Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

I’m waiting patiently for a picture of the gym.

Which means we will know when the hard work starts.

Is there a half decent rec room? Cinema? Table tennis? Darts? Music room, games room, Sun beds, Sauna/steam room?*

Wednesday night I can go to the gym... not long to wait now Dirk.

We have 3 day rooms... 2 non-smoking and 1 smoking. There's satellite TV and a media server... and guitars and keyboards for any that way inclined. This vessel has wifi throughout which is good but has killed the social side of things after shift. Most people retreat to their cabins at the end of shift and do what ever they do. I seem to spend most of my time updating this thread.

And yeah, every Norwegian boat has a sauna and sunbeds, although I think they'll be closed off due to Covid. I've just spent 7 months living in a sauna so it's of no interest to me.

Mendip believe me just stopping your alcohol intake does not automatically mean weight loss. I have been DRY for over 38 years now and I'm still a fat bastard.

To lose weight you have to make sure less calories go into your body than your body burns up, simple as that.

Does the motion of the sea make you/people sleep better or worse?

I'm glad if a few months dry Ootai more for the sake of my general health and liver, but it will also be good to vastly reduce my calorie intake. It seems that I can only dream about being a fat bastard since I seem to be the next level up at obese... but not for long.

I sleep well offshore... maybe it's the gentle rocking motion of the boat or maybe it's being away from the aggravations of married life? Unless we have a storm of course... then I sleep as badly as I do at home.

I'd bet the captain does have to eat the same food as prepared for the crew on most occasions.

Yes, the skipper eats exactly the same as everyone else, although he does also get sandwiches delivered up to the bridge. I've yet to see that happen to the geo office. The state of the food is all doen to the skipper... he's the boss out here and should have a word with the Chief Steward... but that's not the Norwegian way.

I bet Mendip sits at the Captains table with a room like that.

Do they have a captains table on your Vessel Mendip or is that just posh cruise liners/ships/boats/tubs?

I sit on one of the contractor's tables at meal times Joe... the Norwegian marine crew tend to sit at their own table and the Filipino crew members at their table. I don't think there's any segregation going on, but the Norwegians prefer to chat in Norwegian and the Filipinos in Tagalog (I think).

And it's not a 'room', it's a 'cabin'... we're on a boat and you have to get nautical.

Never a shortage of fruits on a boat

Ha! Very good.

A boat is under 50m and a ship over. (Bugger off about questions regarding a vessel that is exactly 50m)

At 95 metres I've accepted that I'm on a ship but I'm still gonna call it a boat... maybe as Cyrille suggests out of endearment.

Hey Mendy, Speaking of the food. On your off time can you fish? I'd be trying to hook me up some fresh fish then kick the chef a few bucks to cook it up for you and the big plus....you will not have to wade out and catch Snakehead fish and infect your toes.....

Many years ago if we saw a lot of cod along a pipeline from the ROV video cameras we would get out on the back deck and bounce lures along the pipeline, behind the ROV operations. That kind of stuff has long gone now with HSE and now, even in West Africa you're not allowed to fish for the tuna... although rules do get relaxed in different parts of the world and depending on the skipper and Offshore Manager.

Anyway, enough food talk... I'm happy now as my day shift opposite number has started plating up the evening meal for me to have at breakfast time. I've got microwaved pan-fried cod today.

And to steer this back to work... this is our survey ROV just about to be launched. This is the latest generation of ROV and can do 4 knts (2 m/s) and has been a game changer for pipeline inspection and seabed mapping jobs. With this ROV, the data acquisition for these projects can now be completed a lot faster than traditionally, thus reducing vessel time and as a result this company is picking up a lot of work.

I'll get some decent pictures once we leave the 500 metre zone and I can get outside again.