Back in Home Waters

After two months we have finally come to the end of our deployment and will limp into the English Channel tonight. Things have been busy but that has not been a bad thing as time has gone quickly. As always with these types of exercise it was about as well organised as a piss up in a brewery but at least it is now over.

 

We only had three short port visits, not that I am complaining as with each port the pilotage got tighter and tighter, until we finally reached Valletta, which was really tight to get into with an interesting S bend going through the breakwater. Certainly not something I would want to do on a regular basis as it just doesn’t feel right steaming right towards a cliff. On the plus side though I got to have lunch with the earl and Countess of Wessex when they visited the ship.

 

Our passage back has been a bit lumpy over the past few days, thankfully the Bay hasn’t been as bad as predicted and therefore we have managed to keep our Friday arrival. Debbie and the little ones are coming down for the night which will be nice as I haven’t seen them since I joined in September. We sail Saturday but at least we will get Friday night together.

 

800 Miles

Once again I find myself sat down trying to think of what to write. It is hard to write about what I have been upto, nothing exciting but I am just cautious as to what goes out in an open forum. I must say this trip has been extremely busy but at least I am now half way through. I am really hoping that things quieten down a little bit over the coming weeks so that I can actually start to tie down our future programme as it looks somewhat of a tramsmash at present. I suppose at least by keeping busy the time goes quickly.

 

Well our last port visit was enjoyable, if stressful at times. Over the Saturday night we had 70mph winds blowing us off the berth, thankfully as we have thrusters we managed to keep ourselves pushed on overnight. We did however lift the gangway which caused a few issues for our remaining troops who came back in the early ours. Thankfully one of our consorts were kind enough to take them in for the night, I only wonder what they made of the chap that turned up in a hospital gown wearing an eye patch.

 

During the visit managed to get ashore for a skype call, unfortunately I ended up drinking far to much espresso, nice coffee but leaves an awful headache after the fifth one. On sailing the fleet had a call from the Naval Attaché as a picture of Johnny Wilkinson had gone walkabout from the local Rugby Club. Obviously they were disheartened and asked for it’s return. After a search onboard one of our troops handed it in with the story that he had bumped into a couple of drunk Belgians that had borrowed the picture and were now bored of it. Johnny made his first appearance at our 1930 meeting at which point myself and the AOO carried him up to the bridge. At this point I would just like to say that the picture was infact a life size plywood cut-out of Johnny which looked quite freaky under red torchlight on a dark bridge.

 

Well one more exercise to do and then we have our final port visit to a historic port before we head home to colder climbs. I must say having looked at the pilot book I am looking forward to the visit as it is somewhere I haven’t been before.

 

I know I moan about the long hours, but it is not all bad. As I say the time really is flying by so I really don’t have to much time to myself. I do however manage to steal 30mins every other day or so to go for a bike ride and read my book. I am still slowly chipping away at this years challenge and broke the 800mile mark yesterday. Only 200 more to go and then I have reached this years target of cycling 1000miles

Non Stop

This is certainly turning out to be a busy trip and I really can’t believe the first month has passed so quickly. I suppose it helps that for most of the time I have had little time to do anything but work, and get sleep when I can.  I must admit I wasn’t too happy when I joined to find out that I would be watchkeeping and Nav Ops in the work up to a major deployment but in a masochistic sort of way it was fun as I was going back to my routes. I always prefer the sole ops posts but I must admit it is really good to get back to driving the ship in and out of port again and having control of both the operations and the navigation functions. Whether it’s abuse or not I don’t know but I even programmed in DP trials into the shortcast so that I could play with all the buttons and joysticks on the bridge. This class of ship is always worked hard but it is good to be on a reasonably new ship.

 

The down side of course is always the hours, whilst watchkeeping I did three weeks of generally 15 hour days, needless to say that by the time we came to deploy I was still behind the curve on work and rest. We got our replacement officer just as we started the deployment which did help but the hours then increased due to operational tempo and I was pulling 18 hour days. I must admit by the time we left home waters earlier in the week I was about ready to drop. Thankfully though we have now been on a nice steady passage for a few days so I have managed to just about catch up before the next phase where we will do it all over again.

 

I do miss home, Debbie and the little ones, it is strange really going from being at home 24/7 with Debbie and the little ones to being away and not being able to see them. At least we can have phone calls. Whenever I ring the first thing I tend to hear is the little man saying ‘My turn, My turn’ as he makes a grab for the phone. The little girl on the other hand is far more patient and usually wants to watch Charlie and Lola instead. I do think as they get older it is going to get much harder but I suppose I have to earn a living somehow.

 

Anyway into port tomorrow for a very short stand-down, I plan to take a stroll into town after we arrive for a change of scene and a break from work to recharge batteries before hitting the grindstone again on Sunday, getting up to speed, drawing up routes and areas and reading through the 4 inches of signals that I get daily before sailing back into the wild blue yonder on Monday.

A Step Back In Time

Usually at this stage of the trip I am heavily into my joining blues. However this trip my sixteen hour days have put pay to my joining blues. I do miss Debbie and the little ones and I wish I was home but have had little time to reflect.

