Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written, I haven’t forgotten you, I was
just busy, and the coastwise part of this route is always a bit busy.
Now that I’m back offshore I have a bit more time.
I’ll start by telling about the coastwise portion, we were due to arrive in
New York on the 7th of January, but we were a day late, arriving at 3AM on
the 8th, as our berth in Brooklyn was already being used we diverted to Port
Elizabeth New Jersey, just the way, we were on the dock and finished with
engines at 7am, we then loaded engine department stores until 2am the next
morning, while this was happing myself, the cadet and the 1st engineer
changed a cylinder liner and piston on the main engine, we got done and
tested just in time to start up and get underway, we left New Jersey at 4am
on the 9th we arrived in Charlestown on the 10th, at around 2am, but we
couldn’t transit in due to heavy fog, so we drifted until 9 that morning, we
were on the dock and finished with engines at noon, we loaded more engine
stores and changed a turbo charger on one of the generators, we were
supposed to leave at 10pm on the 11th, but once more we were delayed due to
fog, we finally got underway at 5am and took departure at 10, we then took
arrival in Savanna at 3 that afternoon and were all fast on the dock and
fished with engines at 7:30, at eight the bunker barge arrived and we
bunkered until 2:30 am after sounding the bunker tanks I came to the
conclusion that we were 100 tons short, the chief engineer agreed, so he and
the bunker barge argued until 3 or so when a surveyor arrived and agreed
with us, but the barge was short the bunker, and had tried to pass their
loss off to us, we disconnected the hose and the bunker barge was away by
4:30. The 1st engineer and myself then changed a burned bearing on a main
lube oil pump, we got underway at 9am on the 13th, not to sea but to
Norfolk, which indeed has a commercial port, we arrived in Norfolk at 5pm on
the 14th, loaded some cargo and sailed at 6am on the 15th.
The next couple of days were the standard madhouse of sorting out and
stowing stores, securing for sea and getting to know the new crew, among the
black gang only me, the electrician and the cadet stayed, everyone else is
new, as is the captain, the chief mate, the second mate, the third mate, the
Steward utility and the cook (good news there).
In the middle of this a main engine fuel valve shit the bit, we managed to
bypass it and are making 100 turns good, so we should make up our lost days
on the leg to Egypt.
Things seem to settling out nicely though and as we’re running the rum-line
to Gibraltar, the weather is nice, so it seems as this may be a good trip,
and I’ll of course keep you posted.
I hope that you and your family are all fine, please say to the gang at
drinking L for me.