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Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria After 6 days of sitting at anchor near Galveston, TX we were told this afternoon to haul anchor and make way for Nederland, Tx. ( we actually don't say haul anchor and make way )
Ok, I get it, this short 8 hour trip we are about to embark on does not mirror the journey of say, the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria, but getting underway after sitting for a week isn't a bad idea.

Toward late afternoon I had a somewhat boring job to do which involved standing out on deck and monitoring a hose that was going over the side while I pumped out our grey water tanks. I grabbed a cup of coffee and positioned myself near the rail on this windless 90 degree day,  in no hurry to go back inside, enjoying the ride as we pushed our barge through the lake like conditions of the Gulf of Mexico.
(Tugboat 101: calm sea conditions, push the barge. Rough sea conditions, tow the barge.) I was dressed in our company attire, long sleeve Carhartt fire resistant  shirt, long Carhartt fire resistant cargo pants, steel toe workbooks, a hat and sunblock. Here's a tip for you. Don't wear long legged and long sleeve Carhartt fire resistant cloths if you have any thought at all at being cool in the 90 degree heat off the coast of Texas.
As I stood there sweltering I couldn't help but think back to earlier days, and how some things have changed. Fifteen or twenty years ago if I were doing this same job I would have been wearing shorts, sneakers, no shirt and no sunscreen. I know, I know, but hey, I was working on getting that deep tan that we all loved.

But that was before I had an open door policy with my skin doctor who has practiced his craving skills more than once on this fair skinned Irishman. I now find myself much more aware of shade than I ever have been. My flip flop buying has been replaced with floppy hat purchases. Hey, it is what it is.


On another subject, pictured below is a fellow crew member of mine, his name is Chuck.
I call him Charles, just because he doesn't like it.
Charles is a really nice guy. Couldn't ask for a better ship mate as far as having a positive attitude almost all of the time. Charles gets big points for his happy go lucky ways, because sometimes, he just........ugh.
Ok, if you have visited this blog more than once, you have probably heard my rants about smart phones and how they are abused in the world in general, but specifically on our boat.
Scroll back up and take a good look at Charles. He is obviously sitting in the galley.
The galley isn't a place where one needs to wear hearing protection.
A closer look at Charles reveals the sole purpose of him wearing hearing protection.

So, ( deep breath) he uses the ear muffs to clamp his phone to his ear while he talks.
Is it just me??? Charles is on watch when I took this photo. Charles has the gift of gab.
The question is, who is on the other end of that phone line? Does she too have her phone clamped to her head?


If I was a woman, I would want hair like Lorde. Just throwing that out there.

Have a great Sunday!!!
Posted by Mark Finucane at 7:49 PM 
HI Mark, We pay for worshiping the sun. My family is Irish and Indian...I burn peel and freckle...So my Irish is in charge. You sure get to see some beautiful skies and seas...and I am sure you also see the bad stuff too. I am not a big phone person. Hate to see people driving while on the phone. I would rather use smoke signals. I have a cell phone for emergencies. But I would rather use a flare gun in road emergencies. Enjoy your time off, cause your job could be stressful. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

June 22, 2014 at 5:23 AM 
my dermatologist has done a few carvings on me, too…..and so that shade thing, i totally understand.

and if i could cut my hair all off…well maybe leave it a few inches long, i would.

i always said at 50 the hair is going…and 50 is in august….so we'll see what happens.

June 22, 2014 at 7:04 AM 
Such creativity to clap the phone just that way.
Hope you have a gallon of sunscreen, I would think you would need it with all the exposure you have to the sun.

June 22, 2014 at 8:03 PM 
So what does a crew do on a ship for six days while waiting for.. orders to commence?....

Has CHarles heard of a blue tooth? Much less baggage on his head.

June 23, 2014 at 4:20 AM 
I like your friend Charles... your description of him and the look of him.

June 23, 2014 at 2:49 PM