re: Navy guys: how do you fill your down time?

I was a Nuke MM. I served late 80's to early 90's on a SSN, a SSBN, and a CGN. Underway life back then was different than what I've read from some posts from my fellow bubbleheads who served after me. Underway on a fast boat with limited berthing afforded you the opportunity to "hot rack". We worked either 2,3,or 4 section at sea or in port depending on manpower. I remember pulling into Hallifax Nova Scotia and having enough people qualed to go four section in port. They even put us up in hotels. We went in early and stayed for 7 days. Underway I was 6 and 6 until you got the nub qualified and could go three section. Normally it was 6 hrs watch followed by 6 hours training/drills and if you were lucky they would throw in 6 hrs of field day or maintenance. So the limited free time I would work on quals or watch a movie or play cards on mess deck. Now the boomer was a luxury liner compared to the fast boat. I had a rack and a locker to myself. The skimmers can't complain at all. That was living. Four section watch all the time and you got to go topside and see the sun! BTW forward pukes weren't brave enough to wander aft and spend much time in engineering spaces on the boats I was on. Especially while we were back in Groton and having a bad day. It usually led to someone getting EB greened to the bulkhead!