A Fortunate Life

Today, I am fortunate enough to find myself  working on an Oil Platform on Sakhalin Island and would like to share my observations of life in the remote regions of the world. Sakhalin Island is located North of Japan, off the East Coast of Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk. Nearly 1000kms long and 170km at the widest point, this island has quite a history and it’s inhabitation dates back to the Neolithic Stone Age. But the real story starts around 1679 with a colonization attempt by the Japanese. A treaty between Russia and China made no mention of ownership over the island so the Russians began to occupy it from the North with an Army made up of convicts from the 18th Century onwards. Japan settled from the South and this was the start of the disagreements over ownership of the island.
When I first started working on the mainland 3 years ago, it was an absolute mission to get to site. I was working at the DeKastri Terminal and after landing in Khabarovsk, we would spend 18 hours in the back of one of these Kamaz trucks. Have a look at this video that I took during one of the quite moments.

Thankfully, I was later moved onto the Orlan Platform which is found off the North Eastern coast of sakhalin Island. After landing at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport, you get your first glimpse of what is in stall. 300 people all trying to be processed thru 2 desks at immigration can have you waiting for up to an hour and you better make sure all your documents are in order or you have the Russian Authorities to deal with. Once out of the airport and on route to your hotel, you can’t help but wonder where on earth you are. The time warp sends you back to the 1930’s or 1940’s with old dilapidated concrete buildings surrounded by run down timber houses. Some have burnt down, others just fell apart and were never rebuilt but it makes you wonder how they live in these conditions thru the chilling winter months. I guess that’s what the Vodka is for. A drive thru town shows more of the same. Recent years and the influx of money from the Oil Industry is now starting to transform Yuzhno into a bustling city. Sakhalin has always lacked in services and infrastructure. Massive holes in the roads made some of them impassable by a standard car and power and water interruptions were a frequent occurrence. I’ve seen picture’s of power line towers that have frozen into 30ft towers of ice and simply collapse under the enormous weight. But now we can see some money going back into infrastructure. The roads are being re-sealed and curbs and a few traffic lights can be found in the city. Power lines are being replaced and new buildings are being built. New hotels, office blocks and shopping centers can now be seen all over the city and you get the feeling the momentum is building as well. After a comfortable night at the Strawberry Hills Hotel, Pacific Plaza or Mega Palace (to name just a few) you head for the train station and await the 14 hour train journey up to Nogliki. With the first railway line being built on Sakhalin Island in 1906 by the Japanese, you can’t help but wonder if this is it. I’m sure I could walk faster than this! But in the winter months you wouldn’t dare as the temperature can reach below -40’C. The boiler bubbles away in the corner of the carriage, pumping hot air thru the cabins and making us sweat. It’s a slow rocking motion and you wonder if you’ll ever get there. But you always do. For us oil workers, Nogliki is the helicopter Hub of  Northern Sakhalin. Housing the helicopters for Sakhalin Energy and Exxonmobil, it is the point where we catch a helicopter out to the platform. My flight is about 40 minutes North, overland to Chayvo and then another ten minutes out to sea to the Orlan platform. But as usual, it’s all about the weather. If the wind is too strong then the helicopters won’t fly. If it’s from the south, they won’t fly. If the cloud level is to low they won’t fly and we are left to stay at Nogliki Camp (aka Prison Camp). But when we do fly, it great. A Mil-8 Helicopter flies us out to the platform where we are greated with huge smiles and handshakes from the friends we haven’t seen for the last month. So, from leaving the UK four days ago, I now find myself ready for another month of “Ground Hog Day”.

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Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is quite simply one of my greatest childhood memories.

A Brief History

British and Dutch navigators first included the island on their charts in the early seventeenth century, and Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company vessel, the Royal Mary, named the island when he arrived on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643. Located approximately 2600kms NW of Perth in Western Australia and 300Kms from Indonesia, it is officially an Australian Territory, with a population of approximately 1493 people (as of 2006). But this was not always the case. At Australia’s request, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty to Australia; in 1957, when the Australian government paid the government of Singapore £2.9 million in compensation, a figure based mainly on an estimated value of the phosphate forgone by Singapore. Phosphate was the islands predominant income and was regularly sold to the Asian markets, when trade began back in the early 1890s. The mine was later closed by the Australian Government in 1987 and the island lost it’s primary source of income. Since then, several ventures have been made and proposed . In 1993 a prestigious Casino was built to lure in clients from all over the world, but  was later closed in 1998 and never re-opened. There was later talks of a Spaceport being built, which luckily never eventuated and it now finds itself a springboard to some of the Immigration issues between Asia and Australia.

