Tugboat Likes

I'm on my first rotation on a tugboat and, I've been really, really enjoying my time onboard. 

Here's a couple things I've been really liking (as opposed to ships): 

It's relaxed. People seem to take a very common sense approach to things which means that for the most part it's a much more relaxed environment.

It's dynamic.  We're much more in tune with the environmental factors. What's the wind doing?  Lots of current today?  What are the assist boats doing? How much water are we in?  

It's a community. It's blown my mind how much the tugs take care of each other.  Shared groceries, shared water,  shared information. Two days ago a tug dropped off a box of herbal tea for me. It's very, very refreshing.   

It's social. The crew actually socializes. Cribbage anyone?  Wanna watch a show?  There's one dining room table - we have lively dinner conversations. It's so good for morale.  

It's an open galley. Off meal times you can go to the fridge - find some food - and sheesh even cook it up if you want!  Coming from ships this feels like a luxury.  

It's flexible. Specifically regarding food. We actually go shopping at the grocery store.  If you want a specific cereal put it on the list.  Again, coming from ships this feels like a luxury.  

It's fun.  Hands on often times equals fun and that's very much the case here.  

It's also really hard to not love using the hashtag #nautietugshavenicersterns on Instagram.  

ICE. VOLUME ONE.

I've been living and breathing ice conditions for the last week or two.  It's not something I ever thought I'd track, pay attention to or, make plans around.

I've enjoyed the challenge of navigating through the ice immensely.  Not only does it require heightened awareness and constant vigilance it's also just down right gorgeous.  

The ice fields we've been operating in have a distinct edge.  There are random pieces of ice through all the waters surrounding the North Slope of Alaska but, the ice we've been tracking has a fairly clear line where it begins and ends.  We track it on the radar but, we also have partners in planes who fly the region daily (as conditions allow) providing an ice report.

When you enter the ice field conditions vary based on location.  For example ice will 'stack up' around a barrier island making it much more challenging to transit.  The photo above is only about 40% concentration - but from the waterline you can see that it's really challenging to find clear paths to navigate through.

A lot of the ice is old and soft.  As our hull would make contact it would crack, roll and give way.  Part of the 'constant vigilance' is to constantly be scanning the horizon to assess the next pan of ice for what type of ice it is.  Is it solid?  Large underwater portions?  Are there fractures or weak places for us to target?  What color is it?  Our vessel is designed to operate in ice which gave us a huge advantage.

You can clearly see that not all ice is created equal.  You can definitely prioritize what you want to avoid when the concentration is only at 40%.  

One thing that surprised me was how dirty the ice was!  As this ice has broken away from its original location it's been 'rolled' by the forces of nature.  At some point the brown bits have touched ground or the bottom of the seabed rolling through the mud.  

Our toughest portion was about 60-70% concentration and it was much, much, much more challenging then 40%.

There are currently concentrations of up to 80% and we're hoping that a good blow will open things up for us.

In the meantime, I'm editing and resizing photos because Big Bertha had a field day!  I can't wait to share more!

Just a friendly reminder, I use Instagram a lot.  If you're frustrated I'm not posting you can almost always find me there!  @nautiemermate 

A Northerly Update

It's starting to get cold. Today we had little mini icicles on the railings - and it snowed! 

We spent two days last week in very heavy ice. It was intense, exhilarating, gorgeous and exhausting all at once.  

We are currently anchored and waiting in a safe harbor for the ice conditions to improve.  

It's incredibly hard to believe that it's August.  It seems like everyday feels a little more like winter.  I looked outside my window today and thought, 'I really hope we're out of here by mid-september'.   

I've been posting a lot of photos to Instagram but, I realize not all you lovelies can see them.  

Here's a mini look at what my Instagram feed is looking like!

Leader of the pack.  

Tugboat friends! 

A pan of ice along the hull while underway. 

Mini icicles in August! 

I loaded these all from my phone - while I cringe to complain about the wifi (because...hello!  awesome!) - our connection is slow and spotty. Please excuse the lack of formatting! 

BC RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER // A CALL TO ACTION

A Little History

This blog began in 2010, I was at sea, I needed an outlet, I was having a hard time keeping in touch with friends and family, I started to write.  Nautie Mermate became a strange nebulous friend of sorts.  This little slice of the internet has kept me connected and kept me sane.  More importantly, this little slice of the internet has brought people into my life that I just can’t imagine not having in my life.

One of my very first blog posts was a tribute to my Uncle Rocket.  It is one of the singularly most important things I’ve ever written.  It built the foundation for me to reconnect and become friends with his daughter, my cousin Rhiannon.

She’s become one of my favorite people.  Ever.  

