It's just routine

With the last – and only – port stop now behind us, the days at sea slowly drift past. I am generally a fairly free spirit who's only regular routine revolves around not doing the same things/using the same routes and trying hard not to have a routine. But at sea, you tend to fall into it fairly quickly and without much thought and for reasons that I can't explain, I almost enjoy having a routine here.

So, for me, life currently means that I wake around 7, have a shower, look outside and then head down to breakfast. I will then wander around the cargo deck and have a look out to sea before dropping by the bridge (the Captain is on watch from 8, so I wait for his duty to start) to see what is going on, and inquire what – normally, nothing at all - is likely to happen today: A far off coast bringing potential mobile signal; an area known for marine life with potential whale sightings, other ships or bad weather for example.

By 8.30, i am back in my cabin, make a pot of coffee and then work until lunchtime: This means either real work from my employer, reading through documents, going through my vast backlog of unread mailing list emails, catching up with my blog or sorting photos. I will have another wander outside just before lunch. I will then take it easy/do a bit more work after lunch, often hanging over the side or stern watching the water glide past before generally spending half an hour or so on the bridge talking to the watch officer. I'll then watch a couple of episodes of Family Guy or a DVD.

I am at dinner by about 17:40, and then take another walk all around &/or talk to some of the crew before heading back. I will then try and write (catch up with) my journal for a bit, and take it easy. Once dark, I will often have a drink before spending another half hour or so talking to the two guys on the 20:00-24:00 bridge watch. Then its either back down, and I'll watch a VCR or read for a while before turning in, sometimes after another wander on deck or siting there a while gazing at the stars. Or if the mood takes me, i'll head to the Stewards cabin which tends to be the place to go and drink/hangout in evenings, though if i went every night, by liver would expire long before we crossed the equator....

And that is pretty much that. Sometimes small chores (Laundry, lifeboat drill, crashing into icebergs etc) interfere slightly, and everyday I will periodically nip out for a few minutes for a quick look around deck and out to sea. I also try and drop by the bridge during at least 5 of the 6daily watch periods, generally missing only either of the midnight-4am or 4-8am shifts.

None of that is really exciting in the slightest, and i'm sure that to most people that sounds like horrifically boring an utter hell, especially after Day 1. But for me, it's life, hugely relaxing, and for reasonably short periods – eg: a single voyage of up to a few weeks – I love it.

Yet another sunset over the empty sea