November 2009
Tuesday 17 th
of November 2009
and my alarm went off at 6 o'clock. I didn't discover that I was up one hour too early until 06:30 when I watched the news. And I had forgotten to change the clock in my mobile from summer to winter time and thus the alarm went off at 6 o'clock.
I had plenty time for breakfast and a shower. I was in bed watching the news
when they called from the reception.
- Your car is here.
- Cheers, I will be down in a minute.
We left the hotel about 5 minutes later, bound for the service boat Provider that would take us to M/T Ek-River on Göteborg roads.
We expected the ship to arrive at 10, but they were delayed by an hour so we could go back to Frölunda Torg for some tea.
The tea was good, but it was totally unnecessary to have the Danish with the tea. But never mind, I
will kick start my diet ASAP when coming onboard.
We were back at the service boat around
10 o'clock and we could finally leave for Ek-River. We could hear Ek-River calling Göteborg Traffic on the VHF when we left Fiskebäckskil behind.
But we had time enough to make a quick stop at Donsö to leave some firewood in the harbour before we continued to the roads of Göteborg.
As soon as we left Donsö and the archipelago of Göteborg the sea becomes a wee bit choppy and the small service boat started to jump up and down and I wished I was back in FUNKY TOWN again. 
We could soon see Ek-River, fully loaded with diesel from Russia. Good, we don't have to climb too
much to get up on deck.
Coming up on deck and it seems like half the crew
knew my brother.
- Hey are you your brother�s brother??!!
And of course they asked what
he was doing. I told them that he was Captain in Laurin and he had just beached Marimba in China.
- Oh! Did he get fired running the ship up on the beach?
- Of course not, he was paid to beach the junker! She was sold for scrap.
Not a day too early if you ask me. I still have my adventure on Marimba in China fresh in mind.
It was nice to get up on a tank deck again. I took a tour around deck and it looked good. Pretty much the same stuff on all tankers, at least the function is the same. Load and discharge the oil. I was only waiting for them to lift onboard the luggage so I could go to my cabin and pack up my school books. Yeah, I brought all my Thai books again.
- Trying to impress your Teacher again?
- YEAH, FAT CHANCE!!
This is turning out to be more like a farce. And talking about carry around stuff. Who can forget me carrying diet powder and linseeds around the world? Waste of time and energy! 
I was soon in my cabin unpacking my stuff. Schoolbook next to my bed and my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” in the shower. I have missed 2 days with my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” so of course, the first thing I did was to get in to the shower.
Wednesday 18 th of November 2009 and I woke up to a full storm. Luckily enough it was headwind. It was heave sea breaking over tank deck and we only made 3 knots. But imagine having the sea coming in from the side, for sure, there would have been some heave rolling. 
Yeah, and when we left with the service boat the guy driving the boat told us it had been an amazing autumn. “Nice weather and not a single autumn storm”
- And now it's almost winter! Very strange, first autumn without any storms, he continued.
Well, storm or not. There are always arses to kick. So I went to my office straight after my
morning tea. Our loading computer is a new one for me
so I need to read
the manual. And it was no surprise to me that the manual turned out to be crap.
Paper work, yeah, it's about the same on all the ships. But you must find the documents in the computers and binders. But when you
have done that it's pretty straight forward. And there are three 2nd Officers onboard so I will have to spend the days scratching my behind telling other people what to do.
I had a slight set back when I explored my office.
- Where is the entertainment centre?
- What the
!! No entertainment centre!!
Yeah, what a setback. DJ Porkycannot play his music. Who will complain about my music now? I will have to solve this problem.
Otherwise the ship is nice. 14 years old and in better shape than many of the newer ships I have been on. Of course, she is built in Norway, better than the ships built in China. But of course, a hefty price tag is attached to a Norwegian built ship.
Thursday 19 th of November 2009 and the weather was a wee bit better when I woke up. A shower with my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and I were ready for a pot of tea. I was in my office listening to my iPod when Captain came in.
- What's the alarm?
- Alarm??!!
- Oh, it's your iPod.
Well, I have to find an entertainment centre for my office. There are built in loudspeakers in the
monitor. But I have got used to better than built in loudspeakers over the years. OK, I remember when I went to
visit my Italian Greenpeace friends and the Lebanese Doctor in Roma
. Pasta night in my friends kitchen and the
entertainment centre wasn't much to write home about.
But we, well, I managed to upset the neighbours and they were complaining. But seriously, I don't know if it was due to the entertainment centre. For sure it don't look like it
would be possible to upset any neighbours with that tiny entertainment centre. But it's not the first time I mange
to embarrass any neighbours.
I always get blamed, especially when my friend throw his birthday parties. And that's even though I'm not there. But I would like to blame the Italian girl for the
mishaps in Roma.
We were meeting her at the train station when she arrived from Milano. I had a bottle of wine and a few glasses that I had taken at the pub on the train station. So she got a glass of wine first
thing when she sat foot in Roma.
We arrived to my friend�s apartment and they started to do pasta for us. The girl from Milano had brought a bottle and I think I need my Italian EX class mates help to translate the label. but it looks darn dangerous. OK, I was a wee bit tipsy from the wine already. But I still blame the Italian girl for
waking up on the floor.
Embarrassing, yeah, open my eyes and the first thing I saw was our Italian Campaigner looking at me.
- How are you?
We left, he left for the Greenpeace's office and I left for my hotel. And of course, we ran in to one of the neighbours coming back with the newspaper when we came out on the street.
- Musica voluminoso! Disturbare vicino!! imbarazzato!! Imbecille!! ciarlare-ciarlare....
- Sta' zitto!
(Or shut up as we say in English)
Yeah, HÅLL FLABBEN på rejäl Skånska!Well, a little good morning action when you come out on the street. And I don't think our neighbour�s mood improved with me taking pictures
all the
time. Well, my friends in Roma took it very good, but still, embarrassing. So this is exactly the reason why I like to go for a drink by myself or with very old friends. I know them and they know me. We have done a lot of stupid things together and it's impossible to embarrass each other.
Discharge port Rotterdam was changed to Flushing. ETA Steenbank Pilot 20:00 tonight, but we have to drop anchor. No berthing before 5 o'clock tomorrow morning and I hope they manage to delay us until at least 8 o'clock.
I spent the afternoon preparing the paper work for the discharging. 2nd Officer was showing me around. He had been the Chief Officer onboard since the other Chief Officer had to go on sick leave on the way to St. Petersburg.
The afternoon turned in to evening. We will drop anchor at Steenbank at arrival. There is a ship
taking our jetty and she will be alongside for at least 48 hours.
Good, I have not been able to go on deck since we left Skagen behind last Tuesday. So I will have two days without Pump man
before we go alongside. So tomorrow we will start planning the jobs for the rest of the month. We discovered 2 pieces of broken grating today. They were trashed in the storm yesterday and they managed to repair one today. But the bad weather prevented them from going forward to get the last grating. So we will do it tomorrow, or, they will go forward. I will be in my office having a good time.
And things are starting to get in order. I have my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” routines up and running. So I will soon look like
Bob Marley, or at least my hair style.
And I opened my Thai books today and I hope that I can maintain some kind of routines when it comes to my home work as well. Yeah, now I only need to get my diet back on track again. My diet derailed big time in Göteborg. Tack för det Björn och J!!!
We dropped anchor at 19:00 and now it's just waiting. I'm in no hurry.
Friday 20 th of November 2009 and we were still anchored when I woke up. Good, scratching arse waiting for the jetty is not all that bad. I started with a pot of tea while discussing upcoming and
ongoing work with our Pump Man. And my one day visit to Göteborg, well, my diet was not the only thing derailing. I had a few coffin nails as well.
When I arrived to Göteborg I made a first stop at Pressbyr�n. I
asked if the sold single coffin nails. The girl just stares at me in disbelief.
- WHERE THE F@CK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!! IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY??!! My friends shouted.
Well, my friend smokes Camel and thanks to his SURPRISE idea I didn't bought any fags for him. Well, I bought a pack of Camel and I ripped open the pack. I took one fag
and I handed the rest of the pack to him. And from there it went
down hill.
So I had a few cigaretteswith the Bosun before we started our work. We went on deck to see how the work with the gratings went. I had my best guys on the job and they seemed to be on top of things.
I and Pump Man took a tour on deck. And there is not very much rust and things look to be in good condition. And the ship is 14 years old!! We have a stripping pump instead of the vacuum ejector for
the cargo tanks. First time I see this system, but according to Pump Man it works beautiful.
Latest berthing prospect is for Sunday morning. They have a Naphtha cargo from ARA to Fawley after this, but the lay days is from Monday. So we will miss this if they can't extend the lay days.
I spent the afternoon with cargo calculations. OK, most of the time was spent with larks, but we got a confirmation for full cargo Naphtha from ARA to Fawley so I did this cargo calculation. It took me about 20 seconds, give and take.
Saturday 21 st of November 2009 and I'm pleased to announce that my new diet “Best looking guy
in town '09”
kicked off this very morning, and it 
turned in to an instant success.
Lunch time, and the first thing I do is to get in to the shower to get myself one of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” treatments. And combined with my new diet “Best looking guy in town '09” . Well, who knows how this is going to end?
But there were a few arses to kick before lunch. We have 4 Db tanks to inspect and I had 2 of my best guys on the job. Pump Man went down to the tanks and I had one AB on deck as watch. 
And while our Pump Man was in the tank one of our ABs was on watch at the manhole. He was
trusted with the clip board to record the time when our Pump Man entered and exited the tank.
- Should I hold the clip board?
- Yeah, you will grow with the responsibility, I said.
And of course, I can scratch my behind while the boys are working. It's good to be the Chief Officer.
Well, first we should have the pilot onboard at 2 o'clock so we should start to heave up the anchor at 1 o'clock. Then it was changed to 15:00. So we will take the last ballast tank after lunch. We expect to be alongside this very evening and we will stay for about 24 hours.
Our ARA to Fawley with full cargo of Naphtha voyage was cancelled yesterday due to our delay here so we don't know where to go after this.
