Dan Brazelton

Good and Bad

dan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:36:59 +0000

So, full week. Some good, some bad. First, I put my application into the coast guard. It took nearly an hour to review the app! It’s all in and looks in order. Now I wait for background checks and the evaluation of my application. Sometime in the next couple of months I’ll get approval to take the exam. Then a week of exams and another torturous wait to get my license. Assuming all goes well.

On the bad side, all of my camera equipment was stolen from the house I was staying at, so expect fewer pictures for a bit.

See ya in the desert.

Catching up…

dan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:16:50 +0000

So, due to mostly technical difficulties I haven’t been able to post. Much has happened. I am on my last trip, and have all my seatime in. Unfortunately I can’t submit my application by mail, so I am waiting to return before I can do that. After that it will be 4-6 weeks before I can take my exam.

I only needed 20 days at the start of June, but couldn’t get a trip till June 13th, then only a 60 day trip. It’s looking like it is going to go late, which is really dragging on me. More on this later, but suffice to say I am ready to get home and get the license process rolling. But this trip keeps getting legs added to it. I don’t think it will end before September, no matter what assurances I get from the office.

dan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:09:17 +0000

Smooth sailing - in fact incredible. Got a couple of not great shots of a pod of killer whales. Saw many humpbacks and dolphins at Cape Spencer, but no great photos. The water is glassy as we cross the Gulf. Going to be in Anchorage in a couple of days.

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Uhhh….oops

dan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:48:44 +0000

Ok, so I have been on a trip since Honolulu… but there was a snafu in the sat phone email, so all my posts didn’t get posted. I have been super busy this week putting all my belongings in storage, and forgot to update this. Now I am off to Alaska again. This is my last trip as a cook — only 20 days to go!!!!!! However, I won’t be back from this trip for 60. Hopefully I will be taking my License exam the week I return. There is a lot of paperwork logistics to figure out though.

I will try to write a more thoughtful post later and see if I can get the satphone to work. Should be able to post some pics when I get to Anchorage in 10 days or so.

inside

dan — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:06:21 +0000

Land Ho… So we have made a pretty uneventful crossing of The Gulf. The old man decided to go for Cape Decision instead of Dixon because of a low chasing us, with possible gales, but it’s only putting us back 6 hours or so.

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leaving alitak

dan — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:08:19 +0000

Leaving Alitak today. Got a couple of days of cargo work in, and now we are steaming at 9.4 knots accross the Gulf. The captain decided to bee line for Dixon Entrance seeing as the weather is so great. If this high stays with us, we should be back in Seattle by the 5th or 6th.

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errrrr

dan — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:39:01 +0000

So, I haven’t written in a while, so here’s a quick update — has to be short as this is over satellite. Got back from Hawaii, spent a week and a half in Seattle, then off to Alaska on the 16th. Hoped to make a big update in Anchorage, but no internet available. So… we are getting into Alatak today, then back to Seattle. Been a smooth trip, weather etc. Less than 30 seadays to go before I am eligible for the mates exam!

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Aloha…

dan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:42:34 +0000

I am in Honolulu enjoying some shoreleave now. It’s quite the switch from the last trip. For the last few days it’s been 74 degrees…. the water…has been 74 degrees. Our tap water (which comes from a reverse osmosis water maker out of seawater) is WARM. It’s been nice. Now I am sitting in a circa 1995 internet “cafe” (no coffee - pay by the hour) to upload a couple of photos. Haven’t been able to use the boat mail connection much due to sat/company issues.

This is a nice run, but… it’s kinda boring. I could see doing one run in between a nasty Alaska trip. Those trips are exhausting, but your so busy, that the time flies.

But Alaska looks like this:

And the Hawaii run looks like:

Haven’t caught any fish for our filet and release program, unless you count “netfish” - as shown by Mark, a fellow PMI cadet:

halfway to paradise

dan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:56:43 +0000

34 degrees 11 minutes North, 140 degrees 60 minutes West

We are halfway to Honolulu and the Pacific is being true to it’s name, if not it’s true nature; seas are calm, wind is less than 5 knots. The reflection of the moon on the water has brighted the wheelhouse like dawn. That satelite and scattered clouds are obscuring the clouds, but spent a little time this morning working on celestial navigation.

