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.