Many of you are long time readers and you’ll know that each year I campaign on Rhiannon’s behalf as she participates in The Ride to Conquer Cancer.  One year I even got to meet her at the finish line! 

To say I’m proud of her doesn’t even scratch the surface.  She earned her Golden Helmet last year!  That means she’s ridden five years in a row!!  

More Recent History

This year I travelled to Nepal with an amazing group of ladies.  I call them ‘The Girls’ and they have been one of the best things to happen to me in a long time.  The Girls were all somehow connected through Rhiannon - when I heard she was going to Nepal I shamelessly invited myself.  These Girls.  They’re amazing.  They’re positive - uplifting - hilarious - fun - loyal - strong - smart - gorgeous women.  

Currently

This year in support of The Ride to Conquer Cancer - and I’m sure in support of their friendship to Rhiannon - quite a few of The Girls (and their dudes) are participating in this years Ride.  As in all previous years we're rooting for Team Finn.  

Everyone has their own reasons for Riding - while I’ve never participated I have my own reasons for being such a staunch supporter and fundraiser on their behalf! (You can read about more of my reasons - along with an old plea to donate to Rhiannon!  It’s outdated friends!)

This year I’m campaigning on behalf of Farley.  

Why I Love Farley

When we were in Nepal we did a four day hike through the Annapurna’s.  One of the days called for an insane early morning wake up and an insane trek up an insane amount of steps to watch an insane Himalayan sunrise.  I was struggling.  Like struggle-bus central.  I was hands down the most out of shape in the group.  The hike was a total stretch for me.  A set of stairs straight up in the dark was a stretch of a stretch.  Farley walked behind me with her hand on my back.  Literally on my back.  She coached me the whole way up, ‘ten more stairs’ ‘ten breaths’ ‘make it to that tree there’ ‘ten more steps then you can have another break’ ‘you got this’ ‘lets shoot for the next bend’.  If she hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have seen the sunrise.  I would have either quit half way up or been late.  She had my back.  

Call To Action

Please, head over to Farley’s page to read her personal story - it's an incredibly touching one.

Go one step further and donate because, let’s face it, we all know someone who’s been affected by cancer.  

DONATE TO FARLEY HERE

I'd be incredibly honored if you took the time to click through some of the links to read some of the back stories.  They matter.

I donated to Farley this year in honor of Russ.  Russ was a long time family friend - and supporter of Nautie Mermate.  He generously donated to Rhiannon's Ride every year.  Sadly, this year he lost his own personal battle with cancer.  I know he'd be incredibly proud to see Rhiannon finish her sixth ride!

The Arctic Circle

There are Mariner Milestones - I’ve been lucky enough to hit a few of them in my career.

The Prime Meridian - 0 degrees Longitude

The International Dateline - 180 degrees Longitude

The Equator - 0 degrees Latitude

I’ve crossed these imaginary lines.  Most times I’ve crossed these imaginary lines in the middle of the ocean with nothing to mark the occasion other than a glance at the GPS to say, ‘yep, here I am’.

I crossed a new line this week.

The Arctic Circle - 66 degrees 33 minutes North Latitude

As per usual it was a quiet affair with no fanfare.  My shipmates had all crossed it before and were uniformly unimpressed.

Mother Nature however, felt that a proper welcome to the Arctic was necessary and graced me with a nearly white rainbow.

Here’s to Mariner Milestones and Rainbows.  May they never get old.

Packing Light

When I headed out on this trip I knew I had to pack light. My room was going to be tiny. I might be flying to remote locations. I also just wanted to see if I could rise to the challenge. For the past three years I've been able to join my ships at the dock - which means I can pack heavy and then hump that stuff up the gangway. That method was absolutely not going to work this time.  

Kind of a joke....Sadly true... 

I've always treated my luggage like home away from home.  How can I ensure I have a delicious coffee?  Pack an orange zester.  How can I make sure I get a good nights sleep?  Pack flannel sheets + duvet cover. How can I stay mentally active?  Bring an iPad, Kindle, Laptop, iPod + portable speaker...and all required cables and chargers. 

This time out I was cutthroat.  I made lists and slashed, slashed, slashed. 

Then I headed to work with a precise list of what exactly was packed.  

Now that week two is almost complete I have a modified list of what I've used, what I've worn and what I miss. I have to be honest and say the 'what I miss' list has surprised me.  

The good news is packing light wa a good idea because my room is tiny and I might end up having to bunk up with someone.  

What's up with the umbrella?  No clue.  

My room is so small that my bunk actually folds down from the bulkhead! 

In the meantime I'm off to revise my packing lists! 

What are the things you love to pack to bring a little home with you?