Sail Jacksonville Festival: Pouring Sweat Under Really Pretty Clouds

Thursday May 28th – Jacksonville, Florida

The morning before we left St. Augustine we hit a really cool museum and then headed out for Jacksonville. As we crossed the bridge over the St. Johns river I saw the Bounty for the first time and I just felt happy. I introduced myself to some of the crew while they were loading food and Aunt Laurie, Uncle John and I  went straight aboard for a quick tour. The ship has more amenities than any apartment I’ve had the last four years! Alongside the normal stuff there’s Heat/AC, washer/dryer, community computer, and my favorite: and icemaker!

After the tour Laurie and John left. Thank you guys so much for an awesome vacation and making life so much simpler by taking me to Jacksonville! I threw my gear down in my bunk and when given the choice of unpacking and working, I opted to start working: scraping odd the old paint on lifeline posts. Fun, but a thunderstorm cut work short and we got let off duty early. I went with a group to the Hyatt's pool and Sauna and had a great time. Then I came back to the boat, unpacked, and  hung out with people. I also played cribbage with my new roommate Jesse, who was pretty drunk at this point and yet still counted his hand faster than me. So far I really like everybody as well as the feel of the crew and ship.

Friday May 29th

My Cabin:

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First night on the boat was a bit rough, sinus infection is bothering me again and I was up a lot during the night. I woke up at 7:00 am ready for the day and was on work party until 4:00pm. I spent the day scraping and painting the lifeline posts, the kind of bottom rung of the ladder I was expecting. I've been assigned to starboard watch. There are two watches on the boat when in the ship is docked so that only half the crew has to work at a time. So Port watch had to do tours tonight. I'm excited to do tours, but I am not looking forward to all the “pirate” questions. After I got off work I went with a couple of the guys to $1 beer happy hour, had a few beers and then came back to the ship for dinner which was great. The Bounty crew has been invited on to another boat for a short shorts party. Although I would really have liked to go, I opted out to rest and make sure I get rid of this damn sinus infection right quick. I want to be in top shape at sea. I am so excited to get under way!

Saturday May 30th

Second night on the boat was great. I slept well, woke up to calls and noises a couple times, but went right back to sleep. I woke up ready for the day and helped Shane put a a new bow line on and then the tours began. We had 4,891 tour the boat today. I had fun despite the heat. Most people were super polite, excited to be here, and learn. My knowledge of the boat and its history was tested and I learned some new things. I’m not sure when the novelty of it will wear off, but for now I really liked it.

After work I went on a hunt for a grocery store for a couple things and using directions from the Hyatt people I went to a super shady mini mart with bullet proof glass and was accosted by 5 people going into the store. So I hightailed it back to the ship and went to a party the Sail Jacksonville Festival promoters were putting on for the crew. There was food and 2 free drinks. The sailors figured out pretty quick that if they came back in half an hour with different shirts they could get 2 more free drinks. I

hung out with some of the Bounty crew and crew from other ships, mostly Pride of Baltimore II, on a deck with a live band. We listened to the music, enjoyed an awesome fireworks display that made us nervous about the proximity to the ships. After enough ill gotten drinks we danced and when that closed down we went to a nearby bar where our presence was known and had a great time with some awful punk bands.

Sunday May 31st

Today is first day off and I’m pretty excited. I woke up early and did the ships rigging check. So I got assigned a harness and climbed aloft. Today I went to the crosstrees (4/5 to the Mast tip) and enjoyed the view. My heart was pumping pretty good but I was very thankful for being fit and having gotten a little experience going aloft on the Lady Washington.

I walked around the festival and toured the other vessels. Pride of Baltimore II is a beautiful Topsail Schooner (See photo album), but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for all that brightwork (varnished wood). I hung around for the “Pirate Battle” which was pretty cool. Dan the gunner got thumped out a few good ones with the ship’s 4 four pound cannon. All the other ships sailed and motored around us and yahoos of all types in pirate garb abounded. A few were even allowed on the Bounty and they fired their pistols and had a grand time.

