The Gateway

It is now the third going on forth week of my second swing at Barrow. It seems I have recovered from my mental low I suffered several days ago. The isolation and lack of mental stimulation finally broke me, and was on the verge of calling off my next swing in March to go back to the States early. A man needs to be challenged, and I find very little challenges me here. This job has however tested the limits of my patience, but I have survived the storm (literally and figuratively), and I’m back to taking it one day at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when thinking of all the things I could be doing with my time instead of standing around looking at a blue void all day, especially when there seems to be no end in sight. But if I think of this experience as one big challenge, then there is potential to grow, and when this is all said and done I’ll feel all the more better knowing I completed something I set out to do.

My change in mood stems mostly I think from moving to a different vessel. I transferred over the Gateway 2 days ago, the large Trailer Suction Hooper Dredge. I will be living on this vessel for the next 5 days, cutting the lengthy and tedious crew transfers from my routine. I can simply roll out of bed and onto the bridge; no need to wear hot and cumbersome Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), or even shoes for that matter. Finally I can work in board shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals…as it should be. The Gateway also must travel further offshore to dump the dredge material, so I get a chance to see more fauna; such as numerous sea snakes, shearwaters, and even a greater variety of fish if I’m lucky. Today I spotted a pair of Emperor Angelfish at the surface, most likely attempting to defend their piece of reef from our massive 250 meter invading hull. I regrettably left my telephoto lens on the Finnmarken, so instead I snatched a photo from Google.

As predicted this cyclone season is a heavy one. Another low pressure system is expected to approach the area from offshore, possibly resulting in another cyclone threat. I won’t be going out to sea to avoid this possible event if it occurs. I’m due to leave in 9 days so instead I will just fly back to the mainland early.

I’m lying in my cabin as I’m writing this, the sharp seas out my porthole windows are playing tricks on affirmation of gravity once again, shifting the curtains off center. One thing I’ve discovered about myself during these days at Barrow that I've always assumed but was never certain on…I love being at sea.