Boring snoring...

Well, another decent nights sleep, but still no sign of anything happening anytime soon…More Russian blurb over the tanoy every now and then - Dinner is served or abandon ship, who knows!?

I fired up the GPS earlier on, it shows that we’re anchored inside a huge natural harbour created by a curved spit of land surrounding Turkmenbashi (AKA Krasnovodsk) port. We’re approximately 12km from land. This sheltered mooring helps explain why the sea is near enough dead calm now.

0900hrs - Ventured out of the cabin for a walk around the deck and to see what’s occurring. As usual the place is deserted. The canteen is shut, so there’s no chance of breakfast. Frustratingly the staff canteen upstairs seems to be working 24hrs a day, churning out plates full of delicious smelling food and fresh bread for the crew...

We had some of our field rations for lunch yesterday, so we’re now running low on supplies. Just a foil packet of chicken curry and one of lemon cake with custard left. Their quite tasty but not great when cold, we’re also down to one half litre bottle of water. Theres lots more on the car, but I’m not sure its possible to access the hold whilst at sea.

1200hrs- Two of the crew are fishing off the side of the boat, they can’t catch anything though. Not surprising seeing as the Caspian is one of the worlds most poluted waterways…

1300hrs - Bex made friends with an elderly Turkmen woman yesterday. Today we bumped into the lady again, she was waiting by the canteen doors which were still firmly shut - A large soup ladle jammed between the door handles on the inside. Our new friend was soon joined by four others, they were all hungry and decided it was time for the crew to get off their butts and open the canteen for us.

The lady disappears off shouting something, then returns smiling and gestures for us to come back in 15 minutes. We walk back to our cabin, shortly after she knocks at our cabin door and gestures its food time. Quite a result as we’re both starving.

We dine with five elderly Turkmen women, they organise an order of pasta with some form of unidentifiable protein on the top of it. Delicious though, I think it was tuna, or chicken, Bex put her money on either lamb or camel! Our friend explains that the kitchen are running low on food, seems this delay wasn’t expected.

The conversation comes around to payment for food. Well, I say conversation, but seeing as nobody understands English it’s the usual comedy charrades effort, which can be quite hard work at times. Apparently there is no payment, its supposed to be free…Just what I thought.

Managed to buy a bottle of soft drink to take back to our cabin, so we’re now on the “Gulustan” pear drink, which tastes like liquid pear drops. Hopefully we don’t have to spend another night on bored. Pun intended.

Our Turkmenistan guide has been waiting at the docks for us since yesterday at 9am, we have to pay $100 for each day she has to wait for us, so this delay could also prove quite costly.

1430hrs - Cabin fever. Man, I’m bored, bored, bored. Surely we cant be holed up in this ship for another night? It must be costing the operator quite a bit to keep it moored up offshore. The whisper quiet diesel generator is running day and night to supply power, and we were told earlier that the skeleton crew for the ship is a minimum of 30. So someone must be paying heavily for this delay….Hopefully they’re working to get it sorted.

1800hrs: Watch another DVD on the laptop then head outside for a wander. We bump into a sailor who confirms we will indeed be spending yet another night on the prison ship….AAggghhhhhh!!!! I call my dad on the satellite phone to inform him of the delay.

1900hrs: Back to the canteen for dinner and they’re definitely running out of food - We each get given a pile of boiled lentils with a small spoonful of mashed up meat on the top. Filling but not great….The Captain wanders into the room with one of the crew “Captain asks who you were speaking with on satellite phone?” I explain I was talking with my dad in England. The crew translates this to the Captain who gives me an old fashioned look. Without saying another word they both walk out of the room…