I'm jthomas1600, The Sailor Man! Toot Toot!

jthomas1600 · 05-03-2008, 03:02 PM

I guess this is how you start a journal. I spend about 250 days a year on a vessel servicing oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Mostly I guess this journal will be about events on the boat. Right now I home and will be returning to the boat next week. My regular schedual is 28 days on the boat and 14 days off. I will only be able to post occasionaly when I am on the boat as I have to be at certain docks to where there is a hotspot signal.

JerRocks2day · 05-03-2008, 03:15 PM

Be careful not to run into any pirates. Not really a joke. I would make POTC joke, but I don't to offend you.

jthomas1600 · 05-04-2008, 04:41 PM

church was good today. It was senior citizen day. We had the pastor that proceded our current one (who has been here for 25 years) preach--it was a great message on the need to evangalize close to home--friends, co-workers, family etc.. It's time to go back to work. I will leave at 0400 and drive to Amelia La. and then will get in a company truck and go meet the boat--probably in Fourchon (prononced foo-shawn) La. I hate crew change days-they are always long and difficult.

jthomas1600 · 05-04-2008, 08:53 PM

We went from senior citizens to the youth at church today. Our youth group leads the music and our youth pastor brings the message on Sun. night. My son works in the sound booth and with the power point for the music and massage--I'm so proud of him he does a great job. He will be getting an acoustic guitar for his birthday and will soon be part of the music as well.

jthomas1600 · 05-07-2008, 01:56 AM

left home at 4am to head for work--got to the boat at noon. Left for a run 4 hours latter-ran 100 miles due south of Fourchon, La. We off loaded cargo at 2 offshore oil rigs and were back at the dock18 hours latter. The weather was perfect--1-3 ft. seas, no wind and clear skys. I am now settled in for 30 days on the boat and then home to the wife and kids.

**jump5fan** · 05-07-2008, 06:11 AM

you service oil platforms? that is so cool! sounds kind of dangerous too.

JerRocks2day · 05-07-2008, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jump5fan

you service oil platforms? that is so cool! sounds kind of dangerous too.

Unless you were in Armaggedon where they drilled a hole in the ocean in the start of the movie.

P.S. Hope I didn't offend you Jthomas1600.

jthomas1600 · 05-07-2008, 12:55 PM

BBQed hamburgers for my crew, some times I feel more like a mother than a Captain when I'm at work, but a happy crew is a productive crew so I do quite a bit of cooking. We rarely have the same six guys on the boat and it's interesting to watch the personality of the crew fluctuate. This week the Chief Engineer and I are the only Christians on the boat. I had an interesting conversation with one of the A.B.s about how my faith effects my daily life. I try to be a witness with out being over bearing--after all we are packed into a pretty small space living and working together.

jthomas1600 · 05-09-2008, 01:12 AM

Left at 0200 05/08/08 to make a run. The weather was crummy--4-6ft and windy. A contract worker from the drill ship twisted his ankle on our boat due to rough seas. He is OK but any injury creates a ton of paper work. Any way we are back in now--Taking on 9,000 gal. of fuel and 12,000 gal of water. Then maybe we will have the rest of the night off. In my spare time (I actualy have quite a bit) I'm reading a few different books. One is Winning the Hear of you Son--man it's tough being a dad today--trying to get every advantage I can.

jthomas1600 · 05-10-2008, 12:23 PM

Well, the boat (the Vickie Tide) has been at the dock for about a day and a half now so we're catching up on paper work, painting, cleaning etc. also watching movies, reading, palying guitar, and playing on the computer. Sundays are drill days so we will be planing a safety meeting and preparing to run a fire drill, man overboard drill, and an abandon ship drill. Other than that we do not work on Sundays unless the boat is under way--so if we are at the dock it will be a laid back day

jthomas1600 · 05-11-2008, 05:34 AM

Got up for my watch last night (11pm-my watch is midnight to noon) and just kicked back. Nothing really to do--just watched TV and did some window shoping online-looking at amps. Now however they are loading the boat to send us offshore--so much for a laid back Sunday--oh well, thats what I get paid for. I started a thread in theology about dispensations. I hope I get some feed back. I have not studied as much the last few years, but I am on a boat now where I have alot of spare time so I better get back on track. The last few years my wife has grown stronger spiritualy and I have sort of stagnated. I feel real bad about this because I believe that I am to be the spiritual leader of my home.

jthomas1600 · 05-12-2008, 06:12 AM

Got back in last night at 11pm just as I was getting up and 2nd Capt. informed me we were having trouble with one of our 4 main engines--Cheif Eng. thought maybe it was actually the gear box. We had a gear specialist on the boat a 2am--he could find no problems and left. We have an in-house mech. on the boat now thinking it is in the engine, but he has no idea. Next step will be to call a cummins mech. and tear into the engine. It is probably something simple as the engine feels like it's running OK but is making a high pitched scream at 1200+ RPMs. It's a little early to start the count down but I have 23 days left on my hitch and then I get to see the family. I will only be home for a week this time, but at least the kids will be out of school.

JerRocks2day · 05-12-2008, 07:42 AM

Looks like you're lucky that you get a lot of action aboard the ship. It's also good that you get to see your family for a week.

jthomas1600 · 05-13-2008, 12:20 AM

It took 3 sets of mechanics and 14 hours to figure out we had a broken bolt and a bad gasket causing the engine to suck air which created the high pitch whistle we were hearing. Once the identified the problem it took 2 hours to fix. We were at sea on mothers day and busy yesterday so I still haven't called my mom for mothers day. I was able to call my wife on Sun. before we left and since I have to live with her I guess that is more important. I will try again to call my mom tomorrow. I guess I'll watch movies for the rest of the night (it's a tough job, but someones got to do it) and when the sun comes up we will do some outside work on the boat. That's if for now.

jthomas1600 · 05-13-2008, 06:04 AM

Addition to todays journal-I added a picture of the boat I work on as my avitar.