7/14
Because some of their meals turned out not to be quite what you would expect having read the menu; Spanish tortilla was a potato omelet, macaroni and cheese (I think of the picture on the Kraft box), was lasagna made with elbows, when the menu for today’s breakfast claimed steak tartar, I took that with a large grain of salt. Silly me!
Because some of their meals turned out not to be quite what you would expect having read the menu; Spanish tortilla was a potato omelet, macaroni and cheese (I think of the picture on the Kraft box), was lasagna made with elbows, when the menu for today’s breakfast claimed steak tartar, I took that with a large grain of salt. Silly me!
1120 – A short while ago they announced that there would be a test of the fire alarm system, I got my jacket on and went outside to be greeted by a shower of soapy water – they are washing “G” deck. I must remember to look out the porthole before opening that door.
7/15
The sky has been covered with low clouds for almost the entire trip, I can recall only one complete day of sunshine.
7/15
The sky has been covered with low clouds for almost the entire trip, I can recall only one complete day of sunshine.
0730 – Just learned that a sister ship to the one I am on had an explosion, one dead, five airlifted including two passengers. How terrifying, especially to be in the middle of the ocean when something of this nature occurs. Have learned that there was a fire in one of the hatches which the crew had been in the process of putting out when it exploded.
1030 - Sky has cleared up for the most part and have decided to see if I can actually find the bow and stern
1030 - Sky has cleared up for the most part and have decided to see if I can actually find the bow and stern
My walk to the bow.
1130 - It has become a beautiful, clear day – the first in many days. Having been told that late morning / early afternoon we will be passing between Honshu and Hokkaido, I have been doing my prairie dog impression, popping my head up to look out the one of the portals in my cabin to see if we are there. It is relatively warm, so I will be outside a good part of the day, finally!!! Seeing more east bound traffic, and, a few hours ago there was a private fishing boat. Just popped my head up and watched another cargo ship come out of the fog – of course – we are getting close to something to see so there has to be fog.
1500 – It feels like my intestines are turning to stone – this is not a good thing
1730 – Have been sleeping in 15 or 20 minute batches – pain has settled in. I only hope it is not another diverticulitis attack. Took an Advil PM to take the edge off the pain and hopefully rest for a little while.
2330 – Finally got to see a few stars tonight one of the things I had been looking forward to seeing is a star filled sky. Star gazing didn’t last for long the fog became so thick that I couldn’t see 3 rows of containers in front of me.
7/19
1200 – Decided to try food for the first time in 72 hours. I had the broth from the soup and two small boiled potatoes – making progress.
1520 – Rudely awakened by the fire alarm – knew there would be a drill, however, they said we would be given the time. Got dressed rather quickly, grabbed my Mae-west, helmet and the bag containing the survival suit, headed to the starboard side of the ship, out onto the deck and down 5 flights only to find about dozen survival suit bags accompanied by life vests. Dropped mine there and wandered down to another deck where they were doing crew drills and was told that they were done with me.
1700 – Another boiled potato and two small pieces of roast pork – getting better all the time. I mentioned to the one other passenger who still acknowledges my existence that the life boat had left without me, when he asked what happened to me I said I had been asleep. He demanded to know “How the hell could you possibly sleep through that? It’s not possible!!” I said it woke me up and that I had to get dressed before heading out. He then told me that a sign had been posted listing the time of the drill. Well, if they had put an absurd little cartoon character on it like the one on the “retard” sign, I might have noticed it!
1730 – Have been sleeping in 15 or 20 minute batches – pain has settled in. I only hope it is not another diverticulitis attack. Took an Advil PM to take the edge off the pain and hopefully rest for a little while.
2330 – Finally got to see a few stars tonight one of the things I had been looking forward to seeing is a star filled sky. Star gazing didn’t last for long the fog became so thick that I couldn’t see 3 rows of containers in front of me.
7/19
1200 – Decided to try food for the first time in 72 hours. I had the broth from the soup and two small boiled potatoes – making progress.
1520 – Rudely awakened by the fire alarm – knew there would be a drill, however, they said we would be given the time. Got dressed rather quickly, grabbed my Mae-west, helmet and the bag containing the survival suit, headed to the starboard side of the ship, out onto the deck and down 5 flights only to find about dozen survival suit bags accompanied by life vests. Dropped mine there and wandered down to another deck where they were doing crew drills and was told that they were done with me.