We had our anchor up at 14:20 and the Pilot was onboard at 15:00. And of course, before arrival
we have to run all the tests of the equipment. I was in
the CCR with a radio and Pump Man was running around deck testing emergency stops and high level alarms etc.
When everything was ready it was just to wait for arrival. I sent an SMS to Miss "Most beautiful girl in the world #1". Yeah, I don't like it, my sausage fingers slipping all over the small buttons on the phone. Easy to send the wrong message!!
But I guess that I will find out, if I send something inappropriate, I mean, we have
J's SMS poetry fresh in mind. And we know how that horror story ended. But of course, I'm
not sending any SMS poetry while lying in the gutter.
At 4 o'clock I had 2 apples, nothing else, so my new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet is well up and running. A wee bit hungry, but it feels great.
Dinner, steak, salad and smoked salmon. Only health food. What a remarkable KICK OFF for my new diet. I
will write books about this and become a millionaire. Don't be surprised if you find titles like “Best looking guy in town '09 diet”
,
“How I was mistaken for Bob Marley” and “How I got a V-shaped torso in 3 weeks” next time in your local bookstore. I will never have to work again so I can spend all my time sitting home eating chocolate and ice cream.
I went to the bridge after dinner and we were about to arrive to TOTAL's terminal on Borssele. We had all fast at 18:45 and the Surveyor was onboard 30 minutes later. And as usually, nothing
is very quick, he was ready with the sampling quarter past 8 and now we have to wait for analysis before we can commence discharging.
What to do while waiting? Study Thai!! And I came up with a new,
yes, this time it was a very bright idea!!
Instead of taking a shower I just stick my head in to the shower to wet my hair.
- Well, at least what�s left of my hair.
Then I will apply my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and after that I will go study my Thai. My “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” will thus have plenty time to work. Yeah, it will really dry in to my scalp and boost the effect of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. I can already see the difference, 47 new hairs!!!
- WHAT A SHAME!!! MOST OF THEM ON THE NOSE!!!
We started to discharge at 10 o'clock and I was back in my cabin at midnight looking forward to a new exciting day tomorrow.
Sunday 22 nd of November 2009 and discharging were in full swing when I came down to the CCR.
2nd Officer in charge and everything looks good. So I went to the galley for a pot of tea and 2 bananas.
2 bananas, well, I was still hungry and luckily enough our Cook is keeping an eye out. Yeah, I'm pepped by the success my new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet turned out yesterday. But if you're hungry.....
So I was sneaking around the fridge looking for
something healthy. And every time our Cook sees me she screams:
- STAY AWAY!!!
So yeas, I'm lucky to have her. My new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet is pretty much
dependent on her watching out, screaming at me when coming close to anything unhealthy.
OK, it's getting boring after a while, but then I just think about my return to FUNKY TOWN with my V-shaped torso. And of course all the money I will save when I can fly tourist class again. Well, today I managed to get some ham and at least I thought I had managed to make my move without her spotting me. WRONG!!
- GET OUT!!!
I turned tail and I escaped to the 2nd Officer in the CCR. But our Cook came after and she handed me a
bag of “1 CALORIE SNACKS®”. And yes, you got it right. And obviously the
“1 CALORIE SNACKS®” is a Registered Trademark, at least according to the bag.
- Who would have thought......?
So what is this “1 CALORIE SNACKS®”? It's fresh
radish. And exactly how yummy is that? Not very! But I'm sure it makes wonders for my new “Best looking guy in town '09”
diet so that's good enoughfor me.
And for lunch, yeas, I had some fish and very little of some other stuff. Mostly vegetables before going to my cabin and my Thai books. And I came up with a new,yes, this time it was a very bright idea!! The best so far.
I applied my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and now I will have it on until my next shower after dinner. Never mind the burning sensation after 1 hour, I know I will soon look very very
good.
Hopefully.
-PLEASE PLEASE!!!
It was soon time to strip 3P/S and I went on deck to check on the ABs. First time for me on this ship so I just want to check out their routines on this ship. If I should be the
screaming at them when they f@ck up I better off know how it works on this ship.
I went with our 2nd Officer to check out our remote gas meter for the pump room after lunch. We have a pump sucking air from the pump room through an analyser in the engine room. If we have gas in the pump room the alarm goes off
and the fan starts.
So we have to check this explosiometer once a month with test gas to make sure everything works the way it should.
We went down to the engine room so the 2nd Officer could show me were the analyser was. Our 2nd Officer usually does the work with the explosiometers. But I'm responsible so I told him that I took over the
monthly tests.
Well, it's not like I have a lot of stuff to do. Sit on my arse in my office screaming all day long. So I can as well do it, and of course, if we have problem with the equipment I'm responsible and I can never blame the 2nd Officer. And thus, I can do it myself.
We got a new 1st Engineer onboard today and our 1st Engineer will leave in next port, where ever that will be. Our 2nd Officer had gone crazy with my all day long so now I have plenty pictures of myself. So this is one of the rare occasions where you will have 2 yes, TWO, pictures of me next to each other.
And I think it should be possible, yeah, even for J, to see what a remarkable diet this new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet has turned out to be. My clothes are getting way too big. So I guess I have to pay my Tailor a visit when I'm coming home.
And talking about getting back home to FUNKY TOWN. The original plan was to leave FUNKY
TOWN as Pelle Plutt just to return as TELEVINKEN. Pelle Plutt and Aladdin would never been heard off again. I would start my new life as TELEVINKEN and no one would know me, a well needed fresh start. But today I got an e-mail from my class mate and I quote “At school everybody misses you....its sort of grey now.”
Can you believe that??!! This is the stuff I would like to have heard after the BLACK SEXY PARTY. I had planned for a 1 year vacation.
But the boredom, OK, not as much as making a tit out
of myself at the BLACK SEXY PARTY, of course, drove me out on the seven seas again.
Hell yeah, I have the horror of waking up after the BLACK SEXY PARTY fresh in mind. I didn't go to school for several days and my plan to send my by then Italian class mate and my French class mate to take the pulse on the Teachers feelings back fired big time. We ended up drinking even more and my studies were delayed by several days.
But of course, after a few drinks my French class
mate told me it had been very fun at the BLACK SEXY.
- No problem. You behaved just fine!
And the worst nightmare came true when finally arriving to school.
- Aladdin!! Do you remember what you DID to my Japanese friend?
It was not what I said. It was what I did and the look on my Teachers face just wanted me to drop dead right there and then. Where were all the “At school everybody misses you....its sort of grey now.” e-mails back then?
Well, I decided not to go drinking with the Teachers anymore. OK, there was one Teacher on my first school day after the BLACK SEXY incident and she really made my day.
- Aladdin, you seem to be a cool guy and I would like to hang out with you.
What do you say? Stuff like that really makes your life worth living. And I'm always grateful to her for that. Well, luckily enough things like this (Making a fool out of your self at the BLACK SEXY PARTY) falls in to oblivion and when I had my Teachers over last month (none of them had been at the BLACK SEXY) we talked about the incident.
- Was that you? She blames the French guy.
- No, I don't think so. She asked me what I did with the Japanese girl, I'm sure of that.
Monday 23 rd of November 2009 and they called me at 06:10.
- 30 minutes until bulk discharging completed.
- OK, I will be down in a jiff. I will just apply some “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”!
Coming down to the CCR with my hair full of foam. Everything looked good so I went for a pot of tea and then to the smoke room. We completed discharging at 06:45 and Pilot will come onboard at 13:30, changed from 12:30. But I'm in no hurry, it's a force 10-11 outside and they call it a severe storm, well, it's more like a hurricane.
After lunch I rinsed my hair before applying new “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and by now it starts to feel a little pointless. But I never give up. I was study my school books before going on the bridge for the departure. No new voyage and it looks like we will go over to England to get some lee from England- SW to W force 10-11 so England will give us good shelter, as long as we stay on the East side. I got to the bridge 25 minutes after 1 o'clock with my hair full of foam. At least it smells good. Pilot was onboard a few minutes after and we could make fast our tug boats.
According to the pilot the wind will increase in the afternoon, but it will decrease to a force 6 to 7 around midnight.
But we see, it would not be the first time a weather forecast is wrong. Seems to be very hard to predict the weather, but of course, decreasing is better than increasing.
When we had the tug boats fast we started to let go of the mooring lines. Strong wind and rain so I was happy to stay inside telling the crew what to do via radio. Yeah, it's good to be the Chief Officer.
At 13:47 we had cleared all our lines and at 13:55 the tug boats were cleared and we could set course towards Wandelaar Pilot station. Pilot service is suspended due to bad weather.
But we can leave with helicopter, if there is not any rain. Well, I guess a slight rain is never mind.
Otherwise we have to keep the Pilot onboard until the next port.
After departure our crew checked deck so it was ready for getting out on the sea. As you understand we don't want to have any stuff lying around in bad weather. Force 9 winds and I told the crew to stay inside. Yeah, it not very big boys and I don't want any of the guys go missing blowing overboard.
- We can paint the paint store. And Bosun can repair our pilot
ladder. No one goes out on deck!
Barcarolle 2008 and we remember my tank cleaning on the way to Freeport, Texas. Coming from Mexico and we ended up in the middle of a hurricane. I told the boys to come in to me in the CCR. Well, as always, you try to be nice and the only thing I got out of it was an empty case of diet drinks. Never mind the diet drinks,
and the guys felt safer being together with me in the CCR. And it was nice with some company.
- Yeah, come to Pappa Daddy!
And when talking about diet drinks. So far I have had exactly 0 diet drinks since I came onboard. In Göteborg my friend asked me if we should go buy diet drinks before joining the ship.
He had last summer fresh in mind, when he had to go around the archipelago of Bohuslän in is boat buying diet drinks for me.
- NO thanks! Not necessary, I have given up the diet drinks.
- Oh! That's why you have managed to lose weight, he said
I had always, well, at least for the last few years been drinking diet drinks like there is no tomorrow. 300 US per month are a normal sum that I spent on diet drinks. (Back then)
Yeah, last summer we left every store in Bohuslän empty on the diet drinks. But this is history. Now I have new prioritization, TO LOOK GOOD! 
