- Boarding the Matisse in Savannah
- Family could not see me into the port because I had not given their names to the port agent
- Taxi driver's brief history
- Drank vinegar by mistake at dinner
- Met the ship's master, chief officer, messman/steward, and the two other passengers
- Departed after midnight; saw my family as we passed the riverfront.
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| Lifeboat |
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| Savannah Harbor |
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| Those containers are on a different ship. Still, it's pretty darn impressive |
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| These tires were so big they had to take the roof off the containers. They were unloaded in Manzanillo. |
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| Dock Workers |
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| Impressive coordination, like an army of ants |
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| The tug that helped us down the river |
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| We passed this ship on our way out |
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| Dolly Parton Museum |
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| Southern LNG, a re-gasification plant on Elba Island |
(the full journal entry follows. If you don't see it on this page, click the "Read more »" link below)
Today, I boarded the ship. Took the family downtown to the riverwalk, including Corbin. He did very well, especially considering he is less than 4 weeks old. Charlie and I stepped into one of the local establishments and got a couple beers. Mine was a Sweetwater 420. I don't know what he got. Savannah allows open containers on the riverwalk, so we sat in the park, along the riverfront, drinking beer and watching the ships go by with Mom, Dad, Rachel, and Corbin.
Around 2 o'clock, I called Orange Peel to pick me up and take me to the ship. I had called them Friday, to let them know ahead of time. He said he would meet us at the Buchanan Hotel in 25 minutes. Charlie and I went back to the car to get my bags and we met the rest of the family in a shady park by the hotel. Dad offered to go stand watch in front of the hotel, for the cab, and a couple minutes later, he waved us on over.
Upon arriving at Gate 5 of the Garden City terminal, our plan went slightly awry. When making arrangements with the port agent, I had neglected to mention that my family wished to see me off, so their names were not on the list, and they weren't allowed in. Our driver, Ryan, tried his best to get them added, but Rachel had not brought her ID and therefore could not be granted admittance. So, the family stayed outside the gate while Ryan took me to the ship. Having seen my driver's license, he asked me what part of Tennessee I was from, and told me he had "wasted $18,000 on a Master's in History" in Johnson City, but had also met his wife, who is from Bristol, at ETSU. Ryan is from Roanoke.
Once through the gate, we had no problem getting to the ship, and Ryan helped me with my bags. I gave him the fare ($35) plus a large tip for his trying to get my family through the gate, and made my way up to the ship. There was nobody waiting for me, but a longshoreman pointed me up a narrow stairway and to a deckhand, who took down my name in the passenger manifest and directed me to the ship's office.
After a few minutes, the Master came in and, seeing me, asked if anyone had shown me my cabin. When I answered that I had not, he took me himself. Later, he brought me a bottle of water and a can each of Coke, Sprite, and orange Fresca. I unpacked my bags and decided it would be a good idea to update my blog one last time before I left, while I still had enough of a phone signal to use the wifi hotspot. The pictures took a while to upload.
Not long after, the steward came up and gave me a tour of the living space of teh ship - the galley, mess, recreation room, and gymnasium. He also took me up to the bridge. His name is Roman, and like most of the non-officer crew, he is from the Philippines. Roman informed me that although dinner would be served at 1900, he would not serve it; he had not been ashore in the last couple ports, and he was leaving at 1830. I passed the time with some Rosetta Stone lessons.
Around 1850, I began shutting my computer down, and while I was doing so, the Chief Officer (whose cabin is next door to mine) stopped on his way and asked if I was hungry, offering to show me the way to the mess. I followed, trying to politely explain that Roman had already shown me, but my thick southern drawl is hard enough for some native English speakers to understand, let alone a Romanian.
Arriving in the mess, I found a plate waiting for me, wrapped in cellophane. Dinner was beef stir-fry with steamed rice, salad, and bananas. Here, I had my first faux pas of the trip; on the table in front of me were an empty glass and two bottles of clear liquid, with their labels turned away from me. Out of habit, I reached for the one that was closest to being empty, filled my glass to the top, and took a big gulp of what turned out to be distilled white vinegar. Thankfully, the chief officer, who was the only other person in the room, was seated with his back to me, and took no notice. I finished my dinner and washed the vinegar out of my mouth with two glasses of wine, then went back up to my cabin and took a nap.
Later in the evening, around 2200, I met the other two passengers, having returned from Savannah. The gentleman whose cabin is on D deck (this is incorrect; the cabin was aft-facing on E deck, but the map was confusing) is an Englishman, in his mid-60s (actually early 70s), named Harvey; this is his third freighter trip. The Frenchman, Eric, who is in his mid-to-late 40s, is on E deck in the Owner's Cabin. He will be leaving us in Noumea, New Caledonia. Harvey and I are departing in Melbourne. I am not sure how it came about, but Eric seems to think I am going to Australia to work in the mines. At the time of this writing, I do not have a job lined up.
Later, I ventured out onto the deck and took some pictures and videos of loading and unloading the ship. Having spent the last 6 years working in factories, I was fascinated by what all went on in the port. When I first set eyes on the sea port, I had wondered how it al worked so seamlessly, how anyone could make sure so many containers made it to the right place without getting lost. The more I watched them work, the more I began to believe that staging was the key to it. Take each container off the ship and put it in a specific place in the shipyard, based on its destination; then, when you get ready to load the train, all your containers are in one spot. I will have to keep this in mind the next time I move to a new residence.