1700 – Another boiled potato and two small pieces of roast pork – getting better all the time. I mentioned to the one other passenger who still acknowledges my existence that the life boat had left without me, when he asked what happened to me I said I had been asleep. He demanded to know “How the hell could you possibly sleep through that? It’s not possible!!” I said it woke me up and that I had to get dressed before heading out. He then told me that a sign had been posted listing the time of the drill. Well, if they had put an absurd little cartoon character on it like the one on the “retard” sign, I might have noticed it!
This is the sign they would post outside the officer's mess when we would be crossing a time zone so clocks had to be turned back one hour.
7/20
1115 – Announcement of another fire alarm test comes over the intercom. I get a cigarette and go out on the deck. We are 13 hours out of Tianjin and have slowed down to about 8 or 9 knots, the fog is so dense that I was unable to see either end of the ship, the heat and humidity made the air seem like it was sticking to me and I was able to withstand the wind created by the movement of the ship as there was no surface wind.
You’ve heard of the lonely sound of a fog horn? I can attest to the accuracy of that description, while out on the deck in the dense fog with the horn blowing it seemed as if this ship were the only thing in the world.
1245 – When I arrived in the mess I was told that egg drop soup was on the menu, perfect, I thought . . . a thick beef stew, light on the beef, but heavy on the potatoes, carrots and assorted beans – absolutely delicious! I only hope I won’t be sorry.
A few days ago I started to see tiny flies which while bigger than fruit flies, are considerably smaller than a common house fly. I supposed that eggs that had been laid on the ship previously were now hatching in the warmer climate. After lunch I was going to step onto my deck for a few minutes, looked out the porthole only to see 3 – 4 inch long flying insects, most of which were stingers, but they were too far away to tell what they were. I skipped the moist fog and came inside my cabin. I later figured out that they are dragon flies.
1305 – The engine is suddenly running very roughly – I don’t even want to think about what this portends. The repairs that did not get done while in Oakland are scheduled to be taken care of in Asia. I certainly hope the delay was not a mistake. Found out this is a deliberate act intended to blow accumulated oil out of certain valves.
1115 – Announcement of another fire alarm test comes over the intercom. I get a cigarette and go out on the deck. We are 13 hours out of Tianjin and have slowed down to about 8 or 9 knots, the fog is so dense that I was unable to see either end of the ship, the heat and humidity made the air seem like it was sticking to me and I was able to withstand the wind created by the movement of the ship as there was no surface wind.
You’ve heard of the lonely sound of a fog horn? I can attest to the accuracy of that description, while out on the deck in the dense fog with the horn blowing it seemed as if this ship were the only thing in the world.
1245 – When I arrived in the mess I was told that egg drop soup was on the menu, perfect, I thought . . . a thick beef stew, light on the beef, but heavy on the potatoes, carrots and assorted beans – absolutely delicious! I only hope I won’t be sorry.
A few days ago I started to see tiny flies which while bigger than fruit flies, are considerably smaller than a common house fly. I supposed that eggs that had been laid on the ship previously were now hatching in the warmer climate. After lunch I was going to step onto my deck for a few minutes, looked out the porthole only to see 3 – 4 inch long flying insects, most of which were stingers, but they were too far away to tell what they were. I skipped the moist fog and came inside my cabin. I later figured out that they are dragon flies.
1305 – The engine is suddenly running very roughly – I don’t even want to think about what this portends. The repairs that did not get done while in Oakland are scheduled to be taken care of in Asia. I certainly hope the delay was not a mistake. Found out this is a deliberate act intended to blow accumulated oil out of certain valves.
1400 – Engine seems to have mostly settled down and we are apparently back up to speed, fog seems to have abated somewhat, normally I would go outside and look straight down into the water as the movement of the ship clears 15’ – 20’ of fog along the sides.
I have been told that along the Chinese coast the larger ships, such as this one, must avoid the small private vessels. Even I can’t come up with a word for this particular kind of madness.
