Finding my groove as the Ship’s Chippy

The evenings are very peaceful.  The weather is drier, cooler, and there is a nice breeze blowing across the deck.  It is a nice escape from the heat and humidity of the day.  Wednesday was the introduction day to any sort of a routine.  We woke up at 8, toast and coffee, then got to work.  Mir is a reconditioned boat that they inherited in Malta.  The crew signed on for one year in September of 2009 and began transforming her back into a sailing vessel.  They created a slide show of the before and after, which is supposed to be an amazing transformation, but we are waiting to watch it when Gaie and Laser get back from Sri Lanka, since they were the biggest contributors.  Gaie’s vision is to turn the ‘foxhole’, the bunk room at the very front of the ship, where I am currently staying, into a nicer area comprised of 4 private berths.  Since I have the most experience with carpentry, I have been dubbed the Chippy and put in charge of the project.  On Wednesday morning, I was described the ‘vision’ and shown where I can find tools.  I spent the morning dismantling the existing side rail so I could attach a foot and half extension.  I set up shop in the kitchen area where there is plenty of room to move boards and make cuts while having protection from the any possible rain.  We were bombarded by squalls starting just before noon, meaning our new task was to keep pots under the leaks in the galley.  We had quickly arranged the 11 pots and had to resort to newspaper to blot up the drips from the minor leaks.  I was able to carry on with my wood working, Yasmina, the girl from Sweden, spent the day cleaning the pantry and unpacking food, and Carol was in and out; cleaning tools in ‘Bolston’ (the tool room in the bow of the ship),  organizing the engine room, pulling storage out of the dive locker, and lending a hand when needed.  The day went by rather quickly, probably due to the hours of Bob Marley I had playing through the hull, and was quite exhausting, much different than sitting at a desk for 10 hours in an office with a tea boy.  At the end of the work day, the galley was covered in saw dust and the air was thick with particles from the sanding.  This inspired a much needed cleaning of the quarters, which is now very homey (or at least as homey as a rusty ship gets).  The work day is full of tea and biscuit breaks, which can be nice, but sometimes interrupt the flow of things, I guess it’s a British thing. 

Today the sun was shining and we only had a few sprinkles as we were cleaning up.  I was told not to hope for sun, but to envision it; and it worked!  We had a shorter work day because Yasmina and I were planning on going to a near by mall, Jurong Point, for a few items.  I got to enjoy being outside and made all the final cuts, assembled the bunk, and painted it.  Tomorrow morning I make the finishing touches to the deluxe bunk, then start the other side.  Carol spent the day finding holes and filling what she thought were the sites of the many leaks.  Yasmina got familiar with wood oil; everything sticking up above the deck is true wood and needed a fresh coat of oil for protection from the elements while at sea.

The Mall was insane.  So many people, primarily Asians from all over, every store crowded, queues forming behind every counter, and all the eateries were bustling.  I got lost in the basement wandering around for 40 min!  I started at a pharmacy, then through a food court, by the strangest knickknack shops, ended up in the Japanese wing, and finally found the pharmacy, but it was at a different location.  We were at the mall during the worst time, it was afternoon and people are getting ready for Chinese New Year.  I was so relieved to get back to the marina and find Carol at the bar with the other Expats.  It is a very social culture, glued together by pints of beer and stories from the sea.  The other night an Indonesian man stopped by Mir, he was friends of Gaie and Laser’s, and he talked with Yasmina and I for an hour about his experiences (he was a calligraphy artist in NY back in the day!).  I met more of the expat population, all very friendly, interested in your story, and love relating theirs.  Michel showed up at one point, he had just arrived back from picking up supplies and told us how he watched an oil tanker run aground and everybody abandoned ship.  He watched it flip on its side and begin to sink 5 mi off the coast!

I look forward to the weekend; we get a day and half to explore Singapore!  I would like to go to a nature preserve, it has mangrove forest and mudflats, migratory birds are currently flying through, and they have a family of otters living there.  I think it is on the other side of the island, so I might check out the Jurong Bird Park which is just up the street; it is supposed to be incredible!