Where am I now?

Now I know I wrote the last entry, proclaiming how rushed off my feet I am, but some things are more important than work, and my Grandfathers 90th Birthday party was 1 such occasion. Having missed numerous family events over the last few years including my sisters wedding, I was determined to try my hardest to make this one. The location of the party was also very special to the whole family, as it is where we gathered 22 years ago to celebrate my Great-Grandfathers 100th Birthday.
So on Friday afternoon, I ran away from the ship, jumped on a ferry, and began a marathon journey to make it back to the Gower in Wales for the party.
I had kept my attendance a surprise as I didn't know till the last minute whether drydock progress would enable me to go, or not. The journey there involved 4 countries in 12 hours, beginning in Denmark, then the ferry to Sweden, a flight to Stansted, and a long drive to Wales.
I arrived on Saturday morning, and bumped into 1 of my cousins who told me my parents and grandfather were walking along a beach. We met as they were walking back along the beach, and it was a great suprise greeted with hugs all round and a few tears. Then it was back to the hotel to meet up with more family before heading to Caswell Beach with the next generation of the family.

It was a place that I had spent lots of time as a child, and I soon reverted back to my youth, taking off my shoes, and messing around in rock pools with my nephew and his cousins.

Then it was back to the hotel to meet yet more of the family and have a good catch up and an afternoon swim.

The family soon divided into the swimmers and the drinkers. Surprisingly I was in the swimming category. Although it was more a splashing session than a swimming session.

Saturday night saw 26 of the family gathered for an excellent meal and far too much drink. The cobwebs and hangovers were soon blown away on Sunday morning as we all headed out for a nice walk along the cliffs.

I say nice. Its all fairly relative, and maybe strong winds, cold temperatures, and rain aren't everyones idea of fun, but it didn't seem to bother any of us. Although the nice bar and comfy sofa were very welcome on the return to the hotel. Even better was been able to share the sofa with my Dad and Nephew.

Then it was time for the big event of the weekend, and my Grandfathers birthday lunch. He shared blowing out the candles on the cake with 3 of his great-grandchildren, who then proceeded to demolish as much of the cake as their parents would let them.

Then unfortunately for me the weekend was over, and another marathon journey lay ahead. This time it was a cross country drive to Gatwick, and a late night flight back to Denmark.

So a very busy weekend, a very long way to go, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Well, since my last update, almost all of the good intentions have gone by the wayside. Not only have I been very slow and useless at keeping my blog upto date, I have been even worse at the new exercise regime. I do however have some very good excuses.

Life as Chief Officer is very hectic, but the experience is so far a very good one. The only thing that has been lacking over the last 6 weeks is some time at sea. We are currently in drydock in Denmark, and before that we were laid up in Montrose as there was no further jobs for us. So lots of time in port, which has been a pretty fair mix of work and play.

As for drydock, we arrived in Denmark about 2 weeks ago, and have been in drydock for just over a week. The preparation involved in getting to this point was a steep learning curve for me, as I needed to check all the stability information and ensure that I was all set for the massive jobs list once we docked.

Before we could dock, the drydock needed to be inspected to ensure that all the blocks that the ship was going to sit on were in the right positions. Luckily the yard here are excellent, and everything was as it should be, to enable us to access all the underwater fittings.

The drydock is different to my past experiences in that we are in a floating dock. This meant that after we were in position, the water was slowly pumped out of the dock, letting the dock float up and take our weight. It was all a very quick and efficient process, as has everything else been since our arrival.

Once we were high and dry, it was back down to the dock bottom to get the before pictures. This revealed quite a bit of marine growth, and several bare patches where the ice had beaten the paint in the battle for supremacy.

Since our arrival it has been non stop, with people crawling all over the ship. As I currently write, we have no rudder or propeller in the ship as they are both ashore for work. The entire underside has been sand blasted to bare metal ready for a new coating. And I have had the unenviable task of crawling through every horrible, nasty tank onboard to check the condition and identify any work required. So a very busy, dirty and tiring time!

All that said, the work is going very well, and I am enjoying it. More importantly it is a great opportunity to learn more about the ship and the Chief Officers job.


