Lost Continent Words

Sailing Log: SS Lurline Week 5

Did a lot of work in port on this trip. We got into Richmond late on Tuesday, and immediately went to work bringing down the starboard boiler. Some contractors would be in to work on the furnace refractory on Wednesday and Thursday, so we needed to start ahead of time to allow the inside of the boiler to cool enough that people can work inside without melting. Most of this is accomplished by removing most of the water from the boiler, but you can't just open the bottom blow drain and empty it (as the tubes would likely melt), so its a patient process of waiting for pressures and temperatures to come into line and removing water as quickly as you can safely. By about 0330 we had it drained well enough that we could let it sit until morning.

The next morning there was a lot of activity going on. We were taking on fuel, assisting the boiler contractors, repacking and replacing several valves that can't really be touched while the boiler is on line, and then preparing for the shift from Richmond to Oakland. Once the shift was complete we were planning to bring down the other boiler for some general maintenance over the whole plant. While this had been known for weeks and the Chief Engineer had specifically notified the office several days earlier that they would need a shore power generator on the dock (since, if both boilers are down there's no steam, and if there's no steam there's no way to run the onboard turbo-generators). It seemed like there was a lot of delay in planning, and when we finally got to Richmond they decided we should load the generator on board. This of course creates a serious problem with exhaust as large (>3000 KW and the size of a semi-trailer) diesel generators are not clean machines and could easily asphyxiate the entire deck in minutes. Someone from the office showed up after we got to Oakland with a bunch of collapsible stove pipe, with the intent of running the exhaust thru the pipe and out one of the side ports, but there wasn't enough, so it just channeled the exhaust into one spot from which it could easily billow through the rest of the deck. And since there were 2 Rolls-Royce Sedans, and brand new Mercedes SL, and an original Ford GT within 50 feet of the generator, it was finally decided to scrub the whole project. But of course the generator had already been loaded on board, and so would have to make the whole trip over to Hawaii and back at several thousand dollars a day, sitting. All of which just goes to show that, yes, "The Office" here is the same as it is anywhere else.

So a large part of the engine room remained on standby for 4 hours while all of this was going on, prepared to bring down the boiler, but actually doing nothing. Which kind of excluded much up the street time Wednesday as well. This marked two 16 hour days in a row for me, which aren't terrible, but do kind of suck, especially when you get $30 / day, whether you work overtime or not. Of course, I also get $30 / day whether I spend the day drinking on the beach or not, so I guess it all balances out quite well.

Thursday I was knocked off in the morning and got the hell away, though, as I was ready for some off the boat time. Hung out in Frisco again, and finally caught up with Shawn's friend Carrie, which was a nice opportunity to just sit on a couch and watch a movie and reflect on how quiet it is in the real world, as opposed to on the ship where you can never get away from some pretty loud low level hum at all times. Also discovered from Chet that nearby in Mountain View is one of the Simpson's inspired 7-11's converted to a Quickie Mart, so hopefully I'll make it by to check out that surprisingly inspired marketing ploy, and buy some Duff beer and a Squishy.

Got back the next day to work on the steering gear, where the followup control (which consider it the power steering module of the steering system) had broken earlier. So we had to empty out the hydraulic sump for the technicians to get in and work on it, and make a new gasket and just generally keep things organized and clean. At the same time was getting the boiler up and on-line and getting ready to leave that afternoon. So it was a pretty busy day.

I was put on the 8-12 watch to work with the new 3rd engineer who had just joined, and had less than a year sailing, to help him learn the plant. Basil is a cool guy and we talked about guitars and sailing and other good stuff. The 8-12 watch is pretty mellow. The main duties are maintenance on the evaporator and blowing soot from the boiler tubes, which is done every morning at sea. So I've been getting up at 8 and working with the new 1st (Paul) until 12 and then standing the night watch from 8-12. Paul the 1st has been real good to work with. Mostly we've been doing basic maintenance and repair, which is pretty typical 1st engineer stuff. One thing I've noticed, Paul is a permanent 1st as opposed to Chris who I worked with earlier who was a relief 1st, so he is more inclined to make major decisions about the plant and is very concerned about keeping the system running smoothly, keeping the engine room clean and organized, and other housekeeping things like that. He is very patient and tries to explain why he's doing anything he does (not just to me, but to the other engineers, the juniors, the wiper, etc.) which makes him an excellent guy to work with as a cadet.