An Island Playground

I was fortunate enough to have spent 3 years of my childhood there from 1980 to 1983 and can remember vividly the true spirit of this beautiful place. The smooth pebble beach at Flying Fish Cove and the Satay Sticks at the Boat Club. Following my Dad around the Golf Course and going exploring through the jungle on the weekends. But the most vivid part of the whole 3 years would have to be the Red Crabs. They were absolutely everywhere during the migration season. On the roads, in the parks, in your classroom and in your house. The roads were literally RED from the millions of crabs that were trying to get to the beach for the annual migration. It was simply impossible to avoid them and playing golf was always a laugh because we would often have to move the ball to play it. Here’s a great video that I recently found that gives a funny outlook of the annual migration that has been called one of the wonders of the natural world^[7]

Because the island was uninhabited until the late 19th Century and the fact that 63% is now National Park, Christmas Island is considered to be of immense scientific value. The dense tropical jungles provide a home to many rare and endangered species of animals and of the 135 plant species found in the world,  sixteen are only found on Christmas Island. The Island wildlife is simply incredible. I remember spending nights on the beach, watching the Green Turtles lay their eggs in the sand and later when they hatched, we would see them all scrambling down to the water for safety. We would explore the jagged limestone cliffs, looking for bird life and aquatic animals to satisfy our curiosity.  We were always out exploring somewhere. Camping on remote beaches and running through the jungle playing games. As children, we were free to express ourselves in a safe and exotic environment. It was a place of family fun, sports and lifestyle and they are memories that I will never forget.

To travel to Christmas Island, I believe there are still two flights per week. These leave from either Perth in Western Australia or from Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines. The tourism industry is really starting to grow, as people discover the many different activities available on the island. Diving, fishing and surfing are all becoming popular island sports and the camping, 4×4 and hiking environments are simply incredible. It is a brilliant place with a lot of character and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Yours truly,

Stuart Ginbey

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One of the best times of my life so far, was when my wife Lizzie and I traveled to Tanzania in Africa to do some voluntary work for 7 months with an organization called SPW (Student Partnerships Worldwide). This trip was incredible! We were living in a very remote village that was 4 hours drive from the nearest road with hardly any facilities. The village was fortunate enough to have running water which was piped in a few years previous, but apart from that it was very basic. We lived on rice, pumpkin leaves and ground nuts and that was pretty much it. The village was called Iringa and we were placed with some Tanzanian volunteers to aid with communication.

Our aim was to help the locals with an education that would change their lives and we were determined to make a difference. Reality was a very different story though. AIDS, poverty, disease, alcoholism (a local brew called Ulansi – made from sugar cane) all created an average life span of about 40 yrs, if that! We found ourselves getting very frustrated. There we were, pumped up and ready to make a difference. Determined, so that they didn’t have to live like this anymore. Yet the biggest part of the whole trip, was sitting back one day and just watching them go about their business. Yes they were living short lives in really poor conditions, but most of them were happy. Everyday, I would see them walking around with a great big African smile yet I couldn’t understand why. Looking back now, I can see that the ‘why’ was never about them. It was about me. Why couldn’t I see that life is not about working hard, but enjoying the moments that we have. We are all going to do it hard. Some more than others. But it’s our mindset that determines our quality of life.

Yours truly,
Stuart Ginbey

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When I was a child at the age of 6 years old, my family moved to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, to live for 3 yrs. This was such a fantastic stage of my life, as it was incredibly fun and adventurous to say the least. We were always outdoors going off on crazy little adventures and on the weekends, my Dad would take us off into the jungle to explore the remotest parts of the island. One day, an Australian Navy boat came into port and it just happened to be one of the boats that my father used to work on so we were allowed on board to have a look around and meet up with some of his old friends. This was incredibly exciting to me as we were shown around the engine rooms and later through the cabins and galley.

