Posted by diek on 07/15/2007 03:43 am

A smile covers my face when I think about the welcomes we had so far. In all the villages we visit we have a so called 'open boat'. We pick up the people from ashore and bring them on board to show them how we live. Because most of my work is on the bridge, I talk about the navigation equipment and the history of the ship (a Russian arctic fire fighting vessel). Especially children  are so direct and honest that it makes me and the parents laugh.  "How long does it take by the petrol station to fill the tank?" Sometimes I take a small group to the engine room and show them the two main engines. For them the mains are huge. I reckon their as big as two SUV. And double that. Back on the bridge I ask them to point me out the steering wheel and they can't find it. Because it's a tiny little wheel in the middle of  the counsel. "Like my Play station at home!!!" The children scream. "Yes" I answer "only this one is for real." So: the bigger the ships, the smaller the wheels. Check it out yourself, see link at my personal.