OK, supply a tanker crew with diet drink is nothing they are used to at the convenient store in Lysekil. That�s for sure. They were looking at us like we were crazy. 
I was sitting gin the mess room when I could see a helicopter passing us. I thought it was time for the pilot to leave, even if it was very early. 3 hours with the pilot and I expected him to leave us
around 17:00. Maybe they were early due to bad weather.
I went to the bridge and it turned out that it was the Belgian Air Force training their helicopter crew. Or one of their helicopter crew, I really don't know how many helicopter crew they have. Maybe they have many.
Well, anyway, I'm happy for every bit of action onboard. I really need some action pictures to spice up this web page by now before it's getting too dull.
- HELL YEAH!!! I'M FALLING ASLEEP OVER HERE!!!!
Yes, and like there hasn't been enough helicopter action in one day. Around 5 o'clock the helicopter
came to pick up our Pilot. He had been picking up 2 Pilots
on 2 ships before it was our turn. And it seemed like the helicopter had problem finding us.
And the radio in the helicopter was out of order, so that didn't do very much to help. Our 2nd Officer was quick to get out our ALDIS lamp trying to signal to the helicopter.
It was a gloomy and grey afternoon with a heavy thunder storm next to us. The flashes were lightening up the gloom and I was afraid that they would cancel the pickup with the helicopter. I
wasn't looking forward to have the Pilot onboard until next port. But he managed to get off the ship and I was down in my cabin for yet another
doze of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. Maybe not so magic any more, its more and more turning in to a farce. Next step is to take a bath in it.
A long day is soon coming to an end and I went to bed to study my Thai books, after giving my scalp a GO with the HAIR STUFF. By now the crew is used to see me running around with my hair full of foam. But the first few times.
- WHAT THE!!!??? ARE YOU CRAZY??!!!!
But it was soon a different tone:
- This my friends, is the cure for baldness!!
- WHERE CAN WE BUY THE STUFF???!!!
Tuesday 24 th of November 2009 and we were anchored off Margate on the SE Coast of England.
We're on a good anchorage, England gives us lee from the W to SW'ly winds. I
started my day with tea and bananas. I was in my office enjoying my tea with Trip hop blasting high on the Richter scale when I had one of the ABs disturbing me.
- Yo! I need help with the anchor chain.
- What the??!! How dare you disturb in the middle of my morning tea?
I went to my cabin to get my camera before going forward to the fo'c's'le. 2 ABs were working
with the anchor chain. The chain was slightly twisted so
we could not get down the bar over the chain when the anchor was fully up.
A common problem, twisted chain so the shackle is standing instead of lying down. Well, the AB needed someone “strong” to help him turn the chain with the iron-bar lever.
Me and the AB where hanging in the iron-bar lever trying to turn the chain back on the right track
while the other AB operated the winch. Well, this winch is designed to lift several tonnes
and of course it managed to lift both me and the AB off the deck.
Nothing to do, so the crew continued to grease on deck. Still no cargo for us and the company asked us to prepare the ship for heavy fuel oil and other cargoes requiring heating.
Otherwise the cargo will solidify and it will be impossible to discharge the cargo.
Engine department were already busy
trying our cargo heating system and I had my boys to do blinds to put between the stripping pipe and the cargo line. We don't want heavy fuel in the pipes, when the heavy fuel gets cold it will get solid and it will be impossible to use the pipes again.
We have stripping pumps in the tanks and we need to blind them as
well. So we did a tank cleaning during the afternoon. I never had been in the tanks before so I had no idea what we needed to blind the stripping pump with. So in the evening we went down to dismantle the pipe from the stripping pump.
Test run of the heating coils had gone well, but our Chief Engineer wanted to come down with us to make a visual check of the heating coils in the tanks.
- Why not? The more the merrier.
We, well, Pump Man removed the pipe and now
we only have to find something to blind the pump with. Easier said than done, we didn't found anything to use. So our Fitter has to make it for us. So we will ventilate the tanks during the night and the AB will continue making blinds for the stripping pipes on deck.
Yeah, they will work during the night while I have my beauty sleep.
But before my sleep I will give my
hair another SUPER treatment with the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. I got nothing to lose, it's cheap and I
smell so good (At least my hair) since I stopped to rinse my hair after the treatment. So I guess I will drive the girls up the wall when I return home. But of course, a real mop of hair would be better than just a pleasant smell.
And before going to bed I have to give the stuff time to dry so I can as well spend the time watching a movie. Yes, a waste of time, but sometimes it's nice just to sit down relax. But not so much so I forget my Thai course.
Wednesday 25 th of November 2009 and we started the day by plugging all our stripping pumps. While Pump Man, one of the ABs and our OS did the plugging I had one of our ABs to make
blinds for the stripping line.
The crew had been busy during the night making blinds and
they had managed to finish blinding the cargo lines on deck. Well, always nice to be told that things are ready when I come up for my morning tea.
It took the guys between 5 and 10 minutes to dismantle the stripping pipe and to plug the holes in the pump and air line. I was on deck taking pictures keeping the spirit highduring their work in the tanks.
Of course they are happy when I take the picture. Already when I meet the guys for the
first time in Göteborg they knew that I was Mr. Aladdin.
- You're the one with the web page.
And the guy I relieved, yeah, he came in to my cabin talking about Aladdin.
- He has complained so much about the ship.
- Yeah, what ships has he complained about? I asked.
- He had been on Kaprifol and they didn't buy any honey for his tea.
And what else?
- I don't know. And he wrote a lot about someone called Suzi or something like that.
Well, anyway, they are happy to end up on the internet.
And the honey? Yes we remember when I asked the ship owner to buy some honey and rosehip soup. It was very cold and it would be nice with some hot rosehip soup.
- A BRILLIANT IDEA!! I'M RIGHT ON IT!
When he came back he told me that they didn't had any rosehip soup and honey in the shops.
- What a shit load of bullshit!
Well, anyway, we had to mark the stripping pies before we took them forward to the fo'c's'le. If they are going to use them
again they need to know from what tanks the pipes are from, or they will be in a lot of problem.
They finished 8 tanks before lunch and they finished the last 4 tanks before 13:30. I had been doing calculations for 3 different cargoes so maybe we will
leave the anchorage today. Everything is almost ready for heating cargoes now.
A few more blinds between the cargo and stripping line on the manifold. We also need to remove some drain pipe extensions from the X-over. But then it's pretty much ready on deck.
I filled up two tank inspection reports during the afternoon. Inspection of cargo tank 5P/S was overdue so I took the opportunity to do it while they guys removed the stripping pipes. The tanks look like new with very little rust under deck.
Björn, sitter o har d lite tradigt ombord. Kollade igenom FOTO SKATTEN och hittade följande bilder. Var det dessa du gjorde så stort väsen av sist i Göteborg? 
Att jag skulle vara full av FLÖDDER eller FLUDDER, eller vad du kallade det. Troligtvis var det IMODIUM®. Själv tycker det ser ut som om man var riktigt färsk i träet på dom bilderna.
Förstår inte vad det är du hänger upp dig på. 
Men han körde ju som en buse den däringa chauffören. Så troligtvis är det vanlig hederlig åksjuka. Blanda åksjuka med rädslan för att komma hem o dela hotel rum med dig (För att inte tala om att
vakna upp i samma rum som dig) så förstår du ju att även den
starkaste tappar fotfästet. Och har man då fått en liten
drink innan....... 
Jaja, när var det Seoul nästa gång. Augusti 2010? Och då ska jag fan i mej ha ett eget rum!!!!!
Thursday 26 th of November 2009 and well, we're still anchored waiting for cargo. The market
seems to be a little slow now. But we will see what happens during the day.
I went to the galley to get my morning tea. Our Cook started to interrogate me first thing when she caught sight of me.
- How do I find Ek-River on your web page??
- I cannot see the pictures!!
- PLEASE!! HELP ME!!
The tune is a wee bit different today. The other day
when she was on the bridge watching the helicopter I took a picture of her.
- I don't want to be on the internet!
But today she told me that she wanted to be on the internet.
No one wants� to be on the internet. Yeah, it's like the Captain on Astoria. Me and my friend were spending a summer waiting for the Police to burst in. He reported me to the Police for writing about him being on a fully loaded tanker dead drunk.
Well, I
guess he got second thoughts and the Police never showed up. So we were a wee bit disappointed, it would have been some nice action pictures for my
web page when the Police kicked in the door. well, never mind, at least me and my friend got a real good laugh
out of it.
Jaja, J, det dramat glömmer vi aldrig. Först var man stoppad i
Finnair's Scooby Doo “Wine cellar in the sky”
. Sen fick man
en sketen polisanmälan i ansiktet när man vaknade med tolvansfyllesjuka. Och ingenting blev det av det! 
I had to make two “working aloft”
permits today. Yes, the paper works are really piling up on my
desk today. Good, I can get two minutes of work out of it. And I can stretch the two minutes to five minutes if I have a chat about the
weather with our Bosun.
Strong winds and our anchor ball were blown to pieces, but our Bosun changed the rope and ball in a jiff. And of
course, I was there to document the moment with my camera. I need something to fill out my web page with and you get
an insight in the day to day work of our ass kickin' crew.
Our Bosun finished the anchor ball well before lunch.
- Hmm, I need to kill time until lunch. What to do?
- Yeah, I go pester our Captain!!
Captain and our Cook were outside my office so I went out there with my camera. I don't know if it was my camera or our Cook that got him running off.
But I followed him up the stair case taking pictures of the escape. End of the month is coming up and we need to do some drills before December. So we decided to
have a fire drill after the coffee break in the afternoon. The original plan was to held the drill
tomorrow, but you never know, we might be on our way tomorrow.
Well, anyway, at 15:15 the fire alarm went off and we mustered at our different muster stations. I'm the team leader for smoke diving TEAM 1 and my guys were soon ready for some serious ass
kickin'. Fire in the boiler room and TEAM 1 were stand by while TEAM 2 went in and
extinguished the fire.