And whilst I have been busy getting the big ship refitted, I haven't completely forgotton about my little boat back in Spain. In the evenings I have been trying to get to grips with some nice easy carpentry, and have made some nice new name boats for Fintail. Not bad for a first effort with a router, and I didn't even end up with any stitches!

I've now been back at sea for just under 3 weeks and so far so good. Its been a pretty busy time as I have gone from doing the nice simple second mates job, to covering the Chief Officers role, gaining other titles such as dynamic positioning officer and helicopter landing officer as part of the package.

Work wise, we are back in the North Sea, and have spent the last few weeks working in the vicinity of Janice. Not a middle aged lady with serious looking glasses as the name might suggest, but an oil rig. Or more specifically an FPU or Floating Production Unit. Our job out here is to carry out a full inspection of the platform and all the associated sub sea structures using the 2 ROVs that we have onboard. So lots of time sitting at the DP desk with my feet up, while the ROV pilots and surveyors do their thing.

The weather has been pretty mixed, with a bit of time lost due to bad weather, and a few lovely calm days. There have even been a few good sunrises, one of which was impressive enough to make Janice look pretty.

So apart from sitting around with my feet up, I have also had to get to grips with the job of helicopter landing officer (HLO). The HLO is responsible for running the helideck team for any helicopter landings. As such I oversee all aspects of the operation from getting the helideck ready, arranging and briefing the team, and talking to the helicopter pilots. So no pressure or anything then, and thats before we take into account trying to organise the loading and unloading of the helicopter under noisy turning rotors.
This week has seen 2 helicopters coming to the ship. Chopper 1 was a nice easy introduction to the HLO job, as it was 1 passenger arriving and 1 leaving. It all went quite well but I did mess up, and committed the truely unforgivable mistake of not giving the piots their packed lunches!
Chopper 2 was the real test, with 9 people coming and going together with all their associated bags. This also went smoothly, and I even remembered the packed lunches! Fingers crossed there won't be any more helicopters due for a long time, as standing under rotor blades on a moving helideck isn't exactly my idea of a fun afternoon.

I'm the one in red, standing around while the lads do a fine job unloading the bags.


So, the good intentions that I'm full of.....
New years resolutions normally last till about lunch time, so I'm doing pretty well on my back to sea intentions. After lots of hunting I have finally located the gym, and as a result of peer pressure I have agreed to do a 10km leg of the Stanley Marathon in March. So I'm actually spending some of my time trying to get fit. The aim for the next few months is to cover the 1500km from Lands End to John O Groats, by rowing, running and cycling. So far I'm about 200km in, so a reasonable start. Will it continue.... Your guess is as good as mine, but at least the intention is there.

Ok, so as usual I am running at least a month behind on the blog. But I have a more than valid excuse. I have been on leave, which has been a very hard month of lying in the sun, drinking and eating to excess and even the odd bit of sailing.

So rewind a month, and after lots of debate the crew change was finally scheduled to happen by helicopter. To say I wasn't overly keen on the idea was a bit of an understatement. Any mode of transport where you have to wear a full survival suit, lifejacket and rebreather just to be able to get onboard isn't exactly my idea of a nice day trip. Add to this that the weather that had been great for the previous month was finally beginning to deteriorate, and things weren't looking the best.

But the magic day finally arrived, and after a few hours delay while the helicopter waited in Aberdeen for thunder and lightening storms to clear, we were finally off. But of course things weren't quite that simple. We boarded the helicopter, and were immediately told that the weather had deteriorated, so we were going to land on the Gryphon platform and await better conditions. So leg 1 was a 2 minute hop. Then we all disembarked for a 45 minute wait before we could continue on our way. This time with the pilot explaining that we may make it to Aberdeen, but if not, we would land at Wick or Peterhead and wait once more. So why exactly I'm smiling in the next picture is a total mystery.

Now I remember, I had just realised that I was on my way to Spain for a month.

