Capttrae

Back in 2020 I decided it was time to upgrade my capts license to the 1600grt/3000gt. Did a couple online classes, then a couple in person classes in Ft Lauderdale, Jan of 21 I did a 4 week prep course and thankfully I had a good instructor that was patient, it took me 2 years of studying and practicing and sitting in on another prep course before I was finally confident enough to sit for the test at the USCG Regional Exam Center in Memphis. Had 7 modules to pass, but had to pass at least 5 before I could move on. Passed 6 the first time, came back to work, studied, got off and passed the last module. Feb of 2023 started my classes for my OICNW and Master 3000gt, 16 weeks of classes, a bunch of flights, rental cars, and air bnbs I got finished in October of 2023. Got the email last week that it had been issued. Had a pic from my dad when I woke up tonight that it had come in the mail.

Ok so I met this one through a smart remark on a mutual friends fb post. Back this time last year our mutual friend posted that she had all these single friends and nobody was asking her to help them meet up. So me just being the smart alleck I am just says well if you’ve got all these friends why haven’t you found me one yet. So she tells me to go through her friends list and find some. I do that and all of them are way too young, like by 20 years, so I just tell her thanks but no thanks I’ve done raise two kids not in the mood to raise another one and I’ve got a full years worth of schooling anyway to finish out my upgrade. She asked how old I was and I told her 45, she said she knew the perfect one, she was 48, told me her name and to send her a friend request. So I did, the lady accepted, I messaged her a few days later told her what was going on and she said our mutual friend had told her about it. So we talked off and on for 6-8 months I finally got a chance to break away, took her to lunch one day figuring the worst that could happen is lunch is awkward and suck. But it didn’t, we had good conversation and decided to go out again, couple months later we got a chance to go to dinner. Had a great time. After the next hitch she came up for the weekend, I rolled her out of bed at 4:30, jumped in the mud boat, run the river, went lookin for ducks some pre season scouting. After the next hitch I took a month off, took her duck huntin a few times, took her deer huntin several times, she killed her first one, then jumped right in skinnin, gutting, and deboning the meat. Then we went to my house and had backstrap and heart for dinner. Tonight when I came on watch she messaged me about a wild swarm of honey bees her son had found yesterday. At 3am they decided it’d be a good idea to go out and catch them so she could start keeping bees. By god they caught the entire swarm including the queen and will be transferring them into a 30 frame hive tommorow. She’s about the nearest to a match I’ve found.

Near as in 20 years near? Then yes, near as in before that, what else would I do? Can’t imagine doing anything other than running oilfield boats

I’m just rambling here. Why can’t a woman just be honest, you know something like hey I’m seeing somebody instead of just not saying anything. Wouldn’t be that difficult. I just don’t have the energy that this dating mess requires. Think I’ll just stick to what I know, deer, duck, and turkey huntin, and fishin. They might drive you to the brink of mental and physical exhaustion chasing them but at least they won’t hurt you.

Yep is what it is I reckon

Figured out she’s seein somebody else. Knew it was the right person but wrong time. Such is life for somebody working the oilfield. Meet somebody and go to work, 99% of the time they meet someone else while your at work. At least it happened quick. Screw it, it’s huntin season. I’m married to the oilfield anyhow, crew coordinator calls me to come back to work early I drop everything and go, these boats are my life, and it’s all I know, can’t blame a woman for not wanting that, but dang what a woman she was. Wish I’d have met her 4-5 years ago when we were first introduced. Maybe things would’ve been different, but I doubt it, I think a lot of times this is the best I get, boats, home, go huntin, come back to work and repeat. It’s what I deserve. I should’ve known things in my life were going way too good to last. Always has to be something that don’t go right. I think what stung the most was well a couple things, just a couple days ago we were talkin about goin huntin if I got it done up in Saskatchewan early I was going to come home early, hop in my truck haul rear to Kentucky, and we were going to hunt opening weekend of rifle season together. She hasn’t killed a buck deer in a few years and I know where we could sit and it’s dang near a given a good buck deer is going to step out. I was going to pack an extra rifle in my truck she could shoot because her rifle isn’t sighted in, extra huntin clothes and a heater body suit so she could stay warm and two turkey chairs so we could sit up on that hill and watch that holler where I’ve killed so many deer. The other thing that stings a little is the song she used with the post “He’s one of the good ones” y’all just have no idea how badly I’d like to hear a female type say that about me. I’m not terrible, yea I’m gone a lot but these boats are all I know, I’ve been on one type of boat or another since I graduated highschool at 19, I’m 44 now be 45 come Febuary, that 26 years on boats. I’m financially stable, don’t go out galavatin around the beer joints and *** tonks no more chasin skirts, yea I’m a little short, a little over weight, kinda rough around the edges, but I treat the ladies right, good with kids and reliable. No I’m not a people person, I just like to go to work, pull my 28-30 days and go home.

Just to answer a few questions 1) yes we have met in person, 2) I can’t ask her to relocate her whole crew anymore than she can ask me to relocate my whole crew. 3) no I will not put my dad in a nursing home, pulling him off our little 300 acer farm and sticking him in a nursing home would be beyond cruel and that’s not how I was raised. My best solution to the problem and yes I’ve done long distance before, kind of a pre requisite considering I work offshore for 28 days at a lick and home for 12. Is to do a long distance thing until everything works it self out in the end. Plane tickets are cheap, and FaceTime dates will just have to work and enjoy our time together when we have it

No, I never said anything about her relocating either. That’s why I said possibly right person, wrong time from the get go.