Extinguish fires, fight terrorists and a force 11 storm on top of that. Well, not enough, when the fire was out we went to the lifeboat muster station where 2nd Officer mustered the crew. And this wasn't enough, we had our OS to dress up in a survival suit on the bridge. I took the opportunity to get a picture of the crew, but the light wasn't all that good. So I will try to get a better picture next time.
It was almost time for dinner when we finished our Oil Spill Drill on deck.
Well, another tedious day has come to an end. Anything fun happened today? Well, yeah, except
my normal pranks and larks with the crew I called my Teacher.
I got an alarming SMS. Well, maybe not alarming, but I needed to call her and this was the best thing happening today. And I'm afraid that my
new “Best looking guy in town '09”
diet is a wee bit too hyped. My Teacher was worried.
- Be careful with your diet!!!
- Well, it's not like I'm starving to death.
After the initial success things have slowed down
a bit. But I'm soon back on track again.
And the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” is WAY too hyped.
- You will have hair like Bob Marley when you come back!!
- Whoa-whoa!! I'm not sure about that.
But I can't help admiring her spirit.
Friday 27 th of November 2009 and we were still anchored when I woke up. Yesterday they were negotiating a cargo from Fredericia to Oslo. Jet fuel and Gas oil so that means that we have to convert the ship back to CPP.
Seems like the Fredericia - Oslo cargo is on hold, because we didn't hear anything from the company. well, we have stuff to do. And we started with a life raft and MOB boat drill after the 10 o'clock coffee break. 
I was busy showing the crew how to release the MOB boat when I could see our Cook in the corner of my eyes. She was taking pictures of me.
- What the!!?? You have to tell me before or I have no chance to pull in my stomach!
When we finished our drill I went down to cargo tank 3 Stb for an inspection. If they will start
loading heavy fuel oil this will be the last tank inspection for a while.
Inspection of 3 Stb is due in a few days so I can as well do it when we're gas free. Time turned quick and it was soon
time for lunch, creamed spinach.My favourite, so I had 2 helpings.
After lunch we tested our ODME and we managed to waste most of the afternoon. And we need stuff to do, it looks like we have to spend the weekend anchored off Margate. The Fredericia - Oslo negotiations seems to have capsized and now we have to wait for new orders. Göteborg, would be perfect! I can buy snus.
Yeah, I tried to keep this one a secret. But arriving to Göteborg last time and my friend forced me to start smokeagain.
Tack för det, Björn och J! So I could as well have bought the TAX FREE cigarettes for my friend on FUNKY TOWN international.
So I will give up smoking as soon as I have snus again. And I gave away 3 rolls to my friend in FUNKY TOWN before I left last time.
- Are you sure you don't need the snus anymore?
- Of course, will power! Will power my friend, that's what you need!
Friday evening was spent with movies and a few words on my web page. I got the picture our Cook had taken during the drill. When I opened the memory stick I discovered that all pictures except 2 were off me.
Saturday 28 th of November 2009 and by now it's getting a wee bit boring to wait at the anchorage. But my morning tea
still tastes good together with a coffin nail in the smoke room. I discuss today�s work with Bosun during my morning tea and when we're ready I swing over to my office.
Smoking too much and I want to give up. I'm already out of nico chew so today I ordered Nico chew and snus from our on signing 2nd Officer. Snus, I hope he can get it, he lives in Belgium and snus is against the law in Belgium. But if I'm luck he can find it at some Swedish restaurant orsomething.
We see what's happening with that. I was soon finished with my paper work. OK, there wasn't much paper work for me to do so I was mostly starring out in the blue dreaming of better times. So what to do now? OK, I go to the bridge to pester Captain and 2nd Officer on duty.
It didn't take long before Captain and 2nd Officer was visiting www.aladdin.st. OK, it took a wee bit longer than I expected, seems to be hard to spell to aladdin.
Later on I could hear Captain from my cabin, 2 decks above the CCR. He was in the CCR complaining to the AB on watch.
And he was disappointed and as it seemed: He wanted the whole world to know.
- THERE ARE ONLY TWO PICTURES OF ME!! AND ONE OF THEM WAS ME FROM BEHIND WHEN I WAS RUNNING UP THE STAIRS THE OTHER DAY!!
I could hear them going on in the CCR and I went down to see what was going on.
- I'm also on his page, the AB said.
- Yeah, there are several pictures of you, BUT ONLY 2 OF ME!
I came around the corner with my camera stand-by. As soon as he saw me with my camera he was in a hurry to escape from the CCR and my camera.
Off he went, towards the galley. And I was after him with my camera.
- Now you're going to the internet!
He managed to dodge my camera and I didn't got one single good picture even if I took hundreds! 
I was after him like his own shadow. He tried to take refuge in the office. But I was there with my camera and he grabbed an old Oil Record Book and he managed to cover himself.
- Well, I have to switch tactic, I thought to myself.
I left for my office and then I sneaked after him in to the kitchen. And I'll be darned. Our Cook spotted me coming and she started to smile. Captain looked around and my picture was f@cked up once again.
Well, I was sitting in the smoke room talking with the guys during their coffee break. I could hear Captain behind me. He don't come in, he can't stand the smoke. But he was hanging in the doorway. I quietly slipped my camera out of my pocket and I quickly shoot a picture
over my shoulder.
Only to discover that he was gone.
Lunch time and I forgot to apply the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. But I guess it's never mind, so far I
have only got hair on my nose and some remarkable sideburns out of it.
Most of the lunch was spent reading my Thai books and I didn't realise that I had forgotten my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” until I came down to my
office. But then it was too late. Well, never mind.
When I came down to my office I could hear Captain and our Cook screaming and I went to investigate. The Christmas, yeah, it was the f@cking Christmas. Christmas is the reason why I escape to the ship, I do the same every year. And it's so nice
to get away from Santa Clauses (millions of them), Christmas tree (millions of them) and the terrible Christmas songs. Yeah, the CD “Christmas or Die”
and “Christmas one thousand”
drives you up the wall.
Well, anyway, when I came out in the galley our Captain tested the Christmas light supported by our Cook. Yeah, the
Christmas spirit was high and judging from the noise they made I thought that they were just about to start hitting
each other.
- Hey! Do you want lights in your office? Captain asked.
- Don't bother put up anything in my office! 
I left a Christmas decorated FUNKY TOWN and now it seems like I can't escape Christmas
anymore. But my office will be a Christmas free zone, at least as long as I stay onboard.
I'm happy as long as I have music in my office and I don't care about
the Christmas decorations. And by the way, when it's Christmas you have already seen all the darn decorations they have decorated the shopping districts with since October. So at least to say, you're pretty feed up with the stuff when it�s time for Santa to come.
So I could notice that the lights were off in the smoke room and in the
ship's office and now it's only the Christmas lights on in there. Christmas feeling?
- I don't know. And what is the Christmas feeling?
I came in to the kitchen in the nick of time. Our Cook was
an evergreen aromatic shrub of the mint family, native to southern Europe. The narrow leaves are used as a culinary herb, in perfumery, and as an emblem of remembrance.
making fillet of pork for dinner.
- Are you using Rosemary? I asked.
- No, some people don't like Rosemary.- Are you joking??!!
- No I'm serious
- Fer f@cks sake!
- OK, I can put Rosemary of you like.
- Meat without Rosemary is like tea without milk!!!
After dinner I finished a movie I started yesterday. When going to return the DVD I stopped in
Captain's cabin. It didn't took very long before I had a snus under my lip. A bagged one, but it's better than nothing. Can't wait to get out of here so we can buy real snus.
- Let's go check out how it goes with the ginger bread, he said.
- Check out! What the??!! You should know! You should have helped them!
- I have been busy.
- Been busy doing what?!! OK, I will just get my camera for
documentation.
- NO!! NO CAMERA!!!
- Yeah, dream on.
Yeah, he is the one screaming Christmas all day long. We went down together and first stop was the kitchen. And when our Cook grew tired of us we went to inspect the stupid Christmas lights.
Captain turned off the light in the rooms where he had put up the Christmas light. To the guys sitting there it was: CHRISTMAS NOW OR NEVER! 
I were soon back in my cabin and I'm happy (and proud over myself discipline) that I didn't tried the ginger bread and I didn't had anything else from the fridge either. So my diet is up and running. At least for the last 3 hours since we had dinner.
- And I don't know if I'm too happy about the side effects from the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”.
My ears are like sand paper and I have got some FUNKY sideburns.
Well, Saturday 28 th of November in the year of our Lord 2009 will go down the history books as the day with the blurred photos. Most of them were shoot from the hip so nothing much was expected regarding the quality.
Sunday 29 th of November 2009 and I woke up to a very gloomy and grey day. Rain and strong wind so staying inside was
preferred. I was study our P&A manual in my office when our Chief Engineer came by.
End of the months and we need to send in a few reports. Daily work list Environmental Report and a list of spare�s not delivered etc. We discovered that the top thermometer on cargo tank 5 Stb were on the DEFFECT list. So we went out to megger test the
thermometer, exciting.
Coming in from deck and I was almost ran down by Mess Man and Captain. They came rushing down the stairs, Mess Man first and Captain 2 steps behind.
- I found a new light!! Mess Man was shouting.
- THAT'S THE SPIRIT!! Captain shouted.
They were both delirious with anticipation when they connected the darn light to the power socket in the mess room. And the light was working.
- YIPPEE!!!!! THE LIGHT IS WORKING!!!!!
Both of them took off.
They flied up the stairs in supersonic speed, so getting some good pictures were not to think about. But I was 3 steps behind and when we reached the bridge I was almost dead.
- What theis happening around here??!!
It didn�t take them long to put up the Christmas light on the bridge. Captain was mighty proud
when he watched the result.
- So you know what do to when you're coming home, decorate your house for Christmas, I said.
- Yeah, I will be busy if it should be ready for Christmas!