I joined two weeks ago and went straight into watches whilst trying to handover and prepare for the forth coming deployment. Hence I have little time to think. This trip however is a step back in time as it is six or severn years and my captain is my old cadet training officer from my first couple of trips in 1991 & 1992. I do miss home but in some ways I am enjoying the trip as I have a comfy cabin, a good programme, good crowd and as Nav Ops I get to do the bits I enjoy which is control the programme and drive the ship in and out of port. I even programmed in a slot of DP trails the other day so I could play with the ship and press all the flashy buttons and drive the ship around in circles.

I must admit though I don't enjoy the hours at the moment. When we are at sea I am basically doing 0745 - 2359 and in port I am going through until 2045. Things should get better next weekend when we get our replacement deck officer. It will have been a hard three weeks though.

As much as I moan I am looking forward to the next few months as it will be interesting but I do miss my little ones and Debbie.

So Much For Summer

As I progressed through last trip I was really looking forward to my first full summer leave. Over the past few years I have tended to be off in the winter months so the thought of balmy summer days, picnics, long bike rides and BBQs was really appealing.

I had also intended to do lot's of work out in the garden to get it all straight and finally get on top of the weeds. Well I have been home for the whole of June, July and August and with only a week left before I head back to work I am wondering what happened to the time, my plans, summer and the sun. 

Since I have been home, most days, we have had the Langtree rain cloud sitting overhead. This has definitely sapped the spirits and motivation, it has also put a dampener on plans in the garden. Saying that this has been one of the best leaves for a long time and as I prepare to go back I will be taking some very happy memories of time spent with Debbie and the little ones over the past few months.

Although I moan about the weather we did manage to go camping once which was great and it was so relaxing sitting in a field with the BBQ going a couple of tins of apple juice to hand and kiddies running around after each other.

We also had the joy of our first family holiday with the little ones. We got a special offer at Butlins which was an experience. Maybe I am a bit of a snob but half the people there I am sure were on benefits and considering we went during school time there were a lot of kids that should have been at school. Saying that the little ones really enjoyed themselves. There was also a nursery on site so Debbie and I had a few hours off from the kids during which we had a peaceful lunch.

I can't really complain as when the weather has held we have had some great days out down the Tarka Trail, at the beach and up in Kidiminster, admittedly we usually ended up in the play grounds but just seeing the smiles on the little ones faces makes it all worthwhile.

 Of course the rain has had some benefits as on those wet Saturday afternoons when I couldn't go out we headed off to the Green Dragon for some medicinal apple juice and a go on the flashy light machine whilst the little ones watched the fishes and William tried to get his tractor in the pub.

I should have done more arty things with the little ones as when we got the paints out they really enjoyed it. I also caught William reading the times when we visited my mummy, perhaps I should get him a daily paper at home.

All in all it has been a really good leave, I now just have to prepare myself for going back to work and getting into the shipboard routine. It is going to be really hard to go away and not see the little ones and Debbie for a while. The little ones are changing so much I really can't believe that Beth will be four this weekend and little William 3 in November. They are growing up so quickly and they don't fail to make me smile everyday.

I Need A Holiday

I need a holiday, well that is what I thought before I went on holiday with Debbie and the little ones to Butlins, it was so stressful. We all had great fun though even if Debbie and I were pulling our hair out trying to keep the little ones entertained. I know that Butlins is not the most exotic destination but it was nice and safe and there was plenty to keep the little ones entertained during their first holiday.

 To Start with little William was his usual self preferring to stand and watch rather than go on any rides but he soon found the swings. As he swung back and forth all you could here was his giggling scream of 'I'm Flying'. I really think though that they should install robotic swingers on the swings then at least I could sit down and read my book for half an hour, although I suppose pushing a swing must count as some form of exercise.

Half way through the holiday William suddenly decided that he did like the rides after all which was great, however for some reason whenever he went on a ride he held his ears which was quite amusing.

It did seem to be contagious though as by the end little Elizabeth started holding her ears to. It was great to see them on the rides together.

The Swimming pool was quit nice although as usual William screamed whenever he went into the water, that was until he discovered the slides and especially the large white one, which he couldn't stay off.

The highlight of the holiday though other than seeing the big smiles from the little ones was the opportunity to leave them in a nursery for a few hours one afternoon. Needless to say Debbie and I took the opportunity to have a nice leisurely and kiddie free lunch.

As much as I enjoyed the holiday, I must say it is true when they say that you need a holiday to recover from a holiday.

First Family Camping Trip

We saw a break in the weather on Tuesday and we took the chance to take the little ones for their first night camping. As we were only going for the night we stayed reasonably close and only went as far as Chivenor. This gave us the advantage that if the little ones hated it we could get home. Thankfully though they took to it like a duck takes to water. We were fortunate with the weather as well as it was glorious and sunny during the day, rained during the night and was dry again the next morning for packing up.

Putting up the tent took a little time as every few minutes the little man kept calling for the potty, at least he is potty trained now. We were fortunate as well as we were the only ones in the camping field so the little ones could run around to their hearts content.

