Sunday, June 10, 2012
Deckhand's Log
So I got the call yesterday from the hiring manager at American Cruise Lines and after a two day training session this past Wednesday and Thursday, I will be heading out to Portland, Maine on Friday to embark on a twelve week Deckhand contract. I am really excited for this unique opportunity. I am a person who wants nothing more than to EXPERIENCE this short time that we have on Earth and this something that I have never come close to experiencing. I am looking forward to posting about my time on board the ship "Independence". Stay tuned and check back often. Who knows what's going to happen?
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June 15th, 2012
ReplyDeleteDay 1: I arrived in Portland, Maine today just after 4pm. I grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and grabbed a cab to take me to the pier. I rolled the window down and took in the smells of the seaf and local cuisine (one in the same). A good start. I arrived at the ship, got shown to my quarters and was taken directly to my first meal in the galley. Scallops, wild rice, and salad. Good to be in Maine. Then I changed into my uniform and made myself available to do some odd jobs. It just so happens to be a day where we had one staff member quit, two were fired for breaking the male/female quarters restrictions and some swapping out of our Mate and Housekeeping director. Needless to say, it was pretty hectic. I volunteered to help swap out the lounge from cocktail hour to get it ready for a night performer. I had no idea what I was doing but it felt good to be doing something. Then the captain took me up to the bridge, got me a radio, my room key and gave me the rest of the night off!! So I changed back into my regular clothes and decided to see what downtown Portland had to offer on a Friday evening. It was a good decision. I basically just started walking in the same direction that I saw most people walking and found myself in the heart of the cultural district (I doubt that is what the locals call it). I saw three Dunkin Donuts, Two Starbucks and a few dozen trendy local restaurants. There were street performers with hula hoops that were lit on fire, fire breathers and more hipsters than I have seen, maybe ever. I found a CVS and got some essentials (ramen, chocolate covered peanuts, Doritos, Arizona tea…). Then I headed back to the ship in plenty of time to make our 11 o’clock curfew. I spent a few minutes up on the top deck taking in the night view of both the city and the sea. It was a good way to end night one. Then, it was time to sack up for the night. So here I am, in my bunk finishing my first journal entry. It’s 11:15 and I get to wake up in 6 hours so…GOODNIGHT!
Gabriel Dahlke
Love! Thank you for sharing. Take pics when you can. It will be fun to look back on them. Cheers to a happy day two!!!
ReplyDeleteJune 17th, 2012
ReplyDeleteDay 3: I had every good intention to journal every day that I was on the Independence but already, after 48 hours, I realize that the reality of that happening is impossible. My second day started early at 5:15am. I got ready and headed up for breakfast. All of the crew members are nice and so far the drama seems avoidable. I finished breakfast by 6 and met up with the Mate who was to be my guide through my first day of deckhand duty. This particular day was the day of the week when the guests from the previous tour leave and the guests for the upcoming tour arrive. This meant there were many bags to be loaded and unloaded. This got me through the morning. We were underway by 1:30 and off to Bar Harbor. This is only an approximately 180 mile trip, however we couldn’t dock there till 7:00am the next morning. (You do the math). So we spent the entire night creeping up the Maine coastline. “Creeping” is only in reference to our actual speed because the waters were anything but calm. I don’t know what being seasick is like but I can definitely say that my body and my brain spent the rest of the day, evening, night trying to communicate to each other what exactly was happening. It was quite the experience but I managed to keep my stomach intact throughout the trip. I worked till 11:00 at night, that makes for a 17 hour work day on my first day! It was intense but I was assured by everyone that it would not be this way consistently. At 11:00pm, I slept…hard.