After a fortunately uneventful flight we landed in Aberdeen in the early afternoon, and I then had an onward flight to Birmingham where I spent the night catching up with my family before carrying onto Spain the following morning.
So for the last month I have been relaxing in the sunshine, with a steady stream of friends to keep me company, and help me justify why the recycling bag is always so full!
Not that it is all lying in the sun, drinking gin and reading books. I did manage a day of culture when Hannah and Kirsty were over, with a visit to Cartagena. The view below is of the newly renovated ampitheatre, which I have watched slowly emerge from the ground over the last few years, and is now completed.

And of course I managed to get Fintail out for a few good sails, and even a bit of swimming. Although jumping in the water at lunch time when it is your own boat looses the magic a bit, as you instantly want to grab a brush and start cleaning the sides.

So while I was busy with my scrubbing brush, I let Kirsty practice her diving skills.

Then of course, no visit to see me is complete without the mud. This time the modelling is done by Hannah and Kirsty. There was of course the normal picture of all 3 of use with beer cans in hand, but I have exercised my rights as editor, as it really wasn't a good photo.

And the final shot of the leave is of Sophie and Jeremy relaxing in the swimming pool.

So a very short leave, but very busy and very good fun.

I returned to the UK on Sunday, and after 2 nights waiting for the ship in a very nice hotel suite in Aberdeen, I finally rejoined in Peterhead on Tuesday. So back to work, but all change as I am sailing as Chief Officer for at least the first part of the trip. So a bigger cabin, a bigger work load and more responsibility to go with it. Also a very steep learning curve, but so far so good.

After far too long enjoying myself, it was finally back to work, and my first introduction to the commercial world of shipping in the North Sea. So no prospects of seeing penguins and albatrosses for the next month, but plenty of oil and gas rigs in their place.

I joined the ship in Kristiansund Norway, and had the bonus of a night in a hotel prior to joining the ship. Kristiansund was a lovely little place, and very picturesque, however I completely forgot to take any pictures. So I'm afraid you are stuck with the at sea pictures, and not a single pretty Fjord in sight.

The first 10 days of the trip were spent with a group of Norwegians who were sent out to use the ship to collect mud samples for shell. It was a nice gentle start to the trip, which was just as well when we were getting within 50metres or so of platforms like the one shown below.

This beautiful picture is of the Draugen Plaform. As you see it only has one leg, but manages perfectly well, and seemed happy enough.

After completing the work for the Norwegians we headed into a small town called Floro to demobilise all their equipment. Floro was also a very picturesque place, with a stunning run in through the Fjords. But you've guessed it, not a single picture there either, so you get to see the DP desk.

The DP or Dynamic Positioning desk is where we do most of our driving from while we are doing work in the north sea. DP is a clever computer system that uses all the ships thrusters, propeller and rudder and puts it all together to keep the vessel either stationary, or moving in exact directions and speeds. It also has the capability to track under water beacons, which lets the ship follow ROV's. It was this function that we have been using for the second half of the trip.

So from picturesque Norway we headed back across the North Sea to Aberdeen, where we were to mobilise the next cruise. This time we traded the mud sampling gear for 2 all singing ROV's and all the associated gear that we were to need for the upcoming work. This time the work was to be pipe line surveys, and inspecting oil rigs and FPSO's (I'll explain what that is in a minute).

So with all the kit onboard we headed north east, which brings me to our current position which is pretty much in the middle of the north sea between Orkney and Norway. We have been here for about a week, working around the Gryphon Oil Field, doing a range of survey work with the clever little mini subs.

Gryphon is an FPSO, or Floating Production and Storage unit. Effectively it does the same job as an oil rig, but is a large ship, as you can see from the picture.

The work has been really interesting and I am finally getting used to taking the vessel to within 20metres of a big ship and not been scared any more. Although I don't think I'll try it when I'm on a normal watch deep sea!

The next picture shows me part way through a hectic 12 hour watch.

The next photo is courtesy of a helicopter pilot, and shows just how small a ship the Ernest Shackleton is compared to the some what bigger Gryphon.

An ariel view will also be the last sight I will have of the ship for this trip, as we are due to do an at sea crew change by helicopter on Monday. Fingers crossed everything goes well, and I will be back in sunny Spain by Tuesday evening.

