Heading out...Putting in....

10 April to 28 April 2015

It seems kinda odd, writing about my first experiences on this side of the planet six months after the start of my adventure. I became inspired to begin writing by another intrepid explorer who, just like I had, was just starting out.

At the start of my journey, I rented a car from Enterprise Rent-a-car in Arlington, Va, and drove to Norfolk, Va. I got there pretty early, and after I checked into my hotel, I decided to do some last minute shopping. I had a few things in mind.

Remington makes a few models of USB rechargeable beard trimmers, and Sony has a lens style camera that I have been looking online about well before my trip.

The BestBuy in Norfolk had my Sony lens camera, but not the beard trimmer, so I would put that off for another time. Picked up a Sony Monopod to use with the camera. After all my shopping, I went to Enterprise to turn in the car.

At first, they were a bit cruel. No one would be able to run me back to my hotel, as they were preparing to close. Then one of their porters showed up, and she was asked to take me back to my hotel on her way home.

During the day, and into the evening, I would periodically check vesselfinder.com, a website showing real time data on the whereabouts of the vessel that will take me to Port Said, Egypt: the CMA CGM Florida. Early the next morning, I discovered that the ship put in at 0300. Unaware of how long the ship will do it's business, I quickly packed what little I unpacked and headed for the port.

It was quite foggy that morning...

Then I had a thought...

The Norfolk Port Authority, and most other ports in the US, now have stricter laws governing the presence of unauthorized persons on the docks. Plus, the proximity of the US Naval Base to the port further complicates security measures. Basically, I had to wait at a bus shelter about 3 hours for a security truck to come and get me to take me to the ship.

When the guy finally arrived, there was some discrepancy with my info not being on the list of passengers for any ship. He was checking and rechecking his papers, and calling into the port authority office. I gave the guy a bit of grief, and he found my info shortly thereafter. On the way to the docks, I asked if I could take pictures of the vessel. He warned that photo taking is strictly prohibited because of the proximity of the naval base.

So, I get there, and the ship is larger than I anticipated. I climbed up a narrow, steep gangway from the docks into the side of the ship, behind some dock hands walking some equipment up the gangway. The commanding officer, who is also the security chief, Nie Jie, greeted me at the top, and I was shown to my quarters. 

My quarters aren't as big as I was led to believe by the cruise website. In fact, I think the words used were "comparable to the captain's quarters", but they were bigger than that of a steward, so I didn't complain.

I was issued a heated water pot, tea bags, and a mug. Also issued were a glass, a twelve pack of water bottles, a spoon, and a tub of powdered Tang, which lasted the whole trip.

There's a mini-fridge in this cabinet, but it contains only what I put in it.

The plant was real, but i never watered it.

I was asked to review a safety manual. I was told I would be tested and graded. Most of the info was as straight forward as any auto shop safety manual, with the exception of the many maritime related articles.

On the test, I got 16 outta 17 correct.

It may look short, but all 6' 2" of me fit into this bed. It was comfortable enough, but what made me sleep the soundest was the rocking off the sea. It was like being cradled by my mother, and rocked to sleep. I had to imagine the lullaby.

I had very pleasant dreams.

I should've looked up on the Internet how these ships do their business, 'cause we were in Norfolk port until 1300. The port workers didn't start their work until the fog lifted anyway. In other words, I really didn't have to wake up so early to board the ship.

Some of the cargo carriers that were to be dropped off here are buried under other cargo.

The ship went to Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina before heading out to sea. I took a few shots while visiting these ports.

Sunrise

Coastal Ocean

Cloud Cover

Distant Tanker

North Carolina Sloop

Ghost Ship

Port Wentworth, Ga.

Illuminated Shipyard

Navigating Savannah Waterway

Headed for Open Water

A funny thing: the harbor pilot from Charleston didn't relinquish command of the Florida to the captain until we were so far out to sea that you could not see land anymore. Once the harbor pilot finally left, it was 2+weeks to Port Said, Egypt.

Although the normal muster station for passengers is the crew meeting room, the captain requested that I muster to the bridge. In fact, the captain allowed me to enter the bridge at any time, with the exception of when harbor pilots are present on the bridge.

3/O Zhang and Cadet Yuan identify a nearby vessel

Bridge view at dusk

Morning on open sea

The vast blue water

Outside Pilot Console (i thought it was a grill)

Navigating an approaching storm

The ship's crew compliment was comprised of Chinese officers and Filipino crew, although Bosun Jumao, who is Filipino, spent a bit of time on the bridge. There were also three Chinese crew members: Cadet/Deck Hand Yuan, Engineer's Mate Tang, and Reefer man Liu.