June 18th, 2012
ReplyDeleteDay 4: Bar Harbor, Maine!!! So surreal. So Beautiful....from the ship...This is definitely a place that I will be checking out much more thoroughly in the weeks to come. Today was much more tolerable. I worked a normal 8 hour shift and got to spend a significant amount of time at the helm today steering the ship! I think this will be one of my favorite parts of the job. It's like a live video game dodging all of the lobster traps! Pretty cool. Plus, our Captain and our Mate are both pretty cool dudes who have some sweet stories to tell. We left Bar Harbor this afternoon in route to Belfast, with a short stop in Castine. It was a fun trip because I got to get trained on our launch boat we use when we anchor off shore. We took a few groups to shore and refueled. Then I was off for the day and went into town to grab a bite and take in some scenery. As soon as I get my first paycheck I will be buying a camera so I can hopefully share some of what I'm seeing. It is breathtaking. Anyways, I'm gonna wrap it up. I work the night shift tonight so got to mentally prepare! :)
July 2nd, 2012
ReplyDeleteIt's been two weeks since I wrote last. This means that I have gotten into a good routine and this journal has fallen by the wayside. Lots of things have happened since my last log. I was promoted last week to head deckhand! It's only a slight pay bump but it will look good on the resume and I am getting a free education on the inner workings of our ship. I have an extra set of daily checks that I have to do that consists of checking the oil and coolant levels on our three generators and two main engines, checking the ship's fuel levels, keeping track of mileage, and checking water levels. Pretty mundane but necessary. I am the first mate's right hand man. My job is basically to make his job easier so I am given the responsibility to try to solve any problems that come up with the ship that I can and if and only if I can't, I report to him and he fixes it...like I said, it's like a free education.
Things I am learning about living in close quarters with 25 others who are, with the exception of the captain and first mate, younger than I am...
-Learn to laugh at immaturity.
-Remember that you were that dumb once too.
-Repeat previous two steps.
Needless to say, it's like high school in here. But it's not keeping me down. I know what I am here for and I am really loving Maine. These will be some of the fondest memories I have once all is said and done and I feel very blessed to be where I am.
Well, not sure when the next time I will get around to posting again but until then...
Early morning July 7th: I bought a camera today Finally!!! Hopefully that means that I will soon be able to post some good pictures of Maine here. Things are going well. Week 3 is complete and later this morning we will see off these passengers and welcome a new group. I ate my first Maine Lobster today in Portland! Lobster roll club sandwich! It lived up to the expectation. It's going to be hard to leave this area when my time here is done. I'm not sure where God will lead me next but I wouldn't be the least upset if it was somewhere on the Atlantic Seaboard. I think it's something in the sea air. It's so fresh and clean(although sometimes a little fishy).
ReplyDeleteWe lost a deckhand yesterday. He got let go for sleeping in the laundry room. He was only 20 and it just reaffirms my notions that this job is not for most people that age. Too much responsibility and too long of hours. With that said, I think I am handling both pretty well. :) I am still learning the inner workings of the ship and am loving what I am learning. God willing, I will one day be able to own my own boat! Naturally, it will be a bit smaller scale than this one but I would love to have a boat that I can take people out on and share this lifestyle with. It's special.
Well, I need to start moving guest luggage out of the hallways so until next time...
Love that you're enjoying your time out East. There is absolutely something about the sea air. I miss it. Keep journaling. It's fun to read! Love you!
ReplyDeleteWeek 8...Now is where my mental toughness begins to sink in. I have been working 85+ hours a week without a day off for the last two months. I'm beginning to feel it a bit. Days are starting to run together and I have to consciously keep myself from going into auto pilot mode. There are too many variables on a ship and I have been given too much responsibility to slip into that frame of mind. I just have to keep my goals in sight and focus on them. It doesn't help that the crew around me are dropping like flies. I went into the galley yesterday after I got off my shift and the look on everyone's faces seemed like they had all just got the news that their puppy died. The reality though is that the kitchen/restaurant department peeps just don't get along and there is a collective maturity there that is equivalent to one of my five year old nieces(granted, she is really mature for her age). This is a good lesson for me though that sometimes you can't help everyone and this is one of those times that I really need to focus on what I need to get done. FOUR MORE WEEKS!!!
ReplyDelete