At Sound and Sea to Maine: Sun Soaked Skin and Rain Soaked Clothes.

Sunday July 5th

We woke at 7am instead of the 8am I was told and so I blindly stumbled my way up to breakfast. We broke down all the touring signs and sea stowed the ship. We quickly got under way and shouted goodbyes to our French comrades as we slid past them and out into the Hudson. Poor winds and so we motored down around the Southern tip of Manhattan and threw up some staysails as we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.

There are more bridges across the East River than I ever thought necessary and we crossed them all on our way to Long Island Sound. As we made it into the Southern reaches of the Sound we got a fair wind and threw up out topsails along with our staysails. What a beautiful day; 10-15 knots of breeze, the water of the sound as calm as bathwater, and a warm sun. During the afternoon we killed the engines and generator for a couple hours and sailed along the Sound in blissful silence, a gentle creak in the rigging.

For work party we continued painting everything red and we had a wonderful watch. Dave the passenger got assigned to our watch and as my shadow. It was great having someone alongside who was ready to work and interested in what we were doing. The man pushed me aside and did the dishes from dinner in the galley, earning him a special place in my heart.

The captain wants to anchor at night during our transit and, like in the film around cape horn, drop the anchor the second the sun drops below the horizon. So we sailed over to our anchorage and anchored by sail, which is quite a big a deal for a square rig ship. We luffed up into the breeze, backed the topsails and began our backwards run all the while bracing the sails to keep ourselves right.

At the dwindling end of our watch we got the call to take up and furl sail. With only two watches on deck it took a while, but I was quite happy to climb aloft and work away with the twilight on the sound. After our watch eventually got off duty, some hour and twenty minutes late, we found a new pile of dishes in the galley. Being from dinner they were rightfully ours to clean and so we began to clean them. However, as some of the other crew figured out what the situation was, they shoed us off to our bunks and took over washing the dishes. I was touched by this camaraderie, shipmates looking out for each other, and most of all after 13+ hours on deck I was damn grateful for my bunk.

Monday July 6th,

Six short hours of sleep later I was awoken for my anchor watch. I sluggishly, and with great effort, got out of bed and on deck. After relieving the previous anchor watch I pulled open my eyes and took a look at my surroundings. In the east the blue outreaches of the rising sun struggled over the horizon and a wistful, nearly full, harvest moon retreated to the mountains in the west. All my tiredness vanished and I grabbed the binoculars and watched the moon recede, reaching a nearly blood red crescendo as it sank behind the hills of Long Island.

At 5am I awoke the next anchor watch and went to rest in my bunk for 45 minutes. As I was one of the two of our watch that awoke for anchor watch I voted the two sleepers to flake anchor chain. So, we weighed anchor and motored off on our way. At 8am we were relieved from our watch I nearly skipped to my bunk. I slept hungrily until noon, ate lunch, and got on deck for the all hands capstan meeting at 12:45. The captain talked for a bit and then suddenly threw an orange overboard for a man overboard drill. Everyone performed well and the orange was saved from its watery grave, only to meet a more terrible fate of the captain’s stomach.

The captain gave the call to set all our sails and so we gratefully sprung aloft. I went straight for the main royal, the highest sail on the ship, and unfurled it alone. At the royal I basked in the sun of yet another beautiful day, took a deep breath, and laughed with pure joy. We got all the sails dropped and sheeted home. A tower of canvas, we were now past Long Island Sound and now in the Atlantic yet again.

We painted red again with what little  work party we had left. We took the deck at 4pm and I greatly enjoyed cruising along the coast off Rhode Island. Around 7pm the captain decided the light was right and one of our crew set out in the inflatable with a passenger who is a professional photographer equipped with every ones’ cameras in a bag. For over an hour this dedicated individual circled the ship and took many incredible photos.

Dave the passenger and I had a great time on the helm for two hours as we neared Buzzard’s Bay and Martha’s Vineyard. After the inflatable came on board we continued on until the sun set, our anchor again splashing into the sea as the sun slipped down. As a treat to the crew (and the weather allowing it) the captain did not make us furl all our sails as tomorrow he plans to have us drop all our sail as we sail past Martha’s Vineyard. Some of the  more foolish members of the crew decided to go for a swim, my watch got relieved and headed straight below for some well deserved sleep.

As I stood at the top of our little wooden city and reveled in my joy, I was struck at how this life is nearly bipolar in nature. Sweat pouring down my face as I scrape, paint, and sand, I will nearly curse my very existence and the next minute I can be on top of the world, wishing to be no where else. I suppose the very hard labor and long hours this job requires help make those incredible moments all the more incredible. All in all, like a lot of things in life, the moments of joy stand out in my mind and wash away the hours of toil.

At the end of the day, when I get in my bunk, just before I pass out, with the whole day’s events swirling in my mind I am extremely grateful to be here and to have this opportunity. If the ship demands my blood and sweat, so be it, it is but a small price to pay for this wondrous experience.

Tuesday July 7th

I awoke at 6am to the boom of our fog horn and came on deck to find low visibility with water dripping from the rigging. As I got the privilege of sleeping in until 6 I got the privilege of flaking anchor chain. We didn’t have much out and it didn’t take long. During our watch the fog started to lift as we passed Martha’s Vineyard somewhere off to starboard.