 Once the tent was up we headed out for some essential supplies (case of cider and some rum), oh and picked up a few bits for dinner.  The campsite had a really nice little playground for the little ones, so cider in hand I spent quite a while pushing the little man on the swings to screams of  'I'm Flying'. He does love the swings, just wish he could swing himself as it does get a little tedious standing there pushing. We also managed to coax him to the top of the slide, and with a full family effort got him down. Elizabeth supervising, Debbie pushing and me catching.

 After Adventure land I had built up a thirst so retired back to the tent to cook dinner with a much needed cider whilst watching the little ones chasing each other around the field, probably the most relaxed I have felt for a while. They really did enjoy themselves but as always they constantly find extra reserves of energy. I am sure we should harness the little ones to cure the world energy shortage as they must produce more megawatts than Sellafield.  Maybe we should get a giant hamster wheel and hook it up to a generator, they would really enjoy that.

 We had a really nice little BBQ and then waited with anticipation for the onsite pub to open, unfortunately we had picked a night when it didn't open. As we were close to the Tarka trail we decided to walk up to the Braunton Arms (ex Tarka Inn) thinking it was just around the corner. Three miles later we finally arrived for a well deserved drink.

 Arriving back at the tent the little ones snuggled up in their sleeping bags and we all went to sleep, well the little ones did, having forgotten pillows Debbie and I had a less than restful night but it was great hearing the dawn chorus.

Now looking forward to another slightly longer camping trip, but must remember the pillows.

Time Flies

I Can't believe how time flies, a week ago I was sat in JFK after what had seemed a long a stressful trip. The first couple of months had not been too bad as we had a nice long OFT followed by Medical Endeavour, all straight forward stuff. However as deployment preps continued it all got a bit depressing as daily I was getting swamped by emails from the US and yet nothing seemed to be moving forward. It is so frustrating working with the yanks as they seem to ask the same question over and over again and yet no matter how often it is answered it then gets asked again. 

Sunset off the South Coast Before Deploying

This proved even more frustrating when discussing all the Official functions during Fleet Week New York. The yanks sent a long list of functions, the embassy then advised which ones should be attended. After then confirming multiple times with the yanks which ones we would attend we still had to wait confirmation of which ones we could attend until the night before arrival. Saying that everything seemed to fall into place even if we did get a US Admiral and Captain turn up at one of our functions unannounced.

Anyway enough moaning as once we got April out of the way things started getting better, our workup was a bit of a washout as many serials were cancelled for one reason or another. In fact we spent half of it on the buoy but at least our deployment wasn't delayed and more importantly we got into Falmouth as planned for 36 hours before deployment. Well allegedly 36 hours as a few are a bit blurry after a decent pub crawl around Falmouth and a wobbly head the next morning.

The Atlantic crossing was wonderful, we were blessed with good weather for the majority of the 10 day crossing although during the last couple of days we were fogbound.  It really is good doing a proper straight passage, the ship always seems to settle down and it is nice knowing that you are going somewhere. Well after 10 days  we joined the flotilla and took part in a parade of sail into New York with 8 Tall Ships and 14 Warships. 

Passing Under the first bridge on the Hudson

Statue Of Liberty

 Fly Past By the Blue Arrows

The entry was quite manic with very little co-ordination from the Yanks. It was impressive though sailing up the Hudson all half a mile apart. Bit hectic at times as column was somewhat stop and start and at one point we ran out of starting air for the engines.

Manhattan 

I must say that the Americans really looked after us once we arrived, all were encouraged to go ashore in uniform which is frowned on in the UK. It is quite strange walking into a bar and being applauded when you are in uniform and the number of people that come up to shake your hand in the street all of whom say 'thank you for your service'.  It really is a shame we don't treat our military in the same way.

Fleet Week was a huge event with lots happening, we were fortunate with our berth in Brooklyn as well, as on our first night in there was a concert put on for all the ship's on our Jetty headlined by Katy Perry. Free beer, free pizza and live music, what a great evening. Just ashame I got there a little late so missed out on the free skateboards, probably only broken something if I had got one.

Katy Perry Concert

Gracie Mansion

As always there were a lot of receptions during our period in port, first morning a group from the ship went for breakfast at Gracie Mansion, it was most enjoyable and a good escape from the ship. The Mayor gave a little speech and then we all headed back and arrived back just in time for our function onboard where we were hosting the British Consul General and ACNS.  .

View From My Cabin - Manhattan at Night

The highlight of the time in New York though was the opportunity to meet an old School Friend from Wycliffe. It just shows one of the benefits of Facebook as it is years since I last saw Matt but it was good to catch up. I showed off the ship and then Matt showed me New York and we finished off with a really enjoyable meal with his wife and friends at the Soho House Club.

After what was a difficult trip New York really was a good way to end it and now I am back home on leave. I really hope that the time does not go by to quickly as I have so much to do and I want to make the most of being home with Debbie and the little ones during the summer months.

The Little ones dragging Daddy down the Pub