All good things must come to an end, and after a nice bit of time over in Spain, I finally had to return to the real world. Before I could rejoin the ship I had to attend a few courses to enable me to work around the oil and gas fields of the North Sea. For this I had to head to Norfolk, and the Petans training centre.
The first course on the list went by the name of BOSIET, and was 3 days of general offshore safety, including the joys of escaping from an upturned helicopter in a swimming pool. Not an enjoyable experience, but at least it is done. No pictures of the exciting bits of the course, as I was too busy worrying about drowning to remember my camera. So the best I can offer is the lifeboat training platform.

Next on the list were 3 courses in a row dealing with helicopter operations. First on the list was the emergency helideck team members course. This was great fun, involving 3 days of pretend helicopter crashes and lots of fire fighting.

Then after dealing with what happens when things go wrong, I moved onto 2 courses which enabled me to gain my helicopter landing officers certificate. This was a more theoretical few days of radio procedures and the rules and regs for helidecks and their operation.

So with the courses now out of the way I rejoined the RRS Ernest Shackleton in Kristiansund, Norway on Monday. As I write we are about 1000m from a large oil rig collecting mud samples from the sea bed.
Its great to be back onboard, and even better as the weather is very nice, and the work not too hectic. The slightly worrying thought for the day is that the first time I see an actual helicopter approaching the ship it is my job to be in charge of landing it! North Sea helicopter pilots beware.

Many thanks to Greg for the use of the photos.

All good things must come to an end, and I am now back in the UK after another great few weeks in Spain. The first week was another boat maintainence marathon. And even if I am slightly biased, I think my hard work is starting to pay off and I am slowly returning Fintail to her former glory.

With the hard work done, I was joined by my parents, sister and nephew Dylan. So an end to the hard work, and a chance to finally get out and enjoy a bit of sailing. Dylan celebrated his 3rd birthday with his first of hopefully many visits to Aunty Jo's boat. He seemed to approve, even if his lifejacket is still a little bit too big.

Unfortunately the weather didn't allow for a birthday sail, so his first trip to sea was on the La Manga ferry. Not quite the same, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same.

Later in the week we finally made it out for an excellent bit of sailing, with everyone having a good day.


As for me, I spent a bit more time puzzling over why after getting all the sails up I am still left with a vast array of lines that I have no idea what they do!

It didn't take Dylan long to figure out what the tiller did, and he was very put out when anyone else tried to touch his tiller. Definately a captain in the making, I just hope I can get him to steer a slightly straighter course next time.

And I always knew a day on the water was pretty tiring, but mum and Dylan seemed to suffer more than most!

As for now. I am back in the UK and heading off to Norfolk tomorrow for a few courses. Then finally back to sea in the middle of June. Hopefully for a much less eventful trip than my last effort.

I allowed myself a few days off from sanding and varnishing Fintail, and headed down to Gibraltar for a break. I lived in Gib for 3 years when I was really young, but have only been back for a day trip since. So I was really interested to see how things have changed and if I could remember much. It was also a great chance to catch up with Ruth who was the doctor on the James Clark Ross last year, as she has just started working down there.

My timing of the trip was useless, as the cable car was closed for its annual maintainence. Still, I needed to try and get fit again, and walking up the rock a few times was a good start. This picture was taken from inside the siege tunnels, and looks out to the camp at north front, which is where I lived when I was younger.

Next stop was a trip to lower Saint Michaels Caves. The upper caves are on the normal tourist trail, and whilst very impressive, the cave network below is increadible. Luckily for me, a small group from the hopsital had organised a trip to the lower caves so I had the chance to explore the areas that are normally closed.

What I didn't realise before the trip was that it was going to involve scrambling around through small gaps, up ropes, in pools and lots of sliding on my backside. All very good fun, but jeans and a white t'shirt probably weren't the best choice of clothes!

The trip was great, with some fantastic formations to see, and loads of fun in the scrambling around to see them.


Having done the inside of the rock, the next trip took us on a nice walk up the rock, passing all the major sites. First stop was the Moorish Castle, which gave some great views out across Gib to La Linea.

Then the bit I had been waiting for, and finally a chance to see the apes that I remember so well from when I was younger.