1650 – A little after 1500 I went down to A deck to check my ship e-mail and ended up having a long conversation with the chief engineer and for a brief time, one of his assistants. At first the discussion was about Somali pirates and how ships of the German fleet are not allowed to be armed. The best they can hope for is to see them coming and have the water cannons ready.
When possible while traveling through dangerous waters they try to stay close to Israeli or Russian vessels which are heavily armed. We went on to discuss various parts of the world, the absurdity of American politics, the pathetic state of the average teenager’s preparedness for the realities of life and on and on and on.
At one point he announced that women’s liberation is the cause of the worldwide economic depression. Needless to say, he did not win that argument. In spite of that he was an interesting conversationalist. Synapses are actually flying again.
I have been told that along the Chinese coast the larger ships, such as this one, must avoid the small private vessels. Even I can’t come up with a word for this particular kind of madness.
1650 – A little after 1500 I went down to A deck to check my ship e-mail and ended up having a long conversation with the chief engineer and for a brief time, one of his assistants. At first the discussion was about Somali pirates and how ships of the German fleet are not allowed to be armed. The best they can hope for is to see them coming and have the water cannons ready.
When possible while traveling through dangerous waters they try to stay close to Israeli or Russian vessels which are heavily armed. We went on to discuss various parts of the world, the absurdity of American politics, the pathetic state of the average teenager’s preparedness for the realities of life and on and on and on.
At one point he announced that women’s liberation is the cause of the worldwide economic depression. Needless to say, he did not win that argument. In spite of that he was an interesting conversationalist. Synapses are actually flying again.
7/22
2000 – I peeked out of the portal just before heading down to send an e-mail. The colors around the cloud formation were just beautiful. Without much hope I grabbed my camera and ran out on to the deck. In addition to the beautiful sky, there were several ships and boats – I looked over to the starboard side from my deck and saw maybe a hundred more. Back inside, across the width of the ship and out again to find hundreds of small boats (fishing I presume) apparently accompanying ships – some with small flickering lights and some with enough light to do up the empire state building at the holidays. I later learned that the larger ships are actually fish processing plants.
2000 – I peeked out of the portal just before heading down to send an e-mail. The colors around the cloud formation were just beautiful. Without much hope I grabbed my camera and ran out on to the deck. In addition to the beautiful sky, there were several ships and boats – I looked over to the starboard side from my deck and saw maybe a hundred more. Back inside, across the width of the ship and out again to find hundreds of small boats (fishing I presume) apparently accompanying ships – some with small flickering lights and some with enough light to do up the empire state building at the holidays. I later learned that the larger ships are actually fish processing plants.
Unfortunately my Minolta had jammed so these were taken with the little digital.
We are heading into Tianjin – if I can stay awake I will go back up to watch the docking procedure – I would love to get night pictures of the Chinese docks. I was scheduled to disembark in Tianjin, however since Sean was unexpectedly still in Dalian I stayed on the ship until that port of call.
2040 - I believe we have stopped, presumably waiting for a pilot boat.
2100 – We are underway – either the pilot arrived or the small boat got out of our way.
7/23
0500 – Woke up and looked out the portal – the ship was being unloaded and it was a relatively clear morning – jumped (yeah, right) into my jeans, grabbed my camera and ran onto the deck. I took just a few pictures as I desperately needed coffee and a shower and it looked like the fog was lifting. Downloaded the pictures I had just taken and looked out the portal.
2040 - I believe we have stopped, presumably waiting for a pilot boat.
2100 – We are underway – either the pilot arrived or the small boat got out of our way.
7/23
0500 – Woke up and looked out the portal – the ship was being unloaded and it was a relatively clear morning – jumped (yeah, right) into my jeans, grabbed my camera and ran onto the deck. I took just a few pictures as I desperately needed coffee and a shower and it looked like the fog was lifting. Downloaded the pictures I had just taken and looked out the portal.
0845 – While taking pictures on the “business deck” one of the senior crew members approached me and said that if I wanted to be on that deck I needed to wear my construction helmet for both safety and security reasons. I guess anyone on that deck without a helmet could be a stowaway.
