I’m on the way back home. Around noon today, I was transferred from the seismic vessel to the chase boat by the FRC, an acronym for "Fast Rescue Craft".
In the picture above, the seismic vessel is in the background, and
the FRC is that orange little boat in the front. It’s a fast motorboat, about 20 feet long. It’s the rescue boat in case someone falls over board, but is used for various other purposes too.
The chase boat is supporting the seismic vessel, transporting food and fuel supply from port, and clearing the sail lines ahead for fishing equipment. The chase boat is only 48m (160 feet) long, and is rolling like crazy in the waves. Fortunately the sea is calm today.
The transit to port takes about eleven hours, long and boring, and no internet connection. I spend the time reading, writing and sleeping. Sleeping in a boat rolling on the waves is very nice, actually. We will arrive in the northernmost town in the world late tonight. Tomorrow morning I will try to get on the first plane back home.
The seismic data acquisition will continue for another two or three months before we’re finished. I will follow up the remaining part of it from the office. Then we will work on the processing and interpretation of the data for more than a year … and in 2012, I hope, we have identified the best spot to drill to find oil >:)
Excited to be going home?
ReplyDeleteSteamy Darcy
Where and how did you sleep? It looks like an open air boat.
ReplyDeleteStraight From Hel
It's good to go home after almost two weeks away, Enid.
ReplyDeleteThe little orange boat is just used for transfer between to bigger boats, Helen. I slept in a nice and warm cabin >:)