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Tomorrow we are continuing for Bermuda. I am so excited for so many things! There is the sailing of the ship which will be beautiful. There’s seeing the stars at sea, the weather at sea, and all the wildlife.  Wish us luck!

My Bags Are Packed, I’m Ready To Go…

My last few days in Fresno were a real treat.  I spent much of my time with my family and getting myself ready to go. I received a lot of very generous and thoughtful gifts for Graduation, as well as many kind wishes. My friends came out in force and gave me more than one wonderful night to remember.

On my last day at home, Sunday May 24th, with my bags packed and lying next to the door, my parents and my brother, who came up from LA, went sailing on Huntington Lake. We had a great time tacking up the lake and winging it back down all the while reveling in the trees, fresh air, and snow drifts lingering on shore.

I slept for four hours before my flight and which were thankfully uneventful. I started getting excited as we flew over the Gulf of Mexico and a very lively thunderstorm welcomed me to Orlando, Florida. My Aunt Laurie and Uncle John picked me up from the airport and took me to their house where I very gratefully caught up on sleep. The next day Aunt Laurie and I bummed around the Universal themeparks and I had a great  maitai during that day’s thunderstorm next to a waterfall at a nifty hotel, where we ate dinner.

Wednesday we left early for St. Augustine, the oldest permanent European settlement in North America, founded in 1565. I enjoyed the thick growth along the road and marveled how anyone ever traveled by land across this state. St. Augustine is a really cool city, though touristy, it has a lot of history.  Sir Francis Drake burned the city in 1586 and it was attacked and changed hands numerous times. The fort built in the early 1700s was really interesting and gave a wonderful view of the area. I am writing this entry as today’s thunderstorm passes and we get ready to hit another museum. What a beautiful city this is.

Tomorrow we leave St. Augustine and I am continuing to Jacksonville; where I board the Bounty and my adventure begins!

Leaving the city by the bay…

If you could pack my four years in San Francisco into a week, it would be damn close to my last week in the city. A sprinkling of finals throughout the wonderful food, friends, drinking,  frustrated parking, sailing, wind-driven fog, surfing, MUNI failure, and indian summers amidst awe-inspiring views.

My brother Blake came on Monday to visit and we sailed through raccoon straits and anchored in Sausalito on Tuesday. Wednesday we trekked down the coast to a little cove outside Santa Cruz to find some fun waves sheltered from the howling  breeze. Thursday I dined with  Laura at a touristy restaurant on pier 39, but the real feast was the fog swirled sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Muni took twice as long as it should there and half as long back.

Friday I took a final I had no need to study for and gave away all my furniture on Craigslist (traded a chair for beer). Saturday during our indian summer I went sailing with Ocean Mat out of pier 39 and docked at Angel Island (without getting hunted down and fined by a ranger). Went from hot on the dock to shivering on the water to broiling as we hiked the island. We cooled off for good after anchoring on the leeward side of the island and swimming to the old immigration station. We sailed back in white caps amidst dolphins.

Sunday I went surfing at my favorite hidden surf break behind a grocery store; scored a few good waves. Got finished washing and putting my gear away and got the call to go surfing with Ocean Mat at Ocean Beach. I scored even better waves and even worse sunburn. Monday I had delicious pesto pizza with Laura on Haight Street and laughed until my sides hurt while drinking with Josh, David, Audrey, and Estevan.

Tuesday I packed, cleaned and left town with my truck looking like it was 1932 and I was heading out to “Californie”.

 

Check out this interactive map feature, let’s see if it works.

“I am continuing…”

Four wonderful years in San Francisco have come to a close. I had a blast making friends and memories while I worked on my Bachelors degree in History at San Francisco State University. My jobs teaching sailing at Lake Merced and for Treasure Island Sailing Center were unforgettable experiences. I will miss the city and the Bay, but I will always carry with me the lessons I have learned and the experiences I have shared with the people I met.

I am continuing on to live out a dream. Beginning May 28th I will begin my 6 month contract as a deckhand on the historic sailing ship HMS Bounty.  This blog will serve as my journal, as well as a way of keeping in touch and sharing my experiences with my friends and family. 

Wish me luck!