rock the boat

After a busy start to the week, I headed offshore for my inaugural trip on Friday afternoon.  In order to get to the platform you have to take about an hour long boat ride out to the accommodations barge.  I had this idea in my head that I'd take a boat ride over a helicopter any day.  I think that I am reconsidering my fear of helicopters now.  The boat is a rocky one, and I sure felt my stomach in my throat a few times over the ride.  Luckily, I rode out with one of the project managers and I was trying so hard to focus on what he was saying and keep up my end of the conversation that I couldn't pay attention to the fact that my face was turning green.  Needless to say, I bypassed dinner that night...

I'm glad I was able to take a trip out and get a feel for what will be my new home for the next 2(ish) years.  The barge that we will be staying on is called the Camelot.  The thing is MASSIVE.  We are supposed to get up to about 850 people onboard in the next few weeks.  I realized a few things while out there.  First, I'm going to have a great butt from all the stair climbing I'll be doing.  Our offices and living quarters are on the 4th floor, and basically everything else (mess hall, lobby, clinic, walkway to the platform) is on the first.  Second, my days of delicious meals in Angola are gone.  Phil and his cajun cooking won't be available on the barge, and I'm looking at rice, beans, and mystery kitchen-sink soup from here on out.  Third, I will survive.  Even though you can definitely feel the boat rocking 100% of the time I think I'll be able to get my sea legs, and with all the walking/climbing we will be doing sleeping won't be a problem.  I've also got my packing list made for coming aboard, and the most important thing is a french press and kettle.  The coffee on board is made with potable water, and salty coffee is NOT a good thing.  Click HERE to get all the details on my humble abode...

Now, when I say the barge is massive, I mean it.  But it is a teeny piece of steel compared to the platforms.  These things are unimaginable.  We've seen the image below since the beginning of the project and it gives you a good idea of the layout out there, but I had NO reference point for the magnitude of these things until we pulled up on our little baby surfer boat.  I spent 3-hours walking around just the Living Quarters Platform and didn't get to see the whole thing.  I literally couldn't make it to the Production & Processing Platform because we didn't have enough time (and my legs couldn't take anymore stairs).  So I'll be heading back out next Friday for another quick trip.     

Scope of the entire project

Living Quarters Platform (far left), Processing Platform (center) and Flare tower (right)

I'm looking forward to my first offshore experience and excited for the challenge, but the trip did make me sad realizing that I've got a big change closing in on me.  Naturally, I'm getting sad with the realization that my Malongo family is going to be going all over the place.  Some will stay onshore, some offshore in a different location, some to fabrication yards, and a few will be offshore in the same location as I will be, but our team is officially breaking up.  The good news is that I'll be moving in with some really great folks, and there's nothing wrong with change :)  So with my last full week onshore ahead of me, it going to be a busy one - which means I'm basically home already! 

19 days down, 9 to go!  xoxo...