Another day spent out playing in the lifeboats off Aberdeen. The weather was still gorgeous and we had a good time practicing man overboard maneuvers, towing and ‘pacing’ (running alongside other boats in order to transfer personnel).
I got out in time to make it to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum before it closed. I had about an hour and a half to check out the exhibits.
I was pretty impressed. It had a lot of really nice stuff. They had a really great concentration on the offshore oilfields around Scotland. They had a scale model of the Murchison oil platform of the North Sea. I was surprised to see they had an example of a DP desk (an older model like one I started on).
They had some great stuff on fishing and whaling and shipbuilding. They had a few nice ship models and lots of paintings and photographs.
I especially liked the old sailing ships.Β The Thermopylae was built by Walter Hood & Co. for the Aberdeen Line. She was one of the fastest and most famous ships of her time and a really beautiful example of a clipper (IMHO the most beautiful ships of all time).
The museum even had a Newt Suit (rigid diving suit) and an ROV from Oceaneering.
I used to work for Oceaneering and spent a lot of time with the divers and ROV pilots. That was one of my favorite jobs. I never would have quit if they had continued to work my boat overseas. I LOVED that job! We had some great adventures and the crew was like one big family. Those were some good times. π
I really liked the museum, but I didn’t have enough time to spend there. They closed at 5:00 pm. At least I didn’t feel like I wasted any money (the museum is FREE). π
After the museum closed, I figured I would need to go shopping. I had called the airlines about my luggage after class got out and they told me they still had no idea where it might be. I had already been without any clean clothes since Saturday and so I really needed to break down and buy at least a few things.
I know most women are supposed to be really into shopping, but it’s not really my thing (unless it’s in a bookstore). π
I do love beautiful clothes, but they don’t really make the kinds of things I like in large sizes. It depresses me to go clothes shopping. Nothing I really like fits me right. π
One of the guys at the training center had told me about a place to get cheap clothes, so I headed up the street to look for it. On the way, I found the tourist center and stopped in for some information and to ask about a tour on the chance I might have the time.
I found the store and shopped until they ran me out at closing time. I really didn’t buy much, just a pair of pants, a pair of shorts and a couple of shirts. It still cost me about 50 GBP! I wouldn’t really call that cheap. Not for the kind of (really cheap) quality I got. At least now I had SOMETHING clean to wear and I could have my jeans washed while I was in class the next day.
Surprise! When I got back to the hotel, I had good news! My luggage had finally arrived! I was so happy to see it, I didn’t even mind that I had just spent 50 pounds for nothing.
Oh well, I guess I can always use more clothes (not). π
Aberdeen is my home town, and I’m surprised to see you there. Although I shouldn’t be given that you’re doing something connected with boats and being at sea, and you’ve ended up in the North Sea. Enjoy your time.
Hey Vicky, that’s cool! I’m glad you liked my take on Aberdeen. I did like it there. One of the other DPOs I’ve been working with is from Ireland. He told me he hates it. I think just because of the way they keep moving the boats around. I can totally understand that. It sounds just like the Fourchon Shuffle we have to put up with in Louisiana. It kind of ruins a port stay for us.
I’m sure they’ll send me back for more training at some point. Maybe you can tell me about some other things to see/do there that I’ve missed?
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Looks like you had quite an adventure, that interior photo of the lifeboat almost looks like a space shuttle. The Maritime Museum is a really great place to visit.
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, it was an adventure. I was lucky with the weather, it gave me a chance to spend some time exploring the area.
Dropping those lifeboats probably does feel pretty similar to getting shot off in a space ship!