Apologies Nautie Friends. I have excuses but, I'll save them. I miss you all. I'm gonna try to be back.

So far, here's what I know about containerships...

They're really loud. Lots of booms, bangs, thuds during cargo ops. Takes awhile to get used to it so you can get some sleep.

They move fast. We easily do 20 knots underway without even trying. My last ship was lucky to average 12. Think pacific crossing reduced from 30 days to 9 days.

They are kinda stinky. We loaded a lot of raw cow hides. You can imagine the stench by the time we reached Asia. Gross.

They are well oiled machines. We are in and out. Like...fast. The boxes come on the boxes go off. It's bizarrely fascinating.

I'm doing my best to find my groove. Get up to speed. Make friends (sorta). Mind my p's and q's. Nap. Eat well. You get the idea.

Thanks for your patience. I heart you.