Thursday August 27th
Woke at 3:20am to a lurching ship and a forecast of “a little spray”. Understatement. With a building head sea and wind we had some spray reach the coarse yard and the forward half of the ship wet.Passenger Mary was assigned my shadow for the watch and we began on the helm. There were as many lights as I have ever seen on the sea or perhaps more. Container ships, navigation lights, oil rigs, and even a few of our fellow tall ships.
Even on the helm we got misted from the spray shooting up the bow. Slowly, during the watch all of us (including myself), but two, began to feel seasick in the short period, tall head seas. I haven’t really felt seasick since the Bermuda to New York transit. Which was the last time we had seas like this. Welcome to the North Sea I suppose.
Near the end of our watch we set all of our fore and aft sail (staysails, jib, and spanker), which was a rugged adventure. Bow spray kept showering us and while on the foredeck the ship lurched and dropped a few times so violently I found my feet off the ground while trying to haul on a flogging line. We eventually got it all done with a couple of almost-throwing-up-over-the-rail breaks.
After watch I went below, put on a seasickness patch (which should hopefully last until we reach the shelter of the coast) and went to sleep until lunch. I woke up feeling pretty good but deteriorated during work party which I spent on the main topgallant replacing gaskets. With about an hour left of work party and my task done I got permission to take a little nap before watch. I felt good for good when I woke up.
During watch things calmed down and warmed up with the sun shining nicely. It was a lovely watch, I stripped down to my t-shirt and basked in the weather. We set the main topsail and forecourse only to strike the maintop at the end of our watch, again staying on deck late; which was fine in this weather. The nasty weather is expected to hit sometime during our next watch in the AM. England just came in sight when we were on the yard furling, so hopefully that should give us some shelter from the forthcoming gale. Sleep time!
Friday August 28th
Three months on board! Three months may not seem like a lot, but to me it has felt like a lifetime. On one hand the days pass very quickly here, but it seems like I have been sailing for years.
Came on deck for watch to a very cold wind. I may even dare to say the coldest weather we’ve had yet as I was still chilled in my gear I wore across the Atlantic. The gale has certainly started and must be coming from the icy north. At the beginning of watch it was only about 20 knots.
Before our watch even took the deck we went aloft to furl the fore course in the driving spray and wind. Going aloft in weather like this doesn’t seem to bother me like it used to. We got it done fairly quickly and without incident. We reconvened at the capstan and took the deck. I took bow watch, but as I spent half the time turning away from torrential bow spray I convinced Caleb to let us do bow watch from mid-ships. I asked him ”As much as I like testing my foulies for leaks, could I move bow watch back?”.
I went below for boatcheck after that and on my idle position I got a little nap on the wooden benches on the ‘tween deck. When I awoke for my trick at the helm I came on deck to find the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon and tall white cliffs a few miles ahead.
I got on the helm and kept sailing right for the cliffs. As we got closer we let out a length of our anchor to find the bottom and when we did we dropped the rest, really quite close to the cliffs. Apparently we are on the English coast somewhere South of Scarborough. Our watch finished the anchoring and we went below to find crepes for breakfast (yay Cookie). After that I went straight to sleep.
So we made it to our shelter before the gale really hit and we will probably stay here anchored in the lee of the cliff until the worst of it is over. I am infinitely grateful we are not trying to slug it out at sea. The ship can’t go anywhere with 20 knots on the nose, let alone the 40 that is predicted.
After lunch I went to our normal capstan meeting and only Bill the engineer and I were there. We asked around and found out today is a Sunday. I immediately went to my bunk and back to sleep. About an hour later I was awoken to a call of all hands…to the bilges. There had been a diesel leak and we all had to go into the bilges to get it out. I was decidedly unhappy about this turn of events.
I stood my anchor watch later that evening, helped do dinner dishes, and after all that was done I traded movies and music with Adam. Since we were on anchor watch the next morning and wouldn’t be called until lunch at noon I stayed up late listening to music and watching movies.
Saturday August 29th
I stood my anchor watch from 5:45 to 6:45 and went back to sleep. Jesse (my bunkmate) turned on the light at 8am and I grunted to him to turn it off that I was trying to sleep. He replied “it’s work party today, time to get up. They tried to wake you a bunch of times”. I bolted upright and gave a series of expletives. “If anyone had said there was work party I wouldn’t have stayed up late. Communication people!” So grouchily I got up and went to work party.
I got assigned to the paint anchor chain and flake party. I offered to flake the chain since that seems to be everyone’s least favorite job and I was having a grouchy day anyway. So I crawled into the forepeak, over the starboard anchor chains (cursing the last person who had coiled it poorly making the already tight hatch even harder to get through, cleaned out the chain locker once all the chain was out, and flaked it as it came in.