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Polar King

dan — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:10:13 +0000

So, got out of Seattle with no problems - although with very little sleep. We are past the J buoy now and heading to Honolulu on a course of 207. Weather is fine, and there is only a little roll. The crew is good- chill professional guys. It’s nice to be able to open the hatches and not feel a bracing wind. I have better quarters on the polar boats, and unlike one of the Kings sister ships, I don’t smell diesel. Will write personal emails tomorrow.

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Typical….

dan — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:34:59 +0000

A cook just quit, so now they want me to leave on the 11th instead of the 18th. Which is good, as I need more sea time… which is bad as I wanted to see a lecture on Friday the 11th and I was going to have a feast. Not confirmed, which is annoying since I can’t plan anything or cancel plans quite yet.

Photos from last trip….

dan — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:48:43 +0000

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

The real america

dan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:55:33 +0000

Left Canada this morning and we are in the real America now. The tides are against us, but we should be in Seattle by noon and Everett by mid afternoon. 10 days off before I do it again, on the same boat.

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channel fever

dan — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:27:01 +0000

The refer tech says he has channel fever bad - he’s only been on the boat 10 days.. Found the AB’s bags were packed already at 0400. Of course I woke up without an alarm today… so I guess I have it too. It will be nice to be back for a bit. We are still going slow waiting on slack tide at Seymour Narrows (there is a 12 knot current today). Should be on the other side around noon. After that, there aren’t really any weather or tide issues. The only thing that might hang us up is the barge hand off in Elliot Bay.

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dan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:46:28 +0000

Just passed thru Snow Pass in the Clarence Strait. Weather is fine, and we are making 10 knots. AB is feeling channel fever. Woke up to him yelling “GOOD MORNING DAN!!!” over and over and slapping me on the back. Probably going to have to kill him.

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Cape Spencer

dan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:09:57 +0000

Got inside Cape Spencer around midnight. Finally, flat calm seas. Or relatively. Not a bad crossing, but I am ready for the inside passage again. This trip feels longer than it really is. Not really sure why. Probably because I have someone waiting for me in Seattle. We are now in Icy Straight, good place for whale watching, but I don’t think it’s the season.

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Cape Spencer

dan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:31:54 +0000

Coming close to Cape Spencer, which means we will be getting into the inside passage tomorrow morning. Crossing the Gulf wasn’t too bad, although we had a couple of rough days. Really not that bad, but the Mike O’Leary is a rolly boat. Current ETA for Seattle is the 8th.

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melting

dan — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:59:38 +0000

We spent all yesterday reprovisioning and working cargo and now we are underway going south. The wind is now on our backs, so it looks like not only are we making good time, but we have less spray so less ice. We only have 100 or so refers so our barge checks should go quick. The captain said we might make it to seattle by the 8th. In the meantime, the ice is melting on the boat and the overheads are leaking nasty brown water all over the boat.

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Cape Tolstoi

dan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:21:44 +0000

Just passing Cape Tolstoi as we make a break for Dutch. It’s blowing 45 knots now, but should be lying down a bit. Should be in Dutch tomorrow sometime.

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Processor down

dan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:07:25 +0000

While we have been sheltered behind Unga Island, a vessel went down near us. We are getting our news via e-mail, no first hand information. 120 miles out of Dutch Harbor the 200 foot processor, the Alaska Ranger lost it’s rudder and sunk. 42 people were picked out of the water, 4 are dead and 1 is missing. It’s been less than 20 degrees and blowing 50 -100 knots, so I don’t think there is much hope for the missing person. My sympathies go out to all of them.

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Freezing Spray

dan — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:32:03 +0000

UNALASKA BAY
400 PM ADT SAT MAR 22 2008
…GALE WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT…
…HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY…
.TONIGHT…NW WIND 35 KT. GUSTS TO 50 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS TO 8
FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY.

The ice was so thick on the boat yesterday that we had a 5 degree list to starboard. It was 4 feet thick in a few places. We spent another six hours breaking it up with sledges. Finally broke out the fire axe for parts that we could only chisel at with the sledge. We had to leave our little bay because of the high winds, and are now turning back and forth near Unga spit. We can only go about 3 miles before we need to turn around again. We already have an inch of ice from last night.

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dan — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:28:42 +0000

Cape Kubugakli, Gulf of Alaska 57 degress 49.37 inutes North - 155 degrees 03.51 minutes West.