I returned to my office, well, I had a quick stop at my office. E-mail from my friend and he is asking when I'm coming to Göteborg next time.
- I will come and pick you up!
Well, we don't know where to go, but I hope we're leaving soon. This is getting very boring by now. Reading manuals in my office. And we need to get movin' so I can get a real tea mug. Our Cook is going ashore and she promised that she would by a mug for me. And I'm looking forward to my new mug. Now I have to run between my office and the galley to refill my baby sized tea cup. 
I was saved by lunch. Reading in my office is not all that exciting so a lunch break is very welcome.
Monday 30 th of November 2009 andhopefully there will be some cargo calculations during the
day.And hopefully we will leave the anchorage today.
Gloomy and grey weather, but the wind has
decreased. We have a few somas valves leaking on the manifold and I asked our Pump Man to get our best guy to help him remove the valves.
I walked around deck and it was still dark so I could not help but notice the Christmas lights in the windows. Of course, I
took a picture.
Everything to get in the right Christmas
mood.
And of course, I need stupid pictures for my web page.
We checked the valve, changed the seals, but the disc is the problem. When putting a flash light on the other side of the valve we could see a few holes.
The hole where in the size of a needle point, but enough to make it leak. I was walking around deck while the guys were putting back the valve on manifold 2 STB.
While walking around scratching my behind I passed the crew's mess room and I saw our Cook and
Mess Man having their breakfast. And luckily enough I had my camera with
me. Well, I always have my camera with me.
And our OS, every time he sees me with my camera he starts to take off his clothes.
- Hey! please take a picture!
- FER F@CKS SAKE! GET DRESSED!!
- Just one, please!
and if he doesn�t start to take off his clothes its fingers in all directions while shouting YO!
When they were ready with the manifold valve 2 STB they removed the valve on 6 STB. Same problem and we will have to see if our Fitter can fix the disc. Well, it's always problem with leaking valves at the manifold, and that's on all ships.
So we will see what our Fitter says about the problem before I ask the crew to remove the other valves. Why waste time removing valves if we can't repair them? 
I calculated one cargo today. MAX draft 9,05 meter in fresh water. But, well, we're still anchored at Margate when November turns in to December.
I had plenty time for breakfast and a shower. I was in bed watching the news
when they called from the reception.- Your car is here.- Cheers, I will be down in a minute.We left the hotel about 5 minutes later, bound for the service boat Provider that would take us to M/T Ek-River on Göteborg roads.
We expected the ship to arrive at 10, but they were delayed by an hour so we could go back to Frölunda Torg for some tea.
The tea was good, but it was totally unnecessary to have the Danish with the tea. But never mind, I
will kick start my diet ASAP when coming onboard.We were back at the service boat around
10 o'clock and we could finally leave for Ek-River. We could hear Ek-River calling Göteborg Traffic on the VHF when we left Fiskebäckskil behind.But we had time enough to make a quick stop at Donsö to leave some firewood in the harbour before we continued to the roads of Göteborg.
As soon as we left Donsö and the archipelago of Göteborg the sea becomes a wee bit choppy and the small service boat started to jump up and down and I wished I was back in FUNKY TOWN again.
much to get up on deck.Coming up on deck and it seems like half the crew
knew my brother.- Hey are you your brother�s brother??!!
And of course they asked what
he was doing. I told them that he was Captain in Laurin and he had just beached Marimba in China.- Oh! Did he get fired running the ship up on the beach?
- Of course not, he was paid to beach the junker! She was sold for scrap.
Not a day too early if you ask me. I still have my adventure on Marimba in China fresh in mind.
- Trying to impress your Teacher again?
- YEAH, FAT CHANCE!!
This is turning out to be more like a farce. And talking about carry around stuff. Who can forget me carrying diet powder and linseeds around the world? Waste of time and energy!
Wednesday 18 th of November 2009 and I woke up to a full storm. Luckily enough it was headwind. It was heave sea breaking over tank deck and we only made 3 knots. But imagine having the sea coming in from the side, for sure, there would have been some heave rolling.
- And now it's almost winter! Very strange, first autumn without any storms, he continued.
Well, storm or not. There are always arses to kick. So I went to my office straight after my
morning tea. Our loading computer is a new one for meso I need to readthe manual. And it was no surprise to me that the manual turned out to be crap.Paper work, yeah, it's about the same on all the ships. But you must find the documents in the computers and binders. But when you
have done that it's pretty straight forward. And there are three 2nd Officers onboard so I will have to spend the days scratching my behind telling other people what to do.I had a slight set back when I explored my office.
- Where is the entertainment centre?
- What the
!! No entertainment centre!!Yeah, what a setback. DJ Porkycannot play his music. Who will complain about my music now? I will have to solve this problem.
Otherwise the ship is nice. 14 years old and in better shape than many of the newer ships I have been on. Of course, she is built in Norway, better than the ships built in China. But of course, a hefty price tag is attached to a Norwegian built ship.
Thursday 19 th of November 2009 and the weather was a wee bit better when I woke up. A shower with my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and I were ready for a pot of tea. I was in my office listening to my iPod when Captain came in.
- What's the alarm?
- Alarm??!!
- Oh, it's your iPod.
Well, I have to find an entertainment centre for my office. There are built in loudspeakers in the
monitor. But I have got used to better than built in loudspeakers over the years. OK, I remember when I went tovisit my Italian Greenpeace friends and the Lebanese Doctor in Roma
. Pasta night in my friends kitchen and theentertainment centre wasn't much to write home about.But we, well, I managed to upset the neighbours and they were complaining. But seriously, I don't know if it was due to the entertainment centre. For sure it don't look like it
would be possible to upset any neighbours with that tiny entertainment centre. But it's not the first time I mangeto embarrass any neighbours.I always get blamed, especially when my friend throw his birthday parties. And that's even though I'm not there. But I would like to blame the Italian girl for the
mishaps in Roma.We were meeting her at the train station when she arrived from Milano. I had a bottle of wine and a few glasses that I had taken at the pub on the train station. So she got a glass of wine first
thing when she sat foot in Roma.We arrived to my friend�s apartment and they started to do pasta for us. The girl from Milano had brought a bottle and I think I need my Italian EX class mates help to translate the label. but it looks darn dangerous. OK, I was a wee bit tipsy from the wine already. But I still blame the Italian girl for
waking up on the floor.Embarrassing, yeah, open my eyes and the first thing I saw was our Italian Campaigner looking at me.
- How are you?We left, he left for the Greenpeace's office and I left for my hotel. And of course, we ran in to one of the neighbours coming back with the newspaper when we came out on the street.
- Musica voluminoso! Disturbare vicino!! imbarazzato!! Imbecille!! ciarlare-ciarlare....- Sta' zitto!
(Or shut up as we say in English)
Yeah, HÅLL FLABBEN på rejäl Skånska!Well, a little good morning action when you come out on the street. And I don't think our neighbour�s mood improved with me taking pictures
all thetime. Well, my friends in Roma took it very good, but still, embarrassing. So this is exactly the reason why I like to go for a drink by myself or with very old friends. I know them and they know me. We have done a lot of stupid things together and it's impossible to embarrass each other.Discharge port Rotterdam was changed to Flushing. ETA Steenbank Pilot 20:00 tonight, but we have to drop anchor. No berthing before 5 o'clock tomorrow morning and I hope they manage to delay us until at least 8 o'clock.
I spent the afternoon preparing the paper work for the discharging. 2nd Officer was showing me around. He had been the Chief Officer onboard since the other Chief Officer had to go on sick leave on the way to St. Petersburg.
taking our jetty and she will be alongside for at least 48 hours.Good, I have not been able to go on deck since we left Skagen behind last Tuesday. So I will have two days without Pump man
before we go alongside. So tomorrow we will start planning the jobs for the rest of the month. We discovered 2 pieces of broken grating today. They were trashed in the storm yesterday and they managed to repair one today. But the bad weather prevented them from going forward to get the last grating. So we will do it tomorrow, or, they will go forward. I will be in my office having a good time.And things are starting to get in order. I have my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” routines up and running. So I will soon look like
Bob Marley, or at least my hair style.And I opened my Thai books today and I hope that I can maintain some kind of routines when it comes to my home work as well. Yeah, now I only need to get my diet back on track again. My diet derailed big time in Göteborg. Tack för det Björn och J!!!
We dropped anchor at 19:00 and now it's just waiting. I'm in no hurry.
Friday 20 th of November 2009 and we were still anchored when I woke up. Good, scratching arse waiting for the jetty is not all that bad. I started with a pot of tea while discussing upcoming and
ongoing work with our Pump Man. And my one day visit to Göteborg, well, my diet was not the only thing derailing. I had a few coffin nails as well.When I arrived to Göteborg I made a first stop at Pressbyr�n. I
asked if the sold single coffin nails. The girl just stares at me in disbelief.- WHERE THE F@CK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!! IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY??!! My friends shouted.
Well, my friend smokes Camel and thanks to his SURPRISE idea I didn't bought any fags for him. Well, I bought a pack of Camel and I ripped open the pack. I took one fag
and I handed the rest of the pack to him. And from there it wentdown hill.So I had a few cigarettes
with the Bosun before we started our work. We went on deck to see how the work with the gratings went. I had my best guys on the job and they seemed to be on top of things.I and Pump Man took a tour on deck. And there is not very much rust and things look to be in good condition. And the ship is 14 years old!! We have a stripping pump instead of the vacuum ejector for
the cargo tanks. First time I see this system, but according to Pump Man it works beautiful.Latest berthing prospect is for Sunday morning. They have a Naphtha cargo from ARA to Fawley after this, but the lay days is from Monday. So we will miss this if they can't extend the lay days.
I spent the afternoon with cargo calculations. OK, most of the time was spent with larks, but we got a confirmation for full cargo Naphtha from ARA to Fawley so I did this cargo calculation. It took me about 20 seconds, give and take.
Saturday 21 st of November 2009 and I'm pleased to announce that my new diet “Best looking guy
in town '09”
kicked off this very morning, and it Before
After
Lunch time, and the first thing I do is to get in to the shower to get myself one of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” treatments. And combined with my new diet “Best looking guy in town '09” . Well, who knows how this is going to end?