Just before lunch I went to talk to the captain about taking some time off. Getting time off is not an easy thing on this ship. Firstly, there is our uncommonly uncertain schedule. Secondly, and most importantly, everyone always wants time off to go explore the places we visit. I had talked to the captain about taking time off from Delfzijl to our next stop, but the schedule was so uncertain I Couldn’t. So, again I broached the subject and, as easily as though I were asking for more paint, he said “sure”. The rest of the day I was walking on sunshine. I could have flaked all of our chain caked in mud twice over and been ready for more. I get time off!
Sunday August 30th
I was awoken at 5:20 and told our watch is getting the ship under way. I came on deck and the breeze had backed to the west/southwest. We planned to sail off of our anchor. We over-sheeted the spanker to windward with use of some block and tackle. Then we took up the anchor and when it left the bottom we set out jib and foretopmast staysail backwinded to kick our head downwind. We set the maintopsail, wore ship, and started heading North.
We set the foretopsail as well as the fore and main courses. B watch was going to take the deck in about 10 minutes and I half jokingly, between panting breaths from hauling both topsail halyards, said “I heard B watch was dying to set some sail, maybe we should leave some for them”, which was agreed by the rest of A watch.
The sun is out, warming up a bitterly cold day, and we are under sail heading the right direction. It’s a good day. When our watch was relieved I went below to my bunk and passed out until lunch.
We were eating lunch when we heard a helicopter coming by, getting very close, getting extremely close, and hovering next to the ship. We all left our plates and rushed on deck. An RAF (Royal Air Force) Rescue helicopter was hovering just behind us. We all waved to the crew and they hailed us on the radio. They were doing drills and asked if they could land a man on our ship!
Of course we said yes. To test things out they came in so close the wind coming off the rotors nearly blew me over, water spray everywhere. Young Mitch on the rig was seriously afraid for his life with the pictures to justify it. They backed off, got their man clipped in and lowered him over the water. Slowly they came close with the recue guy flying over the water like a B movie super hero.
Closer and closer they came and the man on the wire was below the cap rail where we couldn’t see him. Up he shot over the rail and landed on our quarter deck. He unclipped and I could see a big grin on his face. There was an outburst of applause and cheering from everyone on deck. The captain came forward and shook his hand and they chatted for a second. Cassie the purser brought up Bounty t-shirts and pins for him and the helicopter crew. He stuffed them in all the cargo pockets he had on his jump suit.
Some of the crew asked him questions and several of us jumped in for pictures. Just as quickly as he came the line came back over the quarter deck. He clipped in and off he went into the air, expertly keeping himself from spinning around, and waived to us. The helicopter backed off and winched him up. Once he got in, out came the camera and the helicopter did a couple laps taking photos which they promised to email us. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as I went back below to finish my lunch. The captain said that was the first time anyone had ever landed on the ship via helicopter.
For work party I was assigned to make backropes (lines on the yard we clip our harnesses into) for the main topgallant. I picked some lines, measured it out, and quickly learned I picked the worst line to splice on the ship. I spent a very frustrating hour and a half splicing, only to finish one eye splice. Tomorrow I will slaughter that line.
Our watch came on duty and between chores and dinner it went by quickly. We expect quite a blow tonight (thankfully from the right direction), so Caleb told us the royals and topgallangts needed to be furled. We opted to just get it done with instead of waiting for the next watch. Gabe got convinced to join us even though he was off duty, earning him many points in my book.
Of course the second we said the words furl it began to rain. So, aloft we went in the rain and furled the four sails while our passengers Mark and Mary took the helm and bow watch. We got it done quickly and nicely, not to mention doing a few repairs while we were up there. Of course, a minute after getting on deck the rain quit and we had a good laugh. B watch took the deck and we went below to dry off followed promptly by sleep.
We expect to anchor out tomorrow near Edenbrough, most likely at the end of our watch. We will dock on Tuesday, then most likely I will leave on Wednesday for a European vacation!
Monday August 31st,
We kept on sailing throughout the day up along the coast. The breeze was fair and we were sailing along. During the watch I called my folks as we were so close to the coast I got cell phone reception. I was amused sailing along at 5am off the coast of Scotland and talking to my mother and father back in California, what a world we live in!
Shortly after that the breeze shifted directions radically and more than doubled in strength. The ship heeled over and screamed along. With that stronger breeze and some contacts on shore coming through we decided we could make it into port today. So, on we went through the nearby waters seeing all sorts of interesting sights on land until we sighted the city itself.
We went through a neat lock system to get into the downtown ocean terminal and came in as pretty as you please. We got all snugged up to the shore and I went about making calls and getting my flight changed to tomorrow. Of course since I was getting time off I was given watch that night, which was fine with me, for I was getting time off! I got my plans all lined up, stood my watch and the next day I was on a plane bound for France. I laughed aloud when I thought about how it took me about 15 minutes to cross the channel by plane.
No comments:
Post a Comment