Frustration

The day started off with rain, which was fine because I had planned to do work on the tween deck.

When it rains, I always check to see where the leaks are and place buckets where needed.

During a break in the rain, I did my walk around the ship.

I was sad to see that the varnish needs tending to and I guess we (I) also have to do some weeding:

All seemed well, so I went below to start on my project for the day.

The patient (or victim):

Last year, during the photo survey project, we had trouble with one of the submersible pumps…don’t know if it was this one or its twin. I watched Brush open it up, clean it, and get it working again. He stressed being able to take things apart and do basic troubleshooting.

Okay, I think I can do this.

First thing I noticed, there was a crack in the power cord cover, which exposed the wiring within. Worrying. I taped it up with electrical tape for the time being.

I moved the pump on to a workbench, so I could get a better look at the bottom.

Hm. Need socket wrench to loosen the bolts. No problem. We have a bunch, right?

To my chagrin, the sockets were all too large. I found a T-handle wrench, but it was too small. Argh!

Well, so much for taking apart the pump. I dawdled about for a bit, then decided to leave.

Seems there’s a rat problem on the pier. Here’s one of the rat bait stations that have appeared:

Experimenting with an app:

The research vessel Falkor, was at Pier 9:

One of Falkor’s rat guards:

First time I’ve seen a QR code on a ship:

Celebrity Millennium’s rat guards:

Noticed this sign at Pier 10/11, which I think is fairly new:

Tires at Pier 13:

Once I got home, I checked a socket wrench set that belonged to my dad. I think this will do the trick:

Steady Progress

Ready to start the day.

It’s good to have a break from sanding and varnishing:

Sat on the deck to take care of a worn line near the bowsprit. A small task, but makes the ship look a little bit more tidy.

Not much going on in the harbor.

Cars on Manoa:

Lobe coral (Porites lobata) off the end of Pier 7. The channel-like features are made by a type of snapping shrimp (Alpheus deuteropus), commonly known as the petroglyph shrimp.

Looks Like Rain…

The morning started off nicely enough. The sun was out. The harbor water was clear and calm.

Sanding, but no varnishing due to the threat of rain. Bummer.

Paul’s been busy…new box!

Matson’s Mokihana turned (complete with blast from her horn) just off of FOC’s stern. I had a good view from the poop deck:

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have read about the opportunity I had to go aboard Mokihana with Captain Ed Enos and of the aloha that Mokihana’s Captain Jim Hill has for FOC. Captain Enos was the pilot on Mokihana today and confirmed that the horn was for FOC. 🙂 Thank you, Captain Hill!

Mikioi:

MELL Sudong leaving the harbor:

Oops. Where did the sun go? I really should read the weather report.

Rather sickly, tri-color sky:

Aside from a few brief, light showers, the rain held off. I should have applied the varnish…

And Again!

Today was another nice day at the harbor, sunny but not too hot. Guess what I did?

It does make a difference! It’s nice to see the old girl with a bit of spit and polish.

Yeah, I know…yawn. Enough of that.

Tug of the day, Nakoa:

I decided to take a walk toward Pier 4.

Tanker Overseas Samar:

Aside from the obvious “No Smoking,” tankers seem to have messages painted below the bridge. (Hmm…a new collection of photos?) The most common one is “Safety First.” Some of the other Overseas tankers say “Protect the Environment.” The message on Overseas Samar is “Do It Right.”

I’ve noticed some sea grape seeds on FOC’s deck lately. Here are a lot of them on the ground beneath a tree:

Seaweed growing on one of Ali‘i Kai’s lines:

Kolea jumping over a mooring line (the same one as above):

Not jumping, but still not pleased to have its picture taken:

A collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) and its unadorned friend:

A NOAA police boat:

Back near Pier 7, a moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) / kihikihi:

“It’s Not Your Grandma’s Piano…”

Yesterday started off with a visit from the pilot boat. At first I thought it was Paul, but it wasn’t.

Paul did arrive at the ship a little bit later to do more work on the pump system:

While the wood bits on the ship are not pieces of fine furniture, it’s easy to get obsessive about sanding and varnishing. I’m not an expert, but I try to do the best I can within reason.

More sanding:

Before and after sanding and cleaning:

Yes, the deck itself is in poor condition, but there’s not much I can do about that.

View aft:

Unfortunately, the shipping schedule wasn’t posted, so I was caught off guard by Horizon Pacific:

I dashed off the ship and on to the pier to get some pics.

Mikioi at the stern:

Leaving the harbor:

Umesato at Pier 8:

After leaving FOC for the day, I went to have a closer look to see if Umesato had any things I could add to my collection (idea source) of rat guard and chafing gear photos.

Strong, but ugly plastic chafing gear:

Worn line and worn mat:

Rat guard:

More chafing gear:

(Sun) Settsu:

Sanding More Stuff

More about last Saturday’s work on the ship…

I felt energized, so I decided to do some sanding:

Goodbye old, yellow, flakey varnish and dirt!

In progress:

Left: Long-term neglect. Middle: Sanded but not yet cleaned. Right: Sanded, cleaned, and varnished.

A long, but good day.

As I was leaving the ship, it was pointed out to me that there were two young boys climbing and standing on the mooring lines that lead from the port side of the ship to the street. Great, just great.

I walked over and asked the gentleman who was standing nearby if they were his children. He said that they were and that he was watching them. I asked him (nicely) to have them get off the lines. His reply: “They are just having some fun.” Uh, yeah. How much fun would it be if they fell off and cracked their heads on the sidewalk? There are sturdy, yellow barricades on both sides of the lines. Doesn’t that tell you something?

A few additional harbor scenes…

Someone lost a snack on the lower part of the wall facing the bow of the ship:

Tanker Hai Soon 39:

Walking to West Marine to meet up with a friend, I came across this section of missing fence:

Wonder how that happened?

Varnish

I stopped by the ship yesterday to put more varnish on the rail.

Varnishing Again

Bruce and I spent most of the day on the ship sanding, cleaning, and varnishing the forward rail on the poop deck.

Not bad:

Definitely better than it was.

We’re out of le Tonkinois (I neglected to place an order for it), so I used the Z-Spar Captain’s Varnish that we have on the ship. I must say I like the smell of le Tonkinois better. Oh well, I’ll see how it turns out. Hopefully, the rain will stay away and I’ll be able to put on a second coat tomorrow.

I watched OSG’s Overseas Nikiski arrive:

Detail of starboard side with tug Mikioi:

Maybe OSG would consider making a donation to help out an old tanker?