But there were a few arses to kick before lunch. We have 4 Db tanks to inspect and I had 2 of my best guys on the job. Pump Man went down to the tanks and I had one AB on deck as watch.
trusted with the clip board to record the time when our Pump Man entered and exited the tank.- Should I hold the clip board?
- Yeah, you will grow with the responsibility, I said.
And of course, I can scratch my behind while the boys are working. It's good to be the Chief Officer.
Well, first we should have the pilot onboard at 2 o'clock so we should start to heave up the anchor at 1 o'clock. Then it was changed to 15:00. So we will take the last ballast tank after lunch. We expect to be alongside this very evening and we will stay for about 24 hours.
Our ARA to Fawley with full cargo of Naphtha voyage was cancelled yesterday due to our delay here so we don't know where to go after this.
we have to run all the tests of the equipment. I was inthe CCR with a radio and Pump Man was running around deck testing emergency stops and high level alarms etc.When everything was ready it was just to wait for arrival. I sent an SMS to Miss "Most beautiful girl in the world #1". Yeah, I don't like it, my sausage fingers slipping all over the small buttons on the phone. Easy to send the wrong message!!
But I guess that I will find out, if I send something inappropriate, I mean, we have
J's SMS poetry fresh in mind. And we know how that horror story ended. But of course, I'mnot sending any SMS poetry while lying in the gutter.At 4 o'clock I had 2 apples, nothing else, so my new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet is well up and running. A wee bit hungry, but it feels great.
Dinner, steak, salad and smoked salmon. Only health food. What a remarkable KICK OFF for my new diet. I
will write books about this and become a millionaire. Don't be surprised if you find titles like “Best looking guy in town '09 diet”
,“How I was mistaken for Bob Marley” and “How I got a V-shaped torso in 3 weeks” next time in your local bookstore. I will never have to work again so I can spend all my time sitting home eating chocolate and ice cream.
is very quick, he was ready with the sampling quarter past 8 and now we have to wait for analysis before we can commence discharging.What to do while waiting? Study Thai!! And I came up with a new,
yes, this time it was a very bright idea!!Instead of taking a shower I just stick my head in to the shower to wet my hair.
- Well, at least what�s left of my hair.Then I will apply my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and after that I will go study my Thai. My “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” will thus have plenty time to work. Yeah, it will really dry in to my scalp and boost the effect of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. I can already see the difference, 47 new hairs!!!
- WHAT A SHAME!!! MOST OF THEM ON THE NOSE!!!
We started to discharge at 10 o'clock and I was back in my cabin at midnight looking forward to a new exciting day tomorrow.
Sunday 22 nd of November 2009 and discharging were in full swing when I came down to the CCR.
2nd Officer in charge and everything looks good. So I went to the galley for a pot of tea and 2 bananas.2 bananas, well, I was still hungry and luckily enough our Cook is keeping an eye out. Yeah, I'm pepped by the success my new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet turned out yesterday. But if you're hungry.....
So I was sneaking around the fridge looking for
something healthy. And every time our Cook sees me she screams: - STAY AWAY!!!
So yeas, I'm lucky to have her. My new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet is pretty much
dependent on her watching out, screaming at me when coming close to anything unhealthy.OK, it's getting boring after a while, but then I just think about my return to FUNKY TOWN with my V-shaped torso. And of course all the money I will save when I can fly tourist class again. Well, today I managed to get some ham and at least I thought I had managed to make my move without her spotting me. WRONG!!
- GET OUT!!!
I turned tail and I escaped to the 2nd Officer in the CCR. But our Cook came after and she handed me abag of “1 CALORIE SNACKS®”. And yes, you got it right. And obviously the“1 CALORIE SNACKS®” is a Registered Trademark, at least according to the bag.
- Who would have thought......?So what is this “1 CALORIE SNACKS®”? It's fresh
radish. And exactly how yummy is that? Not very! But I'm sure it makes wonders for my new “Best looking guy in town '09”
diet so that's good enoughfor me.And for lunch, yeas, I had some fish and very little of some other stuff. Mostly vegetables before going to my cabin and my Thai books. And I came up with a new,
yes, this time it was a very bright idea!! The best so far.I applied my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and now I will have it on until my next shower after dinner. Never mind the burning sensation after 1 hour, I know I will soon look very very
good.Hopefully.-PLEASE PLEASE!!!
It was soon time to strip 3P/S and I went on deck to check on the ABs. First time for me on this ship so I just want to check out their routines on this ship. If I should be the
screaming at them when they f@ck up I better off know how it works on this ship.I went with our 2nd Officer to check out our remote gas meter for the pump room after lunch. We have a pump sucking air from the pump room through an analyser in the engine room. If we have gas in the pump room the alarm goes off
and the fan starts.So we have to check this explosiometer once a month with test gas to make sure everything works the way it should.
We went down to the engine room so the 2nd Officer could show me were the analyser was. Our 2nd Officer usually does the work with the explosiometers. But I'm responsible so I told him that I took over the
monthly tests.Well, it's not like I have a lot of stuff to do. Sit on my arse in my office screaming all day long. So I can as well do it, and of course, if we have problem with the equipment I'm responsible and I can never blame the 2nd Officer. And thus, I can do it myself.
We got a new 1st Engineer onboard today and our 1st Engineer will leave in next port, where ever that will be. Our 2nd Officer had gone crazy with my all day long so now I have plenty pictures of myself. So this is one of the rare occasions where you will have 2 yes, TWO, pictures of me next to each other.
And I think it should be possible, yeah, even for J, to see what a remarkable diet this new “Best looking guy in town '09” diet has turned out to be. My clothes are getting way too big. So I guess I have to pay my Tailor a visit when I'm coming home.
And talking about getting back home to FUNKY TOWN. The original plan was to leave FUNKY
TOWN as Pelle Plutt just to return as TELEVINKEN. Pelle Plutt and Aladdin would never been heard off again. I would start my new life as TELEVINKEN and no one would know me, a well needed fresh start. But today I got an e-mail from my class mate and I quote “At school everybody misses you....its sort of grey now.”
Can you believe that??!! This is the stuff I would like to have heard after the BLACK SEXY PARTY. I had planned for a 1 year vacation.
But the boredom, OK, not as much as making a tit out
of myself at the BLACK SEXY PARTY, of course, drove me out on the seven seas again.Hell yeah, I have the horror of waking up after the BLACK SEXY PARTY fresh in mind. I didn't go to school for several days and my plan to send my by then Italian class mate and my French class mate to take the pulse on the Teachers feelings back fired big time. We ended up drinking even more and my studies were delayed by several days.
But of course, after a few drinks my French class
mate told me it had been very fun at the BLACK SEXY.- No problem. You behaved just fine!
And the worst nightmare came true when finally arriving to school.
- Aladdin!! Do you remember what you DID to my Japanese friend?
It was not what I said. It was what I did and the look on my Teachers face just wanted me to drop dead right there and then. Where were all the “At school everybody misses you....its sort of grey now.” e-mails back then?
Well, I decided not to go drinking with the Teachers anymore. OK, there was one Teacher on my first school day after the BLACK SEXY incident and she really made my day.
- Aladdin, you seem to be a cool guy and I would like to hang out with you.
What do you say? Stuff like that really makes your life worth living. And I'm always grateful to her for that. Well, luckily enough things like this (Making a fool out of your self at the BLACK SEXY PARTY) falls in to oblivion and when I had my Teachers over last month (none of them had been at the BLACK SEXY) we talked about the incident.
- Was that you? She blames the French guy.
- No, I don't think so. She asked me what I did with the Japanese girl, I'm sure of that.
Monday 23 rd of November 2009 and they called me at 06:10.
- 30 minutes until bulk discharging completed.- OK, I will be down in a jiff. I will just apply some “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”! Coming down to the CCR with my hair full of foam. Everything looked good so I went for a pot of tea and then to the smoke room. We completed discharging at 06:45 and Pilot will come onboard at 13:30, changed from 12:30. But I'm in no hurry, it's a force 10-11 outside and they call it a severe storm, well, it's more like a hurricane.
After lunch I rinsed my hair before applying new “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” and by now it starts to feel a little pointless. But I never give up. I was study my school books before going on the bridge for the departure. No new voyage and it looks like we will go over to England to get some lee from England- SW to W force 10-11 so England will give us good shelter, as long as we stay on the East side. I got to the bridge 25 minutes after 1 o'clock with my hair full of foam. At least it smells good. Pilot was onboard a few minutes after and we could make fast our tug boats.
According to the pilot the wind will increase in the afternoon, but it will decrease to a force 6 to 7 around midnight.But we see, it would not be the first time a weather forecast is wrong. Seems to be very hard to predict the weather, but of course, decreasing is better than increasing.
When we had the tug boats fast we started to let go of the mooring lines. Strong wind and rain so I was happy to stay inside telling the crew what to do via radio. Yeah, it's good to be the Chief Officer.
At 13:47 we had cleared all our lines and at 13:55 the tug boats were cleared and we could set course towards Wandelaar Pilot station. Pilot service is suspended due to bad weather.
Otherwise we have to keep the Pilot onboard until the next port.After departure our crew checked deck so it was ready for getting out on the sea. As you understand we don't want to have any stuff lying around in bad weather. Force 9 winds and I told the crew to stay inside. Yeah, it not very big boys and I don't want any of the guys go missing blowing overboard.
- We can paint the paint store. And Bosun can repair our pilot
ladder. No one goes out on deck!Barcarolle 2008 and we remember my tank cleaning on the way to Freeport, Texas. Coming from Mexico and we ended up in the middle of a hurricane. I told the boys to come in to me in the CCR. Well, as always, you try to be nice and the only thing I got out of it was an empty case of diet drinks. Never mind the diet drinks,
and the guys felt safer being together with me in the CCR. And it was nice with some company.- Yeah, come to Pappa Daddy!