Around midnight, the gantries were raised and the shipboard cranes were stowed. 20 minutes later, I saw a tug pull up alongside us. At 0055, they pulled us into the channel and floated us backward to a bend about a quarter mile downriver of the dock, where we turned around, and floated us downstream, and around 0145 we crossed under the Highway 405 bridge and passed the downtown riverfront. God bless them, my family was still waiting for me, even Corbin. They waved and took my picture, and I talked to Mom on the phone as I passed. I stayed out on the deck until we were out to sea, about 0350, then I went inside and went to bed.
Today, I boarded the ship. Took the family downtown to the riverwalk, including Corbin. He did very well, especially considering he is less than 4 weeks old. Charlie and I stepped into one of the local establishments and got a couple beers. Mine was a Sweetwater 420. I don't know what he got. Savannah allows open containers on the riverwalk, so we sat in the park, along the riverfront, drinking beer and watching the ships go by with Mom, Dad, Rachel, and Corbin.
Around 2 o'clock, I called Orange Peel to pick me up and take me to the ship. I had called them Friday, to let them know ahead of time. He said he would meet us at the Buchanan Hotel in 25 minutes. Charlie and I went back to the car to get my bags and we met the rest of the family in a shady park by the hotel. Dad offered to go stand watch in front of the hotel, for the cab, and a couple minutes later, he waved us on over.
Upon arriving at Gate 5 of the Garden City terminal, our plan went slightly awry. When making arrangements with the port agent, I had neglected to mention that my family wished to see me off, so their names were not on the list, and they weren't allowed in. Our driver, Ryan, tried his best to get them added, but Rachel had not brought her ID and therefore could not be granted admittance. So, the family stayed outside the gate while Ryan took me to the ship. Having seen my driver's license, he asked me what part of Tennessee I was from, and told me he had "wasted $18,000 on a Master's in History" in Johnson City, but had also met his wife, who is from Bristol, at ETSU. Ryan is from Roanoke.
Once through the gate, we had no problem getting to the ship, and Ryan helped me with my bags. I gave him the fare ($35) plus a large tip for his trying to get my family through the gate, and made my way up to the ship. There was nobody waiting for me, but a longshoreman pointed me up a narrow stairway and to a deckhand, who took down my name in the passenger manifest and directed me to the ship's office.
After a few minutes, the Master came in and, seeing me, asked if anyone had shown me my cabin. When I answered that I had not, he took me himself. Later, he brought me a bottle of water and a can each of Coke, Sprite, and orange Fresca. I unpacked my bags and decided it would be a good idea to update my blog one last time before I left, while I still had enough of a phone signal to use the wifi hotspot. The pictures took a while to upload.
Not long after, the steward came up and gave me a tour of the living space of teh ship - the galley, mess, recreation room, and gymnasium. He also took me up to the bridge. His name is Roman, and like most of the non-officer crew, he is from the Philippines. Roman informed me that although dinner would be served at 1900, he would not serve it; he had not been ashore in the last couple ports, and he was leaving at 1830. I passed the time with some Rosetta Stone lessons.
Around 1850, I began shutting my computer down, and while I was doing so, the Chief Officer (whose cabin is next door to mine) stopped on his way and asked if I was hungry, offering to show me the way to the mess. I followed, trying to politely explain that Roman had already shown me, but my thick southern drawl is hard enough for some native English speakers to understand, let alone a Romanian.
Arriving in the mess, I found a plate waiting for me, wrapped in cellophane. Dinner was beef stir-fry with steamed rice, salad, and bananas. Here, I had my first faux pas of the trip; on the table in front of me were an empty glass and two bottles of clear liquid, with their labels turned away from me. Out of habit, I reached for the one that was closest to being empty, filled my glass to the top, and took a big gulp of what turned out to be distilled white vinegar. Thankfully, the chief officer, who was the only other person in the room, was seated with his back to me, and took no notice. I finished my dinner and washed the vinegar out of my mouth with two glasses of wine, then went back up to my cabin and took a nap.
Later in the evening, around 2200, I met the other two passengers, having returned from Savannah. The gentleman whose cabin is on D deck (this is incorrect; the cabin was aft-facing on E deck, but the map was confusing) is an Englishman, in his mid-60s (actually early 70s), named Harvey; this is his third freighter trip. The Frenchman, Eric, who is in his mid-to-late 40s, is on E deck in the Owner's Cabin. He will be leaving us in Noumea, New Caledonia. Harvey and I are departing in Melbourne. I am not sure how it came about, but Eric seems to think I am going to Australia to work in the mines. At the time of this writing, I do not have a job lined up.
Later, I ventured out onto the deck and took some pictures and videos of loading and unloading the ship. Having spent the last 6 years working in factories, I was fascinated by what all went on in the port. When I first set eyes on the sea port, I had wondered how it al worked so seamlessly, how anyone could make sure so many containers made it to the right place without getting lost. The more I watched them work, the more I began to believe that staging was the key to it. Take each container off the ship and put it in a specific place in the shipyard, based on its destination; then, when you get ready to load the train, all your containers are in one spot. I will have to keep this in mind the next time I move to a new residence.
Around midnight, the gantries were raised and the shipboard cranes were stowed. 20 minutes later, I saw a tug pull up alongside us. At 0055, they pulled us into the channel and floated us backward to a bend about a quarter mile downriver of the dock, where we turned around, and floated us downstream, and around 0145 we crossed under the Highway 405 bridge and passed the downtown riverfront. God bless them, my family was still waiting for me, even Corbin. They waved and took my picture, and I talked to Mom on the phone as I passed. I stayed out on the deck until we were out to sea, about 0350, then I went inside and went to bed.
Dolly Parton museum... hilarious.
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