That’s the thing, I can’t relocate, just like her mom is getting in bad health, my dads health is going down as well. Another 6-7 years out here in the oil patch and I’ll have to come home to take care of him, that’s not something I mind by no stretch of the imagination. That’s an eventuality I’m prepared for. She does live in paradise, I used to call it the Promised Land when I lived up there. Some of the finest deer, duck, and turkey huntin this side of the Mississippi Flyway is around there. As far as sharing her time and getting squeezed in, I get it, I’ve raised my kiddo and took care of my mom when she had the cancer.

Also we live 8 hours apart when I’m not at work

So was introduced to this female type 4-5 years ago. We talked a while, both ended up dating someone else, me back and forth with my ex, her, with a guy she ended up dating the whole time. Stayed in touch here and there, just a quick hi how are things going every 6-8 months. Anyway those relationships ended and we started talking pretty regular. Finally made our first date happen last time I was off and can’t help but think it the situation of right girl wrong time. We have a lot in common, right down to the hobbies, she like to deer and turkey hunt, fish and go frog gigging, and not just to go but knows how to clean them and makes her own jerky, hamburger and sausage. Only reason I’m saying wrong time, I just finished up testing for my 500grt capts license, and have about a years worth of classes for my 3000/10000gt endorsement and Oicnw endorsement and she’s working on her phd in physcology along with us both working full time. Me pulling my usual 28 day hitches, when I come back in December I’m pulling 56 days so I can be off for 3 weeks to take 2 classes down in Lauderdale. Also she’s taking care of her mom while working and taking care of her kids and her classes.

It’s nice right now, seas are running 3-5’ we are heading southeast on a course of about 125. But come Wednesday it’s going to go to crap again. Yet another cotton pickin hurricane. Done rode out 3 this year, may as well make it 4.

Yea so I went on a date. Great idea right? And I liked the lady. One big problem, actually several big problems. 1) I almost called her your name on more than one occasion 2) I like her but liking someone means letting yourself have feelings, letting yourself have feelings means opening yourself up for possible heart ache again. I’m not over you, it still hurts. Badly. Like I said last time I posted in this thread, everybody has that one person you never get over. For me you are that one person. I love you

Her World or Mine

Well it hit home today, my sons step dad has the Covid, my son is getting tested tommorow

Can’t complain, got off the boat Friday, got up Saturday morning, planted my dove field, about 6-7 acers of brown top millet, talked to the core group from my old deer lease and made plans to all get together for a dove shoot in September kind of a memorial hunt for a good friend of ours that passed away last month. After that got my camper set up at the lake, then to end the day me and Thomas threw some steaks on the grill. Went to sleep with a lab laying on my feet. It was a great day

I’ll tell you like I told my ex one time while we were kinda together and kinda broke off. If somebody breaks in don’t worry about the stuff just spray and pray. Wall and stuff can be rebuilt, can’t rebuild you.

Hang tight and stay locked and locked and loaded

Hope y’all all come through it with shinin colors

Glad it all went well for you.

Honestly I don’t see a reason to stress out about it. Survival rate is 98%, lots of folks had it way before the media got a hold of it and blew it way out of proportion. If you are going to get it you are going to get it, sure you can do common sense things like use hand sanitizer etc but you do that to avoid catching cold or flu or pretty much anything else.

Dude I’ve had a flipping blast during this meltdown. I got off the boat March 8th for what I thought was my regular 14 days off, two days later got an email saying I’d be off for 30. Called the personell manager just to make sure I was reading it right, that I was getting 30 days off during turkey season. When he confirmed that I just about jumped out of my truck I was so happy. Went and bought a 10lb roll of ground meat and some other stuff plus 3 24 packs of MT Dew, and 4 3lb bags of Reese’s went me butt home and had a blast. My day consisted of getting up at 4:30, let Coal out, get a shower, cook breakfast for us, let Coal back in, go turkey huntin till 10 or so, come in, cook lunch for Me, Thomas and Coal, Thomas would come up about 11:15 eat lunch hang out, then go back to work, then I’d either go back turkey huntin or go fishin until about dark, come in cook supper, shower, watch TV and crash about 9:30-10:00. Came back to work April 10, stayed until April 16, got laid off, went to Kentucky, turkey hunted a few days then went to Arkansas and helped a good friend of mine get his crops planted. Then the company I work for called me back.

It’s amazing how one like from you on an Instagram post can ruin my day. I dream about you most every night. Haven’t seen you since January but I miss you every day. I guess there’s that one person you never get over and I reckon you are that one for me. I loved you then, I love you now, I love you for always. I miss my family.

I’m trying to let go, it sucks, it’s hard, but I’ve got to look out for what’s left of my heart. Yes I love you, always will, if fate puts us back together one day well then it does. If it don’t I’m thankful for the time we had together. I may never love again and that’s ok, I can truly say I’ve loved 3 times in my life. I thought the way we got back together last time was fate working but I guess I was wrong. I love you baby

I’m A complete and total idiot, I loved you again hoping for the best, all in all I didn’t mean crap to you, just a way to entertain yourself. I’m a complete