And when talking about diet drinks. So far I have had exactly 0 diet drinks since I came onboard. In Göteborg my friend asked me if we should go buy diet drinks before joining the ship.
He had last summer fresh in mind, when he had to go around the archipelago of Bohuslän in is boat buying diet drinks for me.
- NO thanks! Not necessary, I have given up the diet drinks.
- Oh! That's why you have managed to lose weight, he said
I had always, well, at least for the last few years been drinking diet drinks like there is no tomorrow. 300 US per month are a normal sum that I spent on diet drinks. (Back then)
Yeah, last summer we left every store in Bohuslän empty on the diet drinks. But this is history. Now I have new prioritization, TO LOOK GOOD!
around 17:00. Maybe they were early due to bad weather.I went to the bridge and it turned out that it was the Belgian Air Force training their helicopter crew. Or one of their helicopter crew, I really don't know how many helicopter crew they have. Maybe they have many.
Well, anyway, I'm happy for every bit of action onboard. I really need some action pictures to spice up this web page by now before it's getting too dull.
- HELL YEAH!!! I'M FALLING ASLEEP OVER HERE!!!!
came to pick up our Pilot. He had been picking up 2 Pilotson 2 ships before it was our turn. And it seemed like the helicopter had problem finding us.And the radio in the helicopter was out of order, so that didn't do very much to help. Our 2nd Officer was quick to get out our ALDIS lamp trying to signal to the helicopter.
wasn't looking forward to have the Pilot onboard until next port. But he managed to get off the ship and I was down in my cabin for yet anotherdoze of the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. Maybe not so magic any more, its more and more turning in to a farce. Next step is to take a bath in it.A long day is soon coming to an end and I went to bed to study my Thai books, after giving my scalp a GO with the HAIR STUFF. By now the crew is used to see me running around with my hair full of foam. But the first few times.
- WHAT THE!!!??? ARE YOU CRAZY??!!!!But it was soon a different tone:
- This my friends, is the cure for baldness!!
- WHERE CAN WE BUY THE STUFF???!!!
Tuesday 24 th of November 2009 and we were anchored off Margate on the SE Coast of England.
We're on a good anchorage, England gives us lee from the W to SW'ly winds. Istarted my day with tea and bananas. I was in my office enjoying my tea with Trip hop blasting high on the Richter scale when I had one of the ABs disturbing me.- Yo! I need help with the anchor chain.
- What the
??!! How dare you disturb in the middle of my morning tea?I went to my cabin to get my camera before going forward to the fo'c's'le. 2 ABs were working
with the anchor chain. The chain was slightly twisted sowe could not get down the bar over the chain when the anchor was fully up.A common problem, twisted chain so the shackle is standing instead of lying down. Well, the AB needed someone “strong” to help him turn the chain with the iron-bar lever.
Me and the AB where hanging in the iron-bar lever trying to turn the chain back on the right track
while the other AB operated the winch. Well, this winch is designed to lift several tonnesand of course it managed to lift both me and the AB off the deck.Nothing to do, so the crew continued to grease on deck. Still no cargo for us and the company asked us to prepare the ship for heavy fuel oil and other cargoes requiring heating.
Otherwise the cargo will solidify and it will be impossible to discharge the cargo.Engine department were already busy
trying our cargo heating system and I had my boys to do blinds to put between the stripping pipe and the cargo line. We don't want heavy fuel in the pipes, when the heavy fuel gets cold it will get solid and it will be impossible to use the pipes again.We have stripping pumps in the tanks and we need to blind them as
well. So we did a tank cleaning during the afternoon. I never had been in the tanks before so I had no idea what we needed to blind the stripping pump with. So in the evening we went down to dismantle the pipe from the stripping pump.Test run of the heating coils had gone well, but our Chief Engineer wanted to come down with us to make a visual check of the heating coils in the tanks.
- Why not? The more the merrier.
We, well, Pump Man removed the pipe and now
we only have to find something to blind the pump with. Easier said than done, we didn't found anything to use. So our Fitter has to make it for us. So we will ventilate the tanks during the night and the AB will continue making blinds for the stripping pipes on deck.Yeah, they will work during the night while I have my beauty sleep.
But before my sleep I will give myhair another SUPER treatment with the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”. I got nothing to lose, it's cheap and Ismell so good (At least my hair) since I stopped to rinse my hair after the treatment. So I guess I will drive the girls up the wall when I return home. But of course, a real mop of hair would be better than just a pleasant smell.And before going to bed I have to give the stuff time to dry so I can as well spend the time watching a movie. Yes, a waste of time, but sometimes it's nice just to sit down relax. But not so much so I forget my Thai course.
Wednesday 25 th of November 2009 and we started the day by plugging all our stripping pumps. While Pump Man, one of the ABs and our OS did the plugging I had one of our ABs to make
blinds for the stripping line.The crew had been busy during the night making blinds and
they had managed to finish blinding the cargo lines on deck. Well, always nice to be told that things are ready when I come up for my morning tea.It took the guys between 5 and 10 minutes to dismantle the stripping pipe and to plug the holes in the pump and air line. I was on deck taking pictures keeping the spirit highduring their work in the tanks.
first time in Göteborg they knew that I was Mr. Aladdin.- You're the one with the web page.
And the guy I relieved, yeah, he came in to my cabin talking about Aladdin.
- He has complained so much about the ship.
- Yeah, what ships has he complained about? I asked.
- He had been on Kaprifol and they didn't buy any honey for his tea.
And what else?
- I don't know. And he wrote a lot about someone called Suzi or something like that.
Well, anyway, they are happy to end up on the internet.
And the honey? Yes we remember when I asked the ship owner to buy some honey and rosehip soup. It was very cold and it would be nice with some hot rosehip soup.- A BRILLIANT IDEA!! I'M RIGHT ON IT!
When he came back he told me that they didn't had any rosehip soup and honey in the shops.
- What a shit load of bullshit!
Well, anyway, we had to mark the stripping pies before we took them forward to the fo'c's'le. If they are going to use them
again they need to know from what tanks the pipes are from, or they will be in a lot of problem.They finished 8 tanks before lunch and they finished the last 4 tanks before 13:30. I had been doing calculations for 3 different cargoes so maybe we will
leave the anchorage today. Everything is almost ready for heating cargoes now.A few more blinds between the cargo and stripping line on the manifold. We also need to remove some drain pipe extensions from the X-over. But then it's pretty much ready on deck.
I filled up two tank inspection reports during the afternoon. Inspection of cargo tank 5P/S was overdue so I took the opportunity to do it while they guys removed the stripping pipes. The tanks look like new with very little rust under deck.
Björn, sitter o har d lite tradigt ombord. Kollade igenom FOTO SKATTEN och hittade följande bilder. Var det dessa du gjorde så stort väsen av sist i Göteborg?
Förstår inte vad det är du hänger upp dig på.
vakna upp i samma rum som dig) så förstår du ju att även denstarkaste tappar fotfästet. Och har man då fått en litendrink innan....... Thursday 26 th of November 2009 and well, we're still anchored waiting for cargo. The market
seems to be a little slow now. But we will see what happens during the day.I went to the galley to get my morning tea. Our Cook started to interrogate me first thing when she caught sight of me.
- How do I find Ek-River on your web page??
- I cannot see the pictures!!
- PLEASE!! HELP ME!!
The tune is a wee bit different today. The other day
when she was on the bridge watching the helicopter I took a picture of her.- I don't want to be on the internet!
But today she told me that she wanted to be on the internet.
No one wants� to be on the internet. Yeah, it's like the Captain on Astoria. Me and my friend were spending a summer waiting for the Police to burst in. He reported me to the Police for writing about him being on a fully loaded tanker dead drunk.
Well, Iguess he got second thoughts and the Police never showed up. So we were a wee bit disappointed, it would have been some nice action pictures for myweb page when the Police kicked in the door. well, never mind, at least me and my friend got a real good laughout of it.Jaja, J, det dramat glömmer vi aldrig. Först var man stoppad i
Finnair's Scooby Doo “Wine cellar in the sky”
. Sen fick manen sketen polisanmälan i ansiktet när man vaknade med tolvansfyllesjuka. Och ingenting blev det av det! desk today. Good, I can get two minutes of work out of it. And I can stretch the two minutes to five minutes if I have a chat about theweather with our Bosun.Strong winds and our anchor ball were blown to pieces, but our Bosun changed the rope and ball in a jiff. And of
course, I was there to document the moment with my camera. I need something to fill out my web page with and you getan insight in the day to day work of our ass kickin' crew.Our Bosun finished the anchor ball well before lunch.
- Hmm, I need to kill time until lunch. What to do?
- Yeah, I go pester our Captain!!Captain and our Cook were outside my office so I went out there with my camera. I don't know if it was my camera or our Cook that got him running off.
But I followed him up the stair case taking pictures of the escape. End of the month is coming up and we need to do some drills before December. So we decided to
have a fire drill after the coffee break in the afternoon. The original plan was to held the drilltomorrow, but you never know, we might be on our way tomorrow.Well, anyway, at 15:15 the fire alarm went off and we mustered at our different muster stations. I'm the team leader for smoke diving TEAM 1 and my guys were soon ready for some serious ass
kickin'. Fire in the boiler room and TEAM 1 were stand by while TEAM 2 went in andextinguished the fire.Extinguish fires, fight terrorists and a force 11 storm on top of that. Well, not enough, when the fire was out we went to the lifeboat muster station where 2nd Officer mustered the crew. And this wasn't enough, we had our OS to dress up in a survival suit on the bridge. I took the opportunity to get a picture of the crew, but the light wasn't all that good. So I will try to get a better picture next time.
It was almost time for dinner when we finished our Oil Spill Drill on deck.
my normal pranks and larks with the crew I called my Teacher.I got an alarming SMS. Well, maybe not alarming, but I needed to call her and this was the best thing happening today. And I'm afraid that my
Before
After
- Be careful with your diet!!!
- Well, it's not like I'm starving to death.
After the initial success things have slowed down
a bit. But I'm soon back on track again.And the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” is WAY too hyped.
