A pound of flesh

Well, okay, only a few ounces in truth. Last night I was working on a bicycle in the bosun's locker, with tools that are often, at best, moderately adequate. I was trying to piece together a few nuts and bolts that fit one another to put a rear rack and milk crate on a bicycle that has been donated by a local bicycle collective. Long story short, the screw with the extremely frozen nut slipped in the vise, and my right forefinger slipped right along the top of the very sharp machine bolt head, tearing out a good sized chunk of flesh right on the main knuckle. I dressed it, and got various laughs, mostly sympathetic, today.

I have spent most of the last two days doing carpentry on the other ship, installing wood framework for a new autopilot unit, and filling in the hole where the old (and much larger) unit was removed. It's a nice change from the galley, but in truth I'm also looking forward to returning to the galley tomorrow for a few days while another cook is away.

My last foray into the galley was to cut and prep (soaking in vinegar, salt and water) an entire 20 kilo (44 pound) sack of potatoes. A number went into another cook's potato salad, a good portion were cooked and then frozen for future use at sea, a sizable chunk were pan fried one morning, with the remainder being deep fried for the next day's lunch. In the prep process, I got to use my "cheese" slicer, which it's amusing to re-purpose for vegan uses, in this case, slicing some potatoes thin enough to deep fry them as potato chips (or crisps, depending on your frame of reference.)

Life aboard ship remains interesting, with something new every day. Between food, carpentry, occasional first aid, and random tasks here and there, things rarely get boring.

Okay -- the YMCA, where I've had a lovely shower and free wireless, closes shortly, so I'll finish up. Likely more exciting posts to come soon.