Living the Dream!

I took this photo in frustrated amusement at the amount of times I was having to run to the loo in my first 4 days on the rig :)

There was some bug going around when I arrived on the Eirik Raude so like several others; I found myself struggling to hold a meal for longer than 20 minutes! In the case of this picture, I had barely got back into the accommodation from the rig floor when I noticed a red light on the dashboard and had to dive into the nearest lavatory, simultaneously ripping off my coveralls and locking the door.

Apart from that 100% as my Dad would say! No seriously, it is a magnificent rig, especially in terms of leisure options. By that I mean that the gym is great with collocated sauna and 3 bathrooms. There is a sun bathing area near the heli deck which we are actually encouraged to use! and the cabins have much more space and luxury than the routine I had become used to on the Explorer.

The rig must be 80m by 80m and stands tall in the ocean at a depth of 1.5 km. It is a semi submersible and I have copied an illustration from the web to help explain. As you can see – it’s v stable.

It is tough being away from home but Ange and I are in touch a lot and of course we are both so excited about the pregnancy and developments there. I miss Gandalf as well but do get to see him on skype every now and then :)

Ghana is great – I have been very impressed with what I have seen and heard so far. I guess anything was going to be nice after Angola with all due respect.

Will update again soon. Love to all.