- You will have hair like Bob Marley when you come back!!
- Whoa-whoa!! I'm not sure about that.
But I can't help admiring her spirit.
Friday 27 th of November 2009 and we were still anchored when I woke up. Yesterday they were negotiating a cargo from Fredericia to Oslo. Jet fuel and Gas oil so that means that we have to convert the ship back to CPP.
Seems like the Fredericia - Oslo cargo is on hold, because we didn't hear anything from the company. well, we have stuff to do. And we started with a life raft and MOB boat drill after the 10 o'clock coffee break.
- What the
!!?? You have to tell me before or I have no chance to pull in my stomach!When we finished our drill I went down to cargo tank 3 Stb for an inspection. If they will start
loading heavy fuel oil this will be the last tank inspection for a while.Inspection of 3 Stb is due in a few days so I can as well do it when we're gas free. Time turned quick and it was soon
time for lunch, creamed spinach.My favourite, so I had 2 helpings.After lunch we tested our ODME and we managed to waste most of the afternoon. And we need stuff to do, it looks like we have to spend the weekend anchored off Margate. The Fredericia - Oslo negotiations seems to have capsized and now we have to wait for new orders. Göteborg, would be perfect! I can buy snus.
Yeah, I tried to keep this one a secret. But arriving to Göteborg last time and my friend forced me to start smoke
again.Tack för det, Björn och J! So I could as well have bought the TAX FREE cigarettes for my friend on FUNKY TOWN international.
So I will give up smoking as soon as I have snus again. And I gave away 3 rolls to my friend in FUNKY TOWN before I left last time.
- Are you sure you don't need the snus anymore?
- Of course, will power! Will power my friend, that's what you need!
Friday evening was spent with movies and a few words on my web page. I got the picture our Cook had taken during the drill. When I opened the memory stick I discovered that all pictures except 2 were off me.
Saturday 28 th of November 2009 and by now it's getting a wee bit boring to wait at the anchorage. But my morning tea
still tastes good together with a coffin nail in the smoke room. I discuss today�s work with Bosun during my morning tea and when we're ready I swing over to my office.Smoking too much and I want to give up. I'm already out of nico chew so today I ordered Nico chew and snus from our on signing 2nd Officer. Snus, I hope he can get it, he lives in Belgium and snus is against the law in Belgium. But if I'm luck he can find it at some Swedish restaurant or
something.We see what's happening with that. I was soon finished with my paper work. OK, there wasn't much paper work for me to do so I was mostly starring out in the blue dreaming of better times. So what to do now? OK, I go to the bridge to pester Captain and 2nd Officer on duty.
It didn't take long before Captain and 2nd Officer was visiting www.aladdin.st. OK, it took a wee bit longer than I expected, seems to be hard to spell to aladdin.
Later on I could hear Captain from my cabin, 2 decks above the CCR. He was in the CCR complaining to the AB on watch.
And he was disappointed and as it seemed: He wanted the whole world to know.
- THERE ARE ONLY TWO PICTURES OF ME!! AND ONE OF THEM WAS ME FROM BEHIND WHEN I WAS RUNNING UP THE STAIRS THE OTHER DAY!!
- I'm also on his page, the AB said.- Yeah, there are several pictures of you, BUT ONLY 2 OF ME!
I came around the corner with my camera stand-by. As soon as he saw me with my camera he was in a hurry to escape from the CCR and my camera.
- Now you're going to the internet!
He managed to dodge my camera and I didn't got one single good picture even if I took hundreds!
- Well, I have to switch tactic, I thought to myself.I left for my office and then I sneaked after him in to the kitchen. And I'll be darned. Our Cook spotted me coming and she started to smile. Captain looked around and my picture was f@cked up once again.
Well, I was sitting in the smoke room talking with the guys during their coffee break. I could hear Captain behind me. He don't come in, he can't stand the smoke. But he was hanging in the doorway. I quietly slipped my camera out of my pocket and I quickly shoot a picture
over my shoulder.Only to discover that he was gone.
have only got hair on my nose and some remarkable sideburns out of it.Most of the lunch was spent reading my Thai books and I didn't realise that I had forgotten my “MAGIC HAIR STUFF” until I came down to my
office. But then it was too late. Well, never mind.When I came down to my office I could hear Captain and our Cook screaming and I went to investigate. The Christmas, yeah, it was the f@cking Christmas. Christmas is the reason why I escape to the ship, I do the same every year. And it's so niceto get away from Santa Clauses (millions of them), Christmas tree (millions of them) and the terrible Christmas songs. Yeah, the CD “Christmas or Die”
and “Christmas one thousand”
drives you up the wall.Well, anyway, when I came out in the galley our Captain tested the Christmas light supported by our Cook. Yeah, the
Christmas spirit was high and judging from the noise they made I thought that they were just about to start hittingeach other.- Hey! Do you want lights in your office? Captain asked.
- Don't bother put up anything in my office!
anymore. But my office will be a Christmas free zone, at least as long as I stay onboard.I'm happy as long as I have music in my office and I don't care about
the Christmas decorations. And by the way, when it's Christmas you have already seen all the darn decorations they have decorated the shopping districts with since October. So at least to say, you're pretty feed up with the stuff when it�s time for Santa to come.So I could notice that the lights were off in the smoke room and in the
ship's office and now it's only the Christmas lights on in there. Christmas feeling?- I don't know. And what is the Christmas feeling?
I came in to the kitchen in the nick of time. Our Cook was
Rosemary
an evergreen aromatic shrub of the mint family, native to southern Europe. The narrow leaves are used as a culinary herb, in perfumery, and as an emblem of remembrance.
- Are you using Rosemary? I asked.
- No, some people don't like Rosemary.
- Are you joking??!!- No I'm serious
- Fer f@cks sake!
- OK, I can put Rosemary of you like.
- Meat without Rosemary is like tea without milk!!!
Captain's cabin. It didn't took very long before I had a snus under my lip. A bagged one, but it's better than nothing. Can't wait to get out of here so we can buy real snus.- Let's go check out how it goes with the ginger bread, he said.
- Check out! What the??!! You should know! You should have helped them!- I have been busy.
- Been busy doing what?!! OK, I will just get my camera for
documentation.- NO!! NO CAMERA!!!
- Yeah, dream on.
Yeah, he is the one screaming Christmas all day long. We went down together and first stop was the kitchen. And when our Cook grew tired of us we went to inspect the stupid Christmas lights.
Captain turned off the light in the rooms where he had put up the Christmas light. To the guys sitting there it was: CHRISTMAS NOW OR NEVER!
- And I don't know if I'm too happy about the side effects from the “MAGIC HAIR STUFF”.
My ears are like sand paper and I have got some FUNKY sideburns.
Well, Saturday 28 th of November in the year of our Lord 2009 will go down the history books as the day with the blurred photos. Most of them were shoot from the hip so nothing much was expected regarding the quality.
Sunday 29 th of November 2009 and I woke up to a very gloomy and grey day. Rain and strong wind so staying inside was
preferred. I was study our P&A manual in my office when our Chief Engineer came by.End of the months and we need to send in a few reports. Daily work list Environmental Report and a list of spare�s not delivered etc. We discovered that the top thermometer on cargo tank 5 Stb were on the DEFFECT list. So we went out to megger test the
thermometer, exciting.Coming in from deck and I was almost ran down by Mess Man and Captain. They came rushing down the stairs, Mess Man first and Captain 2 steps behind.
- I found a new light!! Mess Man was shouting.- THAT'S THE SPIRIT!! Captain shouted.
They were both delirious with anticipation when they connected the darn light to the power socket in the mess room. And the light was working.
- YIPPEE!!!!! THE LIGHT IS WORKING!!!!!
Both of them took off.
They flied up the stairs in supersonic speed, so getting some good pictures were not to think about. But I was 3 steps behind and when we reached the bridge I was almost dead.- What the
is happening around here??!!when he watched the result.- So you know what do to when you're coming home, decorate your house for Christmas, I said.
- Yeah, I will be busy if it should be ready for Christmas!
I returned to my office, well, I had a quick stop at my office. E-mail from my friend and he is asking when I'm coming to Göteborg next time.
- I will come and pick you up!
Well, we don't know where to go, but I hope we're leaving soon. This is getting very boring by now. Reading manuals in my office. And we need to get movin' so I can get a real tea mug. Our Cook is going ashore and she promised that she would by a mug for me. And I'm looking forward to my new mug. Now I have to run between my office and the galley to refill my baby sized tea cup.
Monday 30 th of November 2009 and
hopefully there will be some cargo calculations during theday.And hopefully we will leave the anchorage today.Gloomy and grey weather, but the wind has
decreased. We have a few somas valves leaking on the manifold and I asked our Pump Man to get our best guy to help him remove the valves.I walked around deck and it was still dark so I could not help but notice the Christmas lights in the windows. Of course, I
took a picture.Everything to get in the right Christmasmood.And of course, I need stupid pictures for my web page.We checked the valve, changed the seals, but the disc is the problem. When putting a flash light on the other side of the valve we could see a few holes.
The hole where in the size of a needle point, but enough to make it leak. I was walking around deck while the guys were putting back the valve on manifold 2 STB.
Mess Man having their breakfast. And luckily enough I had my camera withme. Well, I always have my camera with me.And our OS, every time he sees me with my camera he starts to take off his clothes.
- Hey! please take a picture!
- FER F@CKS SAKE! GET DRESSED!!
- Just one, please!
and if he doesn�t start to take off his clothes its fingers in all directions while shouting YO!
When they were ready with the manifold valve 2 STB they removed the valve on 6 STB. Same problem and we will have to see if our Fitter can fix the disc. Well, it's always problem with leaking valves at the manifold, and that's on all ships.
So we will see what our Fitter says about the problem before I ask the crew to remove the other valves. Why waste time removing valves if we can't repair them?
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens at my web page. So it's not very easy 
for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. So I put a “Next” button here so just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. So I put a “Next” button here so just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaasFaites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopraSprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben! คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
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