We are in the green area (indicating 17-21 metres per second or about 40 knots) in the German Bight getting hammered by a storm coming down from the north west, it’s been blowing all day and is showing no sign of letting up. These storms are all very well in the winter but at the end of June (climate change?)you want to be out painting or sunbathing not helping sea sick cadets and lashing everything down. Sleep is a luxury also, and everyone is a notch crankier and irritable for the lack of it.
It can’t go on for ever but it feels like forever when you are getting thrown about the shop, salt spray covering the windows, no one allowed on deck, too much water and risk of going over the side, engines groaning on reduced speed, and the creaking of the bulkheads and deckheads. Then theres the smell of diesel and cigarette smoke, puke and body odour, over cooked coffee and soap. The menu is limited to toast and peanut butter, if you can stand up straight for long enough to butter the toast, or if you have any appetite in the first place. There isn’t much in the way of chit chat either, just knowing glances or scowls. Roll on tomorrow!
Life at sea is grand all the same.
sounds like you are in the middle of it. that was one of the things i really liked about nuclear submarines. USUALLY, but not always, where there was big water topside, we were snug and smooth 130 meters below the surface. no sunrises or sunsets, but no state 6 or bigger seas either!
Hi Bothenook, we are still getting a pounding, steady 40 knot winds for 36 hours now, should be improving later……I would like to be in submarine now…..we are practically a semisubmersible now with all the sea on deck.
Cheers Tim