They are just as cool as I hoped, and it was a great end to a flying visit. And don't worry, I have had a haircut since the photo was taken!

As for now, I am back in the UK for the final round of doctors and medicals. Then I'm back to Spain on Saturday to get on with my sanding and varnishing.

I was after a nice calm day to get the sails up on Fintail, and see what all the bits of string do. And you don't get much calmer than this. I never thought that the salt works on the way out to the marina could look quite so impressive.


I also needed some help, and Paul came to the rescue. Not only helping with the fun tasks of sorting out the sails and rigging, but equally happy helping me with the long task of sorting through the tons of gear, with the photo below showing only a fraction of what we faced.

Anyway back to the fun stuff. I know its generally more traditional to put your sails up with a boat at sea, but it was exceptionally handy to be able to have a dry run in the marina. And of course it had the added bonus of been able to wander round, and admire her from every angle.

It's been a long time since I sailed on a gaff rigger, and with no rigging plan it was certainly an interesting morning. However, as the pictures show, we got there in the end. It was also a pleasant surprise to find the sails in such good condition.

All that said, if anyone has any handy hints on how I can get the topsail up, then please get in touch.

So having had a practice run, the next logical step was to head out and see how she actually sailed. The weather was fantastic once again, with a nice breeze which was calm enough for me to get out of the harbour, and just strong enough to get us moving at a few knots.

All in all, pretty much perfect for a first sail. Everything went very smoothly, and with the engine turned off, she sailed better than I dared hope, despite the fact that I was too lazy to get the mainsail up, and felt a bit rough, so it was a pretty short trip.

Of course, the getting out and sailing was the easy bit. The hard part was always going to be the getting back in, and mooring. Fintail has a long keel, which makes going astern an interesting and slightly unpredictable task. For a first effort, I was pretty happy with my attempt. It certainly wasn't quick, but I got there in the end, and even better I didn't even hit anything!

I am now back in the UK once again for more tests and checks. Everything seems to be coming to a close, with all the results good and no problems found. So a frustrating mystery, but with everything checked and me well on the mend, it means I can concentrate on all the sanding and varnishing that awaits when I head back to Spain on Monday.

Fate works in strange ways, and for me it has led to me buying Fintail. I first came across her last summer, when she came on the market over in Spain. It was love at first sight, but unfortunately the timing was wrong, so I had to let her go. Then by a very stange turn of events, she came back on the market a few weeks ago at a much reduced price and I was given first refusal. Needless to say, that I wasn't going to miss out a second time.

So what is Fintail? She is a 28ft gaff rigged, venus ketch. She was built by her previous owner Peter Storr back in Shoreham in the mid 80's/ early 90's. It was always his dream to build a boat and he took 8 years to convert fintail from a tree into the boat that she is today. His achievement was truely incredible, with the hull construction pretty much bomb proof, and his attention to detail was absolutely meticulous. Sadly Peter passed away last year, so Fintail needed a new owner to look after her, and take her on the long passages that she was always built for. So over to me then!

She will certainly keep me busy, as there has been no maintainence done for the last year. So I think I'll be sanding and painting for a while. Fortunately the hull structure is completely sound, so its a great starting point and will keep me out of mischief.

The broker moved her round to her new home for me on Sunday. So she is now less than a 10 minute bike ride from the house in Spain, and only a minutes walk from the cafe that I normally use. Not that I'll have any money to spare on things like lunch in cafes for a while.

I haven't taken her out for a sail yet, as i'm still not on top form, but there is plenty of time for that in the months and years ahead. In the mean time, I am back in the UK to try and get myself sorted. Then I'll be back to Spain to get to work.

I don't like to beg and pleed, but if anyone finds themselves with a bit of time to spare and fancies some sanding and painting in the sun (who knows, maybe even some sailing), then please give me a shout, and any help will be greatly appreciated.

I'll let you know how things go.

In the mean time, I'll leave you with a quote from Fintails intitial survey which I think sums her up quite well.
'A very extraordinary, heavy weather, long-distance, cruising hull. Massively overbuilt for normal use. It appears to have been well thought out and painstakingly constructed'.