Getting it....

The live hoisting training went very, very well today.  I am content. Things are beginning to gel, finally.  I flew another five hoist cycles, putting a SAR Tech down on the deck of one of the supply vessels, attaching a high line, lowered some gear, then picked everything up again.  I wasn't working at it nearly as hard as previous sorties, and that's really the trick.  I knew I was improving, but not as quickly as I'd like.  While I appreciate that one is generally one's own worst critic, I was disappointed in my progress.  One should be comfortable enough that while not really relaxing, the main task becomes natural and one can start to pick up on the finer nuances and subtleties of the task at hand.  Everything just becomes an extension of self.  Think it and it happens.  Esoteric bullshit I know, but it's extremely satisfying when something challenging becomes.....well, less so.  You still have someone's life dangling below you over a heaving deck in open ocean, so concentration levels are very high, but competence hard earned is gratifying.  Today it felt right. 

Unfortunately rumours of unrest in town brought our training sortie to an early end, as management wanted us on the ground and safely snuggled into our quarters, before things really kicked off.  Nothing actually happened of course.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow.  We are to spend the day at the airport, prepped to launch to Dar es Salaam should the gas project announcement, which the government keeps pushing back, is unfavourable for the local populace.  In which case, nobody really knows how bad things will be, but at least we have a plan.  I'd much rather be out on my mountain bike or snorkeling.  If the government keeps pushing back the announcement and our movement is restricted throughout, it's going to be a very long ten days.

Photos courtesy of the supply vessels.