Unusual Birthday Present

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:38 pm

Well life is certainly strange.

It was my birthday out here on the rig yesterday and just as I was starting to get all despondant about it all in walked my young MWD Engineer who then proceded to ask about a rumour that I was an amateur luthier. Upon replying in the positive she then informed me that as part ofher BE degree she had done quite a bit of work on interferometer studies of violin tops.

What a great birthday present!! We promptly retired to the rig galley and had a long and absolutely rivetting discussion on guitar and violin acoustics, Chladni patterns and lots of other interesting stuff.

Not a bad day after all.

Cheers Martin

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:30 pm

Happy Birthday for yesterday Martin...That would have been a nice surprise indeed, hope you had a great day M8.

Cheers

Kim

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:07 pm

As Kim said, Happy Birthday Martin.

Glad you had a twist in your otherwise relatively structured day on the rigs.
Care to spill the beans on your new learnings ?

cheers, Stu

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:08 pm

Well Happy Birthday Martin. I'm glad you found a wonderful present where you didn't expect one. Those are the best.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:17 pm

Happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear Martin
good luck and don't spew.

Jim

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:20 am

Thanks guys (and Lillian) and nice little ditty Jim.

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:35 am

Happy Birthday Martin!!!!!!

WaddyT · Post by **WaddyT** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:30 am

Happy Birthday, Martin! Hope you had a great day!

Dennis Leahy · Post by **Dennis Leahy** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:53 pm

Happy belated birthday, Martin!

Do you have a geetar out on that rig?

Dennis

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:28 pm

Sorry to be late to the party Martin, but Happy Birthday just the same.

Cheers Mate.

Stephen Kinnaird · Post by **Stephen Kinnaird** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:57 pm

Martin!

Happy birthday, mate. There's a gob-o-strings coming your way.

Steve

Bob Connor · Post by **Bob Connor** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:21 pm

Happy Birthday Martin.

Great news about the violin plate inspector.

gratay · Post by **gratay** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:59 am

a belated hippy bathday to you, Martin

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:47 am

Well it just keeps getting better. Was talking to the day cook out here and it turns out hes an absolute guitar nut. He's into flat picking and has a collection of 16 instruments. Another visitor to my workshop at some stage.

Week number five out here and another week to go.....

Ron Wisdom · Post by **Ron Wisdom** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:22 am

It takes special folks to endure your kind of workplace. I'm way to claustrophobic for that. How many are on the rig, normally?

Ron

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:04 pm

Ron Wisdom wrote:It takes special folks to endure your kind of workplace. I'm way to claustrophobic for that. How many are on the rig, normally?

Ron

Hi Ron,

500km of ocean between here and nearest land so no chance of claustrophobia. As far as personnel goes we can handle a maximum of 91 on this rig but because we can only carry a maximu of 10 people on the helicopters and its cyclone season we keep our POB down to 87 so we can completely deman the rig in 2-3 days.

Life isnt quite as tough as it used to be on offshore rigs. We have high speed satellite comms and everyone has internet access. The toughest part of the job is the 2 1/2 hour helicopter flight from Broome Western Australia to the rig. The helicopter has come down from the north sea so doesnt have air conditioning...cabin temps can reach mid 30's by the time you reach your destination.

Cheers Martin

Ron Wisdom · Post by **Ron Wisdom** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:12 pm

I guess claustrophobia wasn't exactly what I meant, probably more like isolation, or cabin fever. Anyway, that seems like a pretty large crew, but I know nothing about it. So, Martin, how long can 87 survive out there without being resupplied?

Ron

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:53 pm

Sounds like the helicopter ride is just conditioning you to the temps that your going to have out in the Timor Sea.

As a summer job when I was in grade 11 and 12, I worked in a logging camp that was a 4 hour flight in a Beaver. 2 weeks in, 4 days out, but the travel days counted as time out, so it wasn't much of a break. Money was fantastic, but I really didn't like camp life. I'm not the type of person that does well in that type of isolation. My hats off to you Martin for being able to cope with it. What a thrill to find people with similar interests in such a remote place.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:26 pm

Ron Wisdom wrote:I guess claustrophobia wasn't exactly what I meant, probably more like isolation, or cabin fever. Anyway, that seems like a pretty large crew, but I know nothing about it. So, Martin, how long can 87 survive out there without being resupplied?

Ron

We have workboats which service the rig. We have a fleet of three boats with one always at the rig as our standby vessel and the other two usually in transit to and from the rig or loading up in Broome. Its a 30 hour steam from here to Broome so getting stuff here in a hurry can be an issue. Food is usually in good supply but sometimes we get low and then its chops and instant potatoes for a few days.

The isolation and food dont phase me...its being away from my workshop that finally gets to me.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:30 pm

Food in logging camps was better than you'd get in most high class restaurants, and the choice was amazing. Those cooks really knew what they were doing. Were the guys had a problem was going home to the chops and instant mash potatoes.

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