On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:12:33 GMT, Rick
wrote:

otnmbrd wrote:
G I've got another one about being on the stern and taking a sea
backwards, over the stern ....

That is what led to the practice of "securing the deck" and locking
ourselves inside. Ernie K. Gann's son was lost on that run when they
took a sea over the stern while trying to secure some barrels that were
adrift.

Sometimes we would take a gander out the door leading from the ER to the
stern on the main deck when we were closed up ... the sight of those
waves so far overhead is definitely a spiritual experience!

Ok, I have a sort-of "sea" story.

Back when I was a fresh out of school graduate engineer, I was asked
to help troubleshoot a radar installation for one of our customers.
It was on the David P. Guidry which was a deep sea oil rig service
boat - big boat.

As it happened, the Guidry was at the Lykes Shipyard across the river
from New Orleans for it's initial trials - that's where I joined up
with it.

So, I'm doing my thing, checking the waveguide, when the Guidry pulled
out of her dock and started a series of manuvers on the Mississippi.
As it happened, I had narrowed down the problem to a connection at the
radar mast so I climbed the tower and just as I reacherd the top, the
river pilot put the Guidry into a hard starboard turn.

It was early June - the river was at flood and the Guidry went up on
it's rail with a screaming engineer hanging off the tower looking down
at 'Ole Muddy from a height of 9 feet when he had been looking at 'Ole
Muddy from a height of 50 feet.

After what felt like eight hours, but more more like 30 seconds, the
Guidry came upright, but there were some highly ****ed off yard
workers, owners and one REALLY ****ed off engineer.

Alls well that ends well I guess, but I still remember that like it
was yesterday.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653