Sailing, Week 1
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The Jubilee Sailing Trust
Oct. 7, 2004
2140 hours

    I am tired and desperately want to sleep.  All the food they're giving us is exhausting me.  We got on board yesterday and set sail today.  Our time has been filled with acquiring insane amounts of information, getting food on board, figuring out where we need to be and when, etc. etc.  SLEEP...a new prized commodity.

Oct. 8, 2004
2050 hours

    So here I am on the ship.  It's pitching from side to side and so am I.  The only reason I can manage to stay on my upper bunk is that I have a piece of canvas (it stretches from the base of the bed to the ceiling) holding me in.  So far I haven't felt seasick--perhaps because I've been careful to take my Stugeron 15.
    I don't know what to think of this experience yet.  It is amazing: going up the masts and across the yards (we wear harnesses); watching the waves while drinking a cup of tea on deck; getting the sails up and working.  But it's also very different from the hiking part of the trip.  We've got hot water, showers, and plenty of food (too much of it, really).  But we've also got teams that aren't as closeknit and a whole new bunch of people to work with (i.e., the crew).  And tons of information to memorize. 

Oct. 10, 2004

    What it's like to go aloft: it's scary.  It's the most frightening thing I've done so far on this trip.  You climb up the rigging without clipping in, meaning that if you were to fall, you'd splash either "into the drink" (as the Brits say) or crash onