The One-hundred-and-first First

As I was compiling that list of 100 "firsts" a new first was occurring simultaneously. This new experience for me came to its stunning conclusion early yesterday morning when our drilling assembly was officially declared "Lost in Hole".

That means that there is 1.5 million dollars worth of equipment sitting at the bottom of a 9000 foot hole, and we can't get it out.

A number of days ago we were in the process of pulling the drilling assembly part-way out of the hole so we could circulate the mud and clean the hole when all of a sudden the whole rig shook (and jolted me awake from a mid-day nap I was taking in my chair). The next thing they noticed was that the weight hanging from the derrick was 100,000 pounds less than it was supposed to be. Yes, ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS LESS. What happened to that extra 100,000 pounds? Well, it twisted off and fell down to the very bottom.

The next six days were a relaxing time for me. The tools that I am in charge of are literally screwed into the drill bit, so they would be the very last items to reach surface. The rest of the rig was in a flurry of activity, however, as they tried fishing out the tools again and again with various fishing assemblies.

The very last thing they tried was a "freepointer gun" which was lowered down via wireline. It used blasting charges to cut the drilling assembly in half, and then we were able to successfully fish the top half out. They were hopeful that they could then fish the bottom half out, being lighter for the lack of 2000 feet of drillpipe, but after six days at the bottom of the hole the drill bit may as well have grown roots; it was not to be budged.

1.3 of those 1.5 million dollars is the high-tech equipment that my company is now short. I'm currently working with my manager on the bill for the client, and it's going to be a doozy.

Gone Fishin'

Errata: I have recently published false information. In an earlier posting, I mentioned that fishing off of the oil rigs was no longer allowed. This information was mistaken, for as it turns out, the rig I am on has taken out a license so that any of the employees are free to fish when they are not on shift.

So I have spent some time during my current hitch watching the rig crew as they fished the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and I would just like to say that I will never again dismiss fishing as "not really a sport". The sort of fishing that goes on out here is athletic, challenging, and just as likely to cause some sort of tennis elbow-like injury as "real" sports.

Standing by the railings on the edge of the rig, you can see pale shadows in the water. These are barracudas circling around. They feed on the food scraps that the kitchen throws overboard, and sometimes they get a bite out of whatever booty is being hauled up at the end of the line. Once a barracuda was inadvertently snagged on the hook. He was able to free himself before being hauled up to the deck, but was so dazed when he hit the water again that he was quickly devoured by the more alert neighboring barracudas.

Farther out and deeper in the water are the yellowfin tuna. These are the prizes that most of the fishermen out here are after, and they are large and fast and hard to catch. I haven't witnessed anyone successfully reel in one of these guys, but the directional driller who recently went home took about 30lbs of tuna fillets that he had frozen after hauling them in.

Yum. Puts me in the mood for sushi.