Drilling

Claim 1

APPARATUS TO FACILITATE OPERTIONS SUCH AS DRILLING AND WORKING IN A WELL IN A FORMATION UNDERLYING A BODY OF WATER COMPRISING A FLOATING VESSEL, MEANS FOR KEEPING THE VESSEL OVER THE VICINITY OF THE WELL, A GENERALLY UPRIGHT SO THE UPPER END OF THE CONDUCTOR TERMINATES AT THE VESSEL, A CASING IN THE UPPER END OF THE WELL, MEANS SECURING THE CASING TO THE FORMATION, RELEASABLE COUPLING MEANS FOR SEALING THE LOWER END OF THE CONDUCTOR TO THE CASING TO FORM A CONTINUOUS CONDUIT BETWEEN THE WELL AND THE VESSEL, AN ELONGATED GUIDE MEMBER EXTENDING DOWN FROM THE VESSEL THROUGH THE CONDUCTOR AND INTO THE CASING, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE GUIDE MEMBER IN A GENERALLY UPRIGHT POSITION, MEANS FOR LOWERING OR RAISING THE CONDUCTOR WITH RESPECT TO THE CASING TO MOVE IT INTO OR OUT OF SEALING POSITION WITH THE CASING WHILE THE GUIDE MEMBER IS DISPOSED IN THE CASING TO CONSTRAIN AND GUIDE THE CONDUCTOR, AND REMOTE CONTROL MEANS EXTERNAL OF THE CONDUCTOR FOR RELEASING THE COUPLING MEANS FROM THE WATER SURFACE TO PERMIT THE CONDUCTOR AND CASING TO BE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER SO THE CONDUCTOR CAN BE RAISED FROM THE CASING WHILE THE GUIDE MEMBER IS IN THE CASING.