Final Posting

To everyone who was planning on reading the adventures of Bryan.  It no longer exists.  The adventures will certainly continue.  The documenting the adventures will cease.

Bryan
17 June 2012

Saturday-Perth

Spent the morning in the office, then took a train to a town called Freemantle.  It is on the coast, had lunch jumped back on the train and came back to Perth.  Fun being a tourist.  I wish every hitch would start this way. I finally even got caught up on the jet lag.  Went to a movie last night cost me  a whopping $21.50-good grief!  Not fun being a tourist.  Went to an outside mall and was entertained by musicians and magicians.  Kind of fun being a tourist.  It is getting chilly at night-We are going into the fall down here.  The temple idea did not work out.  They only run 3 sessions on Sat. morning-you have to have reservations and you have to have your own clothing. and it would cost me around $70. for the round trip on a taxi.  Lots of excuses-but very valid.  Plan to attend Church tomorrow.  There are 5 stakes and 27 wards in Perth and surrounding area. Cheers. Living in a hotel instead of out on the rig is quite nice!

Sunday-Frontier

On the rig we record all incidents-no matter what the severity level is.  We record all scrapes and bruises, even needing a band aid gets recorded.  We have 160 people on board and we have now gone 48 days with no hurt incidents.  Yesterday, our sister rig, had a worker grab a tag line under a load that was being transferred from a boat to the rig.  When he grabbed the tag line to pull the load, the cable snapped and the load crushed the worker. Having a fatallity is the worse thing-it not only affects the person's family but the whole crew is shell shocked.
We also record all environmental spills.  Last week we had a drip every 3 minutes that amounted to 8 drips equals one drop.  So, every 24 minutes one drop of water was leaking into the ocean.  We reported this.  yesterday on the rig, someone started a pump at the wrong time sequence and we lost 85 gallons of mud into the ocean.  Mud is really a concentration of chemicals to weigh heavier than water.  Water weighs 7.5 pounds per gallon and we mix the mud to weigh at 10.5 gallons to suppress the pressure in the well.  So, when you have a major spill the coast guard investigates. It has been crazy around here.  Fortunately, the mud will just disspate into the ocean and no damage to the environment. But, because of the miscommunication, someone will be let go.  For every one worker, there are 40 more guys wanted to do the same job on shore. Did I mention we live in high standard and harsh environment!!

Wednesday-On Rig

After the flight from SLC to Perth, Australia which is 31 hours.  The journey continues after the handover meetings in Perth.  From Perth I fly to an island called Barrow Island.  This flight is 4 hours from the time you arrive at the airport to the landing on Barrow Island.  I then go through security from the fixed wing airport over to the heliport-the building next door.  The helicopter screening is very strict.  I can only take 10 kilos of weight-which is 22 pounds.  After my peanut M&M's, Snickers and gum, there isn't that much room for my toothpaste, deodorant and nail clippers-remember there is no store out on the rig and when you stay for 28 days-if you don't have it-you just do with out.  I think I have now memorized the safety video for the helicopter ride.  This ride is 55 minutes long. The pilots fly at 2000 feet on top of the ocean.  This will allow the pilots about 2 minutes to land on the ocean if there is a mechanical failure. So, it is about 6 hours of flight time from Perth to get to the Rig.
After doing all my wiegh-ins, I am embarrased about the weight gain during my off hitch.  I had done a good job of dropping weight since Christmas and what do you know-in one month-I almost put it all back on.  Very discouraging.  Could it be the M&Ms, Snickers and gum???

Friday in the Perth office

This week brought to a close the fun of being off hitch.  The off hitch adventures had me in Paris and then down to Portugal for a company meeting.  The Eueropean trip was followed by a week of golfing everyday and then olayed in a golf tournament in Ogden.  The fun continued up at our cabin with friends and family going four wheeling and hiking in the beautiful mountains.  The Memorial day weekend was filled with family and snow! I was able to come down from the mountains and get on a plane for Australia.  After 31 hours in the air-I hit Aussie land!!  Jet lag is a complete bummer! I get on a plane on Monday and when I get off it is Wednesday and I am 14 hours ahead of family in Draper, Utah. I attended meetings with the management team but I really don't contribute that much-I nod alot and take great notes!!!  I was scheduled to go out to the rig on Friday and was handed the mail bag for delivery Thursday afternoon.  An hour later, I was told the rig is full and does not have bed space. I am stuck in Perth for the weekend--YEA!!  Perth is actually 20 miles from the ocean.  I will take a train and go to Freemantle which is a coastal port.  This town was built in the 1800's by slaves.  Today it is raining so I hope when my weekend adventure starts the rain will stop.  I have looked up the Perth LDS Temple and plan to make a trip that way.  I really want to just catch up on jet lag sleep deprivation but if I have some free time-I better see the sights!  Thanks for reading and have an awesome day -g'day mate!

Wednesday in Perth

This week has gone fast for me.  I flew off the rig on Monday evening. This adventure entails a helicopter ride for 50 minutes.  You get off on Barrow Island.  You go through the terminal and then check in to fly a chartered plane that will carry other workers who have flown in to the island from their work assignments.  In addition to oil , there is a lot of mining going on around the shore line.  The fixed wing airplane ride is 2 1/2 hours long.  Then you jump in  a cap that drives on the wrong side of the road and boom you are in a hotel at 9 pm.  Long day.  This hotel is right in the middle of downtown because the Transocean office is downtown.  Perth is pretty and nice size town but because it is on the western side of Australia and it  takes 6 hours to get to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, it is not growing fast.  People from Sydney can fly to Bali, New Zealand in 3 hours and they fly that way instead of coming to Perth.  Perth is definately the farthest , southwesterly big city in the world.  I have been involved in meetings with the check signers here in the office and today my relief flys in and we do a handover.  Tomorrow I get to start for home.  It is weird to think that I start on Thursday morning and get home on Thursday afternoon and fly for 31 hours!!!

Saturday in Western Australia

On the rig we have 160 people.  There is 20 different nationalities on the rig.  I am an ex-pat because I come from another country.  The camp boss has to cook to please all these different people.  I still have not tried the pork and beans over toast for breakfast.  I have been eating kangaroo -they serve it twice a week. Alot of lamb chops are served.  The pastry's have been ignored because of weight gain.  But, they are plentiful and look great.  Europeans put gravy on their meat, every meal.  I have learn to eat different kinds of cheeses -who knows what their names are.  I am a true lover of dates.  I snack on them all day long. I drink water with every meal cause the milk is warm and comes in a box and the juices are just heavy duty with calories.  Once in while-Thursdays when the barge comes in-we get soda drinks but they only last a couple of days.  The food is abundant here but weird.  Cereal is funny beacuse of the names instead of rice krispies they have rice bubbles!  I can't complain because the wieght problem continues to exist.  Well G'day.