Love.

Dear Cell Phone Reception,

I really miss you.  Like a lot.  I really wish I could scroll through instagram, or download a song, or heck....call someone!  Soon, very soon my friend....

Dear Universe,

What the heck am I supposed to do next?  Maine?  Hawaii?  West Coast?  Why does it feel so complicated?  A sign....a sign would be nice....

Dear Nautie Friends,

As always, thanks for all your lovely comments and encouragement.  Have I mentioned how much I love you?

 

 

Antwerp, Belgium :: The Locks

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Shipping locks fascinate me.  Just the simple fact that human impact is so great that we raise and lower natural water levels.  Commerce!  Commerce!  Commerce! Several things amazed me:

  • There were no fenders.  We literally tied up along a concrete wall.
  • They packed us in there like sardines.  When we were departing there were two barges between us an the opposite side of the lock.  When the second barge slid between us there were probably about 6 inches to spare.
  • The levels move quickly.  There really isn't too much downtime.
  • The line handlers are amazingly nonchalant.  They wore shorts and certainly not in any hurry.

The only bummer about going through a lock is that it adds several hours to a docking evolution.  When sleep is such a precious commodity this is rather annoying.

The good news?  I got to sit on the bow and take photos!

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Antwerp, Belgium :: The Heavy Lifts

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Seeing how as Chief Mate I never ever get ashore, lets talk cargo.  Shall we? In this last port we did three heavy lifts in one day!  It felt like a freakin' marathon.

The super interesting thing about these cargoes is that they were all loaded and discharged to barges.  It added one more variable to the evolution - how was the barge going to interact with the cargo?

I'll let the photos speak for themselves (again, please excuse the iPhone pics).

 

 

 

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METTLE Makers :: Refuse To Sink

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I'm not sure why exactly but, when I saw this on Pinterest I really latched onto it. I put it on repeat in my head when I'm feeling stress.  It's become a mantra of sorts.

We're homeward bound.  Heading out into the Atlantic late tonight.

Sitting at my computer I was going to start going through photos and writing blog posts and then thought.....

You know what?  I'm afloat.  I might not be the best Chief Mate ever but I'm afloat...

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