We came through Buzzard’s Bay and near the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal spotted a pair of schooners rafted together. As we came a little closer everyone got excited as they recognized the pair of French Navy Topsail Schooners we last saw on the North shore of Bermuda. Etoil and Bellepoule came on deck and gave us hearty waves and did the same.

We came into the channel for the Cape Cod Canal and suddenly the land was very close. Fishing boats came over to wave hello and we went into the canal that cut through the west end of Cape Cod. We motored right past people’s backyards and hearing a highway from the fore deck was a real trip. I decided to give up some sleep and stay on deck during our trip through the canal. I enjoyed my mini tour of the Cape Cod Countryside. Once I saw the end of the canal and its bland finish I went down to my bunk and slept until lunch.

Cookie, our crewmate, once former and now part time cook, made quesadillas and Mexican side dishes for lunch. Man do I miss Mexican food! That was my first Mexican food probably since I left California, potentially the longest time in my life I have gone between eating Mexican food.

Came on deck to some rain and got to work wiring shut some shackles on the foremast. I volunteered for the everything on the royal yard, told to do expect to do 2 I did 5. One of which was at the truck (very tip top)of the mast, so I had to stand on top of the royal yard in the wind, rain, and slight swell and do a job that sometimes required two hands. I was of course clipped in, but it tested my nerves.

After the work was done we all went aloft to furl sails and straighten up a few others. The rain started coming down pretty hard and the hands were pretty spread out furling sails, so we were wet and tired when lightning coming on forced us out of the rig. After it passed, and I got on better foul weather gear, we returned to the rig and finished furling sails. By the time we finished furling we were already past our watch.

I did boat checks with our hard working passenger Dave and Dan held the helm so I could shovel my mouth with food. When I was done I came on deck as we passed the Boston lighthouse and I took the helm to our anchorage among the islands southeast of Boston. After we dropped anchor and straightened up the ship we watched the parade of tall ships coming into Boston. I helped finish our watch’s chores and went to my bunk.

Wednesday July 8th

Woke up for anchor watch at 5am and raised anchor around 7am. We motored into Boston harbor proper with a few staysails up and found our way to the pier East of the USS Constitution. The captain brought us in slick as can be and we docked up. I was sad to see to our passengers go, and they had to leave quickly as their was a very upset gentleman on the pier enquiring who gave us permission to dock here.

We got the passengers disembarked and the captain gave us an hour to tour the constitution, be back at 10am he said. The Constitution was built in the early 1800s, saw action in the War of 1812, and is now the oldest warship still in service afloat. We ran over and a guard told us that the ship opened at 10am. We told him our story and he said it was impossible. Naturally, we said we  would like to speak to his superior. Since she is still a commissioned warship, the Navy is in control of her and there is a lot of security. So after the request ran through the chain of command, and some of the crew had given up and gone to the museum, a man came through the gate and asked “was it you guys who wanted a tour?” Our crew came sprinting from the museum and we got a great personal tour of the beautiful ship. A very brief tour and we ran back to the ship and threw off out docklines.

The captain brought her out so nicely from a tough space that I heard several mutterings of astonishment on shore. Quickly we were out in the Atlantic once again. With the weather system coming through there was a mean little sea worked up. In the afternoon during work hours I was sent to the main royal to do some work and boy was I in for it. I took my time getting up as I swayed some 5-8 ft back and forth when we hopped swell. I got part of my work done and began to feel sick. Utterly defeated I came back down to a lower level and continued to work for a while. We worked on a few other projects and our watch took the deck.

During the afternoon we saw a few whales and one that just stayed in one spot bashing its tail, fluking I believe it’s called. Things got very cool at sea and before I went to sleep after my watch I layed out my cold weather gear.

Thursday July 9th

Woke up for watch and put on nearly all my gear I had got with the crossing in mind. I came on deck bundled up and stood my first hour of watch at the helm contemplating how much more cold weather gear I was going to get in Halifax. The sunrise was beautiful with a crimson band across the horizon and the weather beginning to clear.

The captain said the hill we were beginning to see in the distance is the entrance to the river to Bath, Maine. So, being way ahead of schedule, we hove to (a sailing position that keeps the boat still, only being moved by the current) and drifted. I stood watch until 7am and then went and slept until a little after 10am.

I came on deck to see where we were and was struck, jaw dropped and eyes wide, by being surrounded by the beautiful forests of Maine on the Kennebec River. I stayed on the deck until I was officially called on deck just watching the beautiful riverside, forest, and old homes. Our docking went as pretty as can be and we got the ship ready for tours and a coastguard inspection.

A regular passenger named Bill met the boat and lent us his jeep. So, before dinner we started walking to town a couple miles away and Frank the cook came rolling up in the jeep and offered us a ride. This was the first time I had ridden in a car since I left Florida. We did a quick driving tour of downtown Bath and came back to the boat for dinner. After dinner I just laid on deck in the sun, as we were hooked up to shore power we had no generators, just the fountain sound of our A/C units circulating water. I soaked up the sun and listened to the river, the wind in the trees and the chirping of birds.

I shaved to look presentable to civilization and got a ride from Frank to the Irish pub downtown where all the crew was gathering. We had a great night drinking, singing along with the Irish folk singer who knew some sea shanties. I bought a cheap bottle of port at a grocery store and sent it around when we got back to the ship. I think at the end of the night I had about a glass of the bottle before it was passed back with a little sloshing about the bottom.