Wednesday May 20,09
Just finished breakfast after coming off our very cold night watch.
When we came on deck the sky was clear and sprinkled with brilliant stars. It looked very chilly which
didn’t help. I had first helm and 4th lookout. My trick at the helm was easy as the ship held her course
NxE beautifully. However since I just had to stand there in the wind I got quite chilled even dressed in
almost everything I have. That doesn’t bode well if it gets colder. Yeah, I can here you all saying “Poor
guy getting a taste of what we had for months” :-)
About 6:00am we braced the yards around and then set the fore and aft sails and lower topsails. By the
time that was done I was really warm! The Sun came up about then and the day dawned crisp and clear.
While I was on lookout a pod of dolphins came charging through the seas and took up station on our bow.
They look like they just love to play in the bow wave. It was fabulous to watch.
So I only have 5 more watches till the end of the trip. Rumour has it that we will anchor somewhere in
Nova Scotia on Friday and then sail into Lunenberg on Saturday.
As we were finishing breakfast the engine was shutdown and the on watch set more sail so we are sailing
for the first time in a few days.
More later…
Had a very busy afternoon watch.
We had another wire splicing workshop, this time with a “parcel and served” eye and thimble.
Parceling is wrapping cloth strips around the line then tarring it. Serving is to wrap marline tightly around
the parceling to protect it from chafe and this is also tarred to keep water out. All the standing rigging on
the ship is wire that has been parceled and served over it’s entire length. The Captain says that when they
were doing it the emptied every thrift store of sheets for miles around
After dinner we started taking in sail and were motoring again by the time we got off watch.
Rumour has it we may anchor tomorrow morning somewhere on the coast of Nova Scotia.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
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