a whirlwind stirs

After a month and a half of captivity in the UAE, I'm breaking out of this place. Starting September 4, you can follow my travels from the UAE to the UK where I'll stop in London and Southampton for business meetings. From London, I return to the UAE for a quick meeting about upgrading one of our vessels to DPS-2, and then I really escape to New York for a few days. New York is followed by Georgia, where I'll be packing for the great move out to Houston. My unloading time in H-Town is short lived because I'll be flying to Portland, ME in order to drive to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Bath is followed by a long car ride to Newport for the Newport Boat Show. While in Rhode Island, I'll visit the Hinckley facility in Portsmouth to checkout the T-24R, Haida's new tender. (Haven't heard of...

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Posted in: announcements,traveling

making waves goes full time

Just as Aaron Sorkin returns to prime time with a show about cable TV news, Making Waves is going full time. For the last two years, I've been interning for an offshore logistics company in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. As of July, I'm now gainfully employed as the company's naval architect and marine engineer. While this is pretty stellar for me, the whole affair is even more stellar (read: stellar-er) for you. As the boss said when I moved into my Houston office, "Houston is your home base, but your office is an airplane." I travel often. (In fact, in September I'll hit a new city every 2.5 days from September 3-20...) All of that traveling means great pictures and stories (can you say TCNs on a plane?) for you. I can't wait...

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Posted in: announcements

for all you boat people

In the spirit of the tour dubai series, it's time for a few engineering escapades. Martin Oliver, the company's Middle East Manager, has been keen to ensure that Tophi and I have been taken to see some of the marine engineering feats undertaken in this fine country.Recently, Martin, Tophi, and I made way for the Dubai office of the American Bureau of Shipping. We met the office's Chief Engineer and Principal Surveyor-- two very nice gentlemen. They offered us additional contacts at other companies that would be willing to show us new offshore platform construction. After hearing about what's happening for ABS out here, we quickly moved on to the day's main attraction: Dubai Maritime City.Most developments in Dubai revolve around some central...

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Posted in: dubai,dubai maritime city,engineering escapades,tour series,work photos

all roads lead to abu dhabi

I've had more opportunities during this trip to the UAE to live life drive in the fast lane. When Captain Scott had to leave for a few days, I was given the keys to one of the company cars so that Tophi and I could get to work each day. Those few days went by accident free, and now it appears that I can be trusted behind the wheel. Visitors don't normally drive when they come to the Emirates. Local drivers are notoriously aggressive, but I have had training during my years on Long Island. A recent survey asked UAE drivers (mostly men) what they thought about their driving abilities. Almost 25% of those surveyed admitted that they engage in "risky" driving behavior -- the other 75% lied.Recently, Tophi and I had the pleasure of taking the Sharjah...

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Posted in: abu dhabi,anticipation,leisure photos,traveling

sharjah after the storm

The winter months in the UAE bring relief from the 120°F summer. Winter is also the "rainy season." I say "rainy" because the average annual rainfall in the coastal region of the UAE is less than 5 inches. (A south Georgia thunderstorm laughs at the puny rain clouds of the Emirates.)With hardly any rain, there is little reason to invest in a proper drainage system. When it does precipitate, the rain amounts to a light drizzle. After several days of on again, off again drizzle, Mother Nature opened up on January 28.Tophi and I were just about to head out for a walk to neighboring emirate Ajman when the storm hit. The power was knocked out, and our hotel's restaurant was leaking badly around the doors and windows. We were trapped in the restaurant...

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Posted in: ajman,leisure photos,sharjah,weather