I read that stowaways are a very expensive proposition for carriers as they cannot simply be dropped off at the next port of call if it is in another country. For example, if someone was able to sneak on this vessel in Shanghai the company would have to take them across the Pacific to their western U.S. ports, then back across the Pacific until they reached China again, the cost in housing, food, security and added insurance is prohibitive.
A member of the crew would have to be with the stowaway at all times, taking him away from his duties forcing overtime for others to cover his shift. Included in my fare is $600 insurance in the event of accident or injury and that was for one way only.
1055 – Have been out wandering the busy deck with hard had in place when I passed a Chinese stevedore taking a cigarette break – we sort of smiled at each other and he said “ni hao” (hello), I responded with “zaoshang hao” (good morning) and his eyes and his smile became huge and he said “OoKaay”.
I’m sure this doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, but having my first words to a Chinese national not have him rolling on the deck in laughter gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Denny, thanks again for the language program.
I was trying to download the 30 or so pictures I had just taken only to discover that they were neither on the card nor in the camera memory, and I had checked most of the pictures immediately after taking them. I came up because a member of the ship’s crew indicated it was no longer a good idea to be on that level – Major Bummer – how on earth did I mange to do that?
I read that stowaways are a very expensive proposition for carriers as they cannot simply be dropped off at the next port of call if it is in another country. For example, if someone was able to sneak on this vessel in Shanghai the company would have to take them across the Pacific to their western U.S. ports, then back across the Pacific until they reached China again, the cost in housing, food, security and added insurance is prohibitive.
A member of the crew would have to be with the stowaway at all times, taking him away from his duties forcing overtime for others to cover his shift. Included in my fare is $600 insurance in the event of accident or injury and that was for one way only.
1055 – Have been out wandering the busy deck with hard had in place when I passed a Chinese stevedore taking a cigarette break – we sort of smiled at each other and he said “ni hao” (hello), I responded with “zaoshang hao” (good morning) and his eyes and his smile became huge and he said “OoKaay”.
I’m sure this doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, but having my first words to a Chinese national not have him rolling on the deck in laughter gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Denny, thanks again for the language program.
I was trying to download the 30 or so pictures I had just taken only to discover that they were neither on the card nor in the camera memory, and I had checked most of the pictures immediately after taking them. I came up because a member of the ship’s crew indicated it was no longer a good idea to be on that level – Major Bummer – how on earth did I mange to do that?
0200 – Changed the memory card grabbed my hard hat and off I
went. Think I was able to get most of what I wanted but as always, there were a
few “one of a kind” shots of people doing things that I wasn’t able to replace.
Being refueled by an oil tanker while in the port of Tianjin
7/24
0735 – It is a beautiful clear morning and the last of my laundry is done. During breakfast the Captain advised me that we would be getting in to Dalian a few hours early (original schedule had us docking at 1900) – that the pilot boat had been ordered for 1500. Am I thrilled? You betcha!
1015 - It has been raining for a while and now the fog is moving in - how did I not know this was coming.
1100 – Refusing to look out of the portal, I don’t want to know.
1215 – At lunch the Captain advised me that the pilot boat has been cancelled and that he has no idea what time we will get into port. Finally looked out when I returned to my cabin – the light post at the front of the ship has disappeared yet again and visibility from the side is about twenty feet – and that only because of the draft of the ship.
1210 – Everything is packed and ready to go.
0545 – At dinner the Captain advised me that the port of Dalian has been closed to all traffic. There has been no probable time range given for the reopening of the port.
0735 – It is a beautiful clear morning and the last of my laundry is done. During breakfast the Captain advised me that we would be getting in to Dalian a few hours early (original schedule had us docking at 1900) – that the pilot boat had been ordered for 1500. Am I thrilled? You betcha!
1015 - It has been raining for a while and now the fog is moving in - how did I not know this was coming.
1100 – Refusing to look out of the portal, I don’t want to know.
1215 – At lunch the Captain advised me that the pilot boat has been cancelled and that he has no idea what time we will get into port. Finally looked out when I returned to my cabin – the light post at the front of the ship has disappeared yet again and visibility from the side is about twenty feet – and that only because of the draft of the ship.
1210 – Everything is packed and ready to go.
0545 – At dinner the Captain advised me that the port of Dalian has been closed to all traffic. There has been no probable time range given for the reopening of the port.