From Zero to Hero

In this job, you can't really have a perfect work schedule. Our schedules are sometimes based on tides, storms, headwinds and many other criteria that are uncontrollable. You can never count on getting a full night's sleep because things happen and sometimes the captain needs the entire crew on deck. These instances are called "call outs". When we get a call out, it means that we have 15 minutes to be dressed and on deck ready to work. Most of the time we know about when a call out will take place, but sometimes we get caught off gaurd and get called out in the middle of the best snooze ever.

This morning was one of those days.

We have been in Seward since yesterday morning, we had finished our cargo work and were planning to stay tied up to the dock for a few days while a storm in the gulf passes through. I stay up late after my morning watch to make some phone calls and watch some tv. I fell asleep around 10:30 and it was a good sleep, complete with vivid dreams and everything. Around a 12:30, the dreaded knock on the door came. "Mike, call-out. We are pulling away from the dock because the winds are coming up." Ugh.

So, I got up, put on my cozy quilt lined, double-knee, duck-washed Carhartt coveralls (love these by the way), a few layers, my warm booties, knit cap and headed to the galley for some coffee. 20 minutes later, we were pulling long, soaked lines, each weighing a few hundred pounds onto the barge, dragging them across the deck and securing them with chain. No warm up, just zero to 60, from rack to freezing temps in little time. Then, about an hour later, we were underway and I was free to crawl back into my "house clothes" as I call them (sweatpants, keen sandals, sweatshirt) and do whatever I want.

My 9-5 call-out analogy: imagine having your boss come knocking on your door in the middle of the night, saying "you need to be in the office in 15 minutes and I'm going to need about 2 hours of your time, thanks!"

The good news, is that if you're "off watch" and get called out, you are immediately on overtime until the work is complete, so we really don't mind. It does hurt sometimes going from zero to hero, especially in the cold.

Now that we "escaped" the grasps of the docks, we are sitting just a few miles away, doing circles in Resurection Bay... No winds, beautiful skies. Oh well. Sitting at the dock sounds better, but really it kind of sucks. The boat is quiet and doesn't move much, therefore hampering the full sleep experience (moving boat = sound sleep).

No call outs anticipated for this off-session, so I'm calling it a night.

 

Posted with Blogsy