Come On Bayonne

I'm just waiting for us to arrive in Bayonne so I can assist putting the main engine to bed. I was told 10pm earlier, but now that has changed to a bit after midnight, maybe later! So i think I will get some sleep if possible before the call comes.

Today i assisted the 2nd Engineer Cristi in replacing the gaskets on one of our two, two stage air compressors. We were just replacing gaskets on the first stage of compression so it was fairly simple to dismantle and more of a cleaning and replacing operations than anything else. After we had put it back together I had to give it a thorough clean to get it back to the required standard.

Oh yes, we have a new Chief Engineer now as he is back from his holiday. He is a very tall and built man named Greg, from Poland. He seems very cheerful and friendly, but he has very high standards and wants everything in the engine room to shine in case of port state inspections! He has already looked at what I need to achieve and seems to have the right attitude towards my learning so hopefully it will be plain sailing.

Tomorrow I begin my first report of five that I have to complete for the academy. The first I'm doing is on the ship's steering gear.

Hopefully soon we will be in port at a time when I'll be able to get off and go for a run!