The temperature is 22 degrees and the wind is blowing 60 knots, so of course I had to go outside and take some pictures. The sea spay was freezing in nearly horizontal icecicles. Hopefully got some pictures that made the short walk worth it.

Been reading Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”, the Dalia Lama’s “The Universe in A Single Atom” and “The Rule of St. Benidict”. Interesting comparison of ideas. The Dalia Lama surprised me with his intelligence and openess to new ideas, although ultimatley find his logic wanting. Ayn Rand on the other hand would laughable if she wasn’t so tragic in her philosophy of misery, and if she didn’t have followers. St. Benidict comes off as a severe kinkster (sorry Kat).

Did two days of cargo in the cold a couple of days ago in Anchorage. Didn’t write as I was too tired. Had to do the work in two tides, moving the barge away from the dock at low tide. This was due to large chunks of ice below the dock that dried at low tide.

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dan — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:58:36 +0000

The long white craggy wall of mountains finally has broken with Cape St. Elias, marking the entrance to Prince William Sound. This huge rock juts out a few miles almost perpedicular to the mountains to the north. We will be passing the sound unfortunatley and heading around to Cook Inlet. Bran is angry with me because I made chicken cassarole and now he won’t speak to me.

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Cape Spencer

dan — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:27:34 +0000

Just passed Cape Spencer this morning, which marks our entrance into the Gulf Of Alaska. Weather is good. It was cold on the barge and snowing lightly as we did our lashing checks before leaving the Inside Passage. But the skys are mostly clear and the winds are below 10 knots. We have shifted our destination from Whitier to Anchorage, because the latter seems clear of enough of ice to let us in. I wanted to see Whitier, but at least in Anchorage I get cell service. I won’t have net access to upload my pictures, because the power cord on my mac heated up and melted three days ago.

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Off to sea again…

dan — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:32:46 +0000

Boarding the Mike O’Leary and heading to Dutch Harbor. Don’t know when I’ll be back. 87 sea days to go.

1 day left…

dan — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:09:16 +0000

Ok, so I haven’t been writing much lately. I promise to catch everything up in the next month.

I passed my flashing light exam by the skin of my teeth.

I am down to 1 day of classes!!!! In the last couple of months I have taken Ship Construction and Stablility, GMDSS (got my FCC license), MedPro (medical provider/1st responder), Emergency Procedures, Search and Rescue, Flashing Light and this week - my favorite — Basic Ship Handling. We have spent the week in the simulators doing some great exercises and learning a lot about fluid dynamics and vessel handling. It’s been great.

I have some assessments in the simulator for 2 days next week and then that’s all! Oh, well….then there are 3 more months of sea time and that little thing of the week long Coast Guard license exam. But I am on the home stretch.

Morse Code

dan — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:26:01 +0000

I have flashing light on Saturday — and I am not ready.

AddictedtoLearning.com has a great learning tool for it though — so hopefully I’ll get it down by then.

I modified the test to have it ask the code first. You will need Flash — if you don’t see the buttons, then get the latest version of Flash Player.

Here’s an interesting learning chart:

Ship Construction and Stability

dan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:15:17 +0000

Now, I have to say this class was a bit dry -but I enjoyed it. It dealt with the heart of the matter — what is a ship, how are they built, why do they float — and most important — why do the float with the keel in the water and the house in the air — and why sometimes.. they don’t and a sailors die.

The instructor, Richard Brookes, was great. He’s a great character, knowledgeable sea captain and a real sailor. It’s a real pleasure to learn from him.

What did I learn? Well, we went into deep detail and review of the elemental parts of a vessel, from stem to stern, keel to deck stringer.

We discussed sheer and shear, tension and torsion.

We reviewed and elaborated on free surface effect.

I know really get metacentric height (not to be confused with metaphysical heights) and mostly understand the stability curves. I am pretty sure I could analyze a stability report and understand the consequences of a cargo loading.

It’s a great subject, and I would like to take the advanced course.

Mitt Romney - 2/1/2008

dan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:27:51 +0000

“My mom made pancakes every single morning at our house,” he said, with a smile of fond reminiscence. He stopped abruptly. “My wife!” he corrected. “I called her my mom. My wife.”

– Mitt Romney - 2/1/2008

Damn….

dan — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:01:30 +0000

So, it will be a while before I update again. My hard drive failed recently, and I lost a lot of files. And a lot of contact info — so if your a friend of mine, please send me a quick note with all your pertinents.