My first rotation here coming to an end.

     Before I begin this blog, if you click on each photograph, it will enlarge for better viewing.  The satellite photograph of Israel and our location is hard to see unless it is enlarged.

 

      My first rotation on this drilling rig ends tomorrow.  Hard to believe that I have been in Israel for over a month.  Little drilling of the well was accomplished because the military evacuated us several times to practice firing missles to intercept other missles.  Since we were in their practice area, we were required to evacuate the rig at 4:30 a.m., either go to a hotel onshore for a few days or remain on the boat to return to the rig about 5:00 p.m.  Spending so much time traveling back and forth, I felt like I was on a cheap Mediterranean cruise, 10 miles at a time!

 

     One of the two boats that transports us to and from the rig.  It is basically built for transporting cargo.  



 

 

     We travel back and forth on one of two identical boats to get from shore to the rige and back.  The second photo, which is below, has a yellow circle on it.  If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see some people being lifted from the boat onto the rig.  Basically, a ‘basket’ for the lack of a better term is lowered by the crane to the deck of the boat.  After donning life jackets and clipping ourselves to the center pole, four at a time stand on this platform, holding onto ropes and the crane lifts the group up to the rig.  Sort of a cheap carnival ride!

  

 

 

                                                                            Mahi Mahi

 

     The picture above didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped it would.  Being taken from 70+ feet above the water with a long camera lens didn’t capture the bright colors of the Mahi Mahi that are swimming around the rig.  They have a bright blue to emerald colored body with sunflower yellow tails and fins. The dorsal fin which is the same color as the body runs the entire length of the back from the head to the tail.  This one is probably about 6 or so feet long.  They can swim at over 50 miles per hour.

     I leave the rig on Wednesday and Dale arrives on Saturday.  We have rented an apartment in Jerusalem and will be visiting as many Biblical sights as we can in the time we have there before flying to Rome for more sightseeing.