It is a dirty job.........

Today started with a blocked toilet! How nice!
As far as i can remember the toilet in my cabin has always been a bit temperamental, you always need to give it a good flush to make sure it doesn't block. Unlike the toilet at home there is no cistern so the flush handle just releases water into the toilet bowl for as long as you hold it. Also this ship was built in Holland so many of the fittings are Dutch so aren't easy to source in the UK. Hence the unusual toilet itself. Although the waste pipe is at the back of the toilet( like in UK) the hole in the toilet is at the front of the toilet bowl. Basically we can't just nip down B&Q and get a replacement.
After noticing the toilet bowl was filling but not emptying I sighed a big sigh and held my breath whilst using the toilet brush as a plunger to try and unblock said toilet quickly followed by a bucket of water. Alas this did no good so I thought, ' I know I'll go and speak with the Bosun, he'll know what to do!!'

On a Merchant Navy ship the bosun is in charge of the deck crew,like a foreman ashore, he usually has many years experience and as a Chief Officer he is your right hand man really. If anything needs doing you speak to the bosun. To have a good reliable bosun makes my job a lot easier! My bosun is brilliant, I've known him since I was a new trainee about 15 years ago. He has been on this ship for many years and knows it inside out.
So Bosun came up and had a look and then we went and had a chat about the best way to unblock the toilet. He had, I should mention, not long left my bathroom after fixing the sink back firmly in place. I did suggest that perhaps the previous occupant had been sitting on the sink, perhaps because his toilet was blocked :)

Then the 2nd and 3rd engineers came up from below ( from the Engine Room) and they joined in the rather strange conversation on how best to unblock my toilet!
Anyway it seems that the 3rd engineer (Mr 3E) was destined at an early point in his life to become a plumber. His father was a plumber and so was he, until he ran away and joined the Royal Navy. Years later, he's in the Merch and is obviously THE man for the job. He positively relishes the fact and gets to work with long red rubber gloves and a long piece of wire.
Within a matter of minutes, the 'problem' is solved and the toilet is once again flushing freely! I thank Mr 3E again and again, happy that I can now use the toilet again :) and all without a £50 callout charge!

Needless to say I shall keep an eye on what goes in to my toilet and flush accordingly! I have also put in an order for a new toilet and pipe work as this problem will reoccur at some point.
It only remains to be seen whether the job is agreed.