I was the only passenger on the ship, so I had to entertain myself while the crew went about propelling the ship. There was a lounge adjacent to my quarters, but the TV and DVD player did not work. There was a gym, that had a treadmill. I used it twice everyday for a total of 1 hour. The officer's lounge TV and DVD player worked. I watched The Two Sides of January, which took place in Greece and Istanbul. The latter of which I did not know I would be visiting when I was planning my trip originally.

One night, I awoke to notice my cabin was well lit from outside the ship. I got up to look astern from my portal and found the moon was bright in the sky. I took out my lens camera and took a photo, but was unhappy with what I got. I wanted a clearer picture of the moon, and the reflection on the water.

I am certainly no photographer, so I began to fiddle with the ISO, F-stop, shutter speed, and other settings I have no clue how to operate.

Finally, after taking more mistakes that I posted here, I zoomed in, went for broke, and captured this very detailed shot. Although no skill was involved, I'm proud of it.

There were other opportunities to occupy my time. For one, there were opportunities for fraternization with the officers and crew. The officer's mess was separate from the crew's mess, connected only by the galley. I only saw the crew in passing. In the stairwells, in the hallways, in the gym, and during drills. The only crew member I had repeated exposure to was the steward, Mark, who cleaned rooms, and was the chef's messman as well.

Fraternization with the officers occurred at meals, and during off hours when officers were relieved by the night shift. At Captain Zhang's request, I sat at the senior officer's table (the smaller table further back in this picture), with the captain, the commanding officer, the chief engineer, and the 2nd engineer. The 2nd engineer and I became very good friends. My relationship with the captain was about understanding and respect.

During the off hours of the day shift, Chinese members of the officer's and crew would often meet in the officer's lounge and sing karaoke until 2200, and sometimes after. This was a good opportunity to listen and watch Chinese characters being said on the screen. I was able to learn three characters that I saw and heard very frequently, and how to say them.

One of the days on board was 2nd officer Yang's birthday. I asked 2nd engineer Zhang to teach me how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese, and I practiced all day how to say it correctly. A big meal was prepared in his honor. I requested to help with the preparation, but was denied in the interests of safety (knives and such).

Dumplings, soups, cabbage, vegetables, sauces, seafood. All kinds of wonderful Chinese food prepared before my eyes. It wasn't long before I was salivating like Pavlov's dog. It must be taught at childhood to know how to cook, 'cause all these guys knew what they were doing, and what everyone else was doing.

In the top picture: Cadet Yuan, 3rd Engineer Wu, 3rd Officer Zhang, 2nd Officer Yang, Captain Zhang, 3rd Officer Zhang. There are two 3rd Officers with the family name Zhang, as well as the Captain and the 2nd Engineer, and they are all unrelated. I am told that Zhang is a very popular family name in China. More so than Chin or Wong.

My big moment came when we were all seated at the large dinner table. I said, "Yang? Zhu Ni Sheng Ri Kwai Le". The younger crew members began to laugh, but 2nd officer Yang quickly asked them to stop. He then said "John, Xie Xie". 2nd engineer Zhang told me "Very good", and the captain exclaimed with sarcastic amazement "Mr. John is speaking Chinese!". Everyone laughed.

All this made life aboard ship interesting. It didn't take long to get used to the rocking of the Atlantic Ocean. However, once we crossed the Straight of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea was too smooth for the sleep I had become accustomed to. It took me many nights of restless sleep before I got used to not being rocked to sleep.

As we crossed into the Mediterranean Sea, I looked south to Morocco, there is a port near a mountain range. One of the mountains has large Arabic writing on it, facing in the direction of ships coming into the straight.

It was still a few days before we finally would reach Port Said. I began getting cell service from the neighboring countries of Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Italy, Tunisia, Lybia, Greece, and Turkey. Not only cell service, but radio service as well, since my phone has an FM Radio capability. I would listen to tunes from maany different cultures, and was suprised to hear American music played regularly on some of them.

While in the Mediterranean, another big dinner was held. It was again a home-made affair with the pomp and curcumstance of 2nd officer Yang's birthday party. As it turns out, I was the first passenger that many of the crew had shared a voyage with, including the captain. The captain threw a dinner in my honor, to wish me well in my travels.

When we finally pulled into the Suez Canal, a long journey had come to an end.

It was a surreal feeling, being on land again, knowing that from here on out, everything was gonna be new. I wasn't scared. I was too excited to be scared. This was my moment. The only one I made decisions for was me, with no one to rely on, or anyone to rely on me. I was alone at the beginning of a great adventure. I bid goodbye to the Florida, threw my packs on my back, and stepped into the port.