One of the jobs we did on the way over was to clean the molasses strainers, which was a dirty slightly stupid job, but not too bad overall. I think I've mentioned already that the ship has a large tank for carrying molasses in addition to containers and vehicles. The molasses is a waste product of the sugar plantations and it mostly goes back to the states to be used in animal feed. When pumping it off there are hard deposits that form in the strainers that will plug up the pump, and eventually the strainers making it impossible to get the product off. So the strainers are cleaned every two weeks (after pumping off) whether they are particularly dirty or not, to keep from developing a problem. This mostly involves using a plastic scoop (like a hotel ice machine scoop) or (if you don't feel like messing around) your hands, with gloves on of course, to pull out all of the hardened molasses. Like I said, dirty and slightly annoying, but not too bad.

Also had what is likely to be our last barbeque for a while, as I'm told the captain that is replacing this one doesn't usually bother to have them. Which is fine, because its really a perk I didn't expect and can be satisfied with only having them on half of the trips.

Wanted to talk a bit about ship board culture, such as it is. It's not too much of a stretch to say that most of us are slightly odd, and you don't decide you'll spend months at a time away from home with little human contact besides other people like you if you're possessed of exceptional social skills. Most of us are at least partially loners, in that we don't mind sitting and having a conversation or a drink with some of the other guys (especially in port) but are pretty easily satisfied spending our off time privately in our own rooms.

There's also a culture of honesty that's a bit disarming if you aren't used to it. In fact if someone was wearing an incredibly ugly shirt and you *didn't* say something about it, you would be thought strange. I guess most people are used to the sort of good-natured ball-busting that occurs in most workplaces which I observed in all of my employment experiences from pizza joints to plastic plants to General Motors Engineering. And you're likely all used to the way you frequently interact with your "work" friends as opposed to your real friends, which is tolerable, but a little strange and false in its overly emphasized vulgarity and one-upsmanship. Well imagine that environment for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 120 days, and its easy to see how sailors sometimes have trouble relating with people back on shore. The atmosphere isn't really all that different, its just more intense because of the amount of time everyone is immersed in it.

For the same reason, there really is no privacy on ships. Pretty much everyone knows everything, especially if you screwed something up, and that first trip into the mess after will be difficult, and probably every single person you see that day will mention it. Most of this has to do with how small the social network is. It doesn't take long for word to travel, and usually you do it to yourself without realizing it. Again, think about the things you've revealed about your life to cow-orkers just over occassional lunches and coffee breaks, and then imagine being stuck with them for over a month straight, and it easy to see how you can get to know people pretty well without even trying.

There is a bit more of a sense of hierarchy than in corporate culture, but considerably less than the military. An order from the Captain really does mean something. And insubordination is grounds not only for termination of employment but a review by the Coast Guard. Mostly, though, people are used to and comfortable with their roles and so it doesn't come up, and you wouldn't really notice it that often.

There is a bit of a culture of drinking and failed marriages, its true. But there are exceptions here as well, so its not really a sentence but more a caveat. Almost all of the guys work on some other job or pursuit when they are on shore as well. For instance, Paul works as a general construction contractor back in Boston, Rob owns and operates a farm in North Central California, The radio officer has a ranch where he raises alpacas. No shortage of musicians and madmen either. Again, it feels like home.

Mostly its just a bunch of guys (and a few women) who are all just trying to put in their time, and have recognized that sailing for them is a great compromise to get to spend their off time living the life they really want to live on shore. Almost all of the relief guys I've talked to don't work more than about 5 months a year, and usually most of that in one hitch.

Anyway, back in Hawai'i tomorrow. More next week.

Posted by ktismael at July 16, 2007 11:27 PM