In the following weeks, I would picture myself sailing around the world and going to some of the remotest places on the globe. I used to imagine what it was like to go to Antarctica and the North Pole and have the craziest thought’s of being a polar explorer. As, I later grew up, the same thoughts were always in the back of my mind. In 1994 when I finished my apprenticeship as an airconditioning engineer I applied for work in Antarctica. Sadly, and quite comically, my application was rejected as they felt they didn’t need airconditioning engineers where it was so cold. Funnily enough I now find myself working in Eastern Russia where last winter it was -35′C. But the point of my story is that I have recently moved to Somerset in the UK and low and behold, in the next village to where I live, is the South West head quarters for the ICE WARRIOR team. For some reason this polar theme has come back into my life again and I live for the day that this dream will one day be fulfilled. Ice warrior is a scientific project led by Jim and Lori McNeill. They are fully supported by Julian Morgan as operations manager and a team of dedicated staff who are helping to gather research data on global warming. They also realize that like myself, many people want to visit the Polar regions and they have devised a way to achieve both goals at the same time.

“In this modern age, our discoveries are more about subjects such as the reality of global climate change, changes to flora, fauna and topography and as we come across these experiences we deliver them into the many homes, schools and businesses that follow us.

These are truly life-changing experiences and demonstrate that with the right attitude, preparation and training, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things; like walk to the North Poles.”

Unfortunately, at the moment, the timing is not quite right for me to go on such an expedition. But I know, that deep down, one day soon, I will. In preparation of keeping this goal in focus, I have recently joined the Langport Runners Club. I am certainly not built like a runner so by stepping out of my comfort zone, I have decided to work on my fitness and try to maintain a level that will help me when the time arrives.

Once again the North Pole is a personal goal. It is listed on my goal poster at home and I know that it is something that I will focus on in the next 5 years. For what ever reasons these thoughts have come back into my life, it is a great reminder to me that I need to take daily action to achieving my goals. Life is about adventure and the fun that you have. Living your dreams and the smile on your face. For me, getting to the North Pole, is a childhood dream. One that I always thought impossible.  I guess deep down, I never really believed I would ever get to the North Pole, but now a very achievable solution has presented itself.

Soon, when the time is right, I will make the commitment to this achievement. Obviously, there are a lot of other factors to consider, like time and money, family commitments and fitness levels. But these will not be excuses to stop me from achieving a goal. Just things that need to be managed as part of the journey.

I once dreamed of being a polar explorer and now that reality is just a mile down the road!

Take care and have a most outstanding day.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart.

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When I had finished school after year 12, I needed to earn some money before starting my apprenticeship. I decided to go to work on the Prawn Trawlers up north of Australia between Darwin in the Northern Territory and Weepa in Queensland. We were out at sea for Tiger season which was 7 months long and Banana season which went for a further 2 months. It was honestly the hardest job I have ever done in my life. Banana season was flat out. We worked 24 hrs a day and basically the harder and faster we worked, the more chance we would have of getting 20minutes sleep between the nets being brought up. Having said that, it was fun, very lively and the pay was great.

One experience I will never forget is the day I was bitten by a Sea Snake. It was the luckiest day of my life. We had been catching hundred of snakes over the past few months and simply put a shovel over their head, grab them by the tail and flick them back out to sea. No worries. Job done! this time however was different. I was bringing up the Tri Gear ( a small net to show how much we were catching). I through the grapple over and hooked the net. Pulled it in and spilled it’s contents into the basket that I had at my feet. The problem was it had a sea snake in it. This thing was going nuts. Bouncing off the walls and getting really agitated. So I knelt down, slowly took aim and with two fingers grabbed him by the back of the head. The problem was I got him about a centimeter too low and he bend his head backward and bit me on the thumb. With blood on my hand, I was yelling to the deck crew to let them know I’d been bitten. People were running around everywhere not knowing what to do. We were hours from the nearest hospital and these guys kill in minutes. We washed my hand off,soaked it in Detol and they sat me down, watching for any signs that the venom was taking effect. Six crew all staring at me about 2 foot away from my face. But nothing happened. Not a single symptom. All I can say is that maybe he bit a fish in the net as I was pulling it up and emptied his fangs.

Either way I’m extremely grateful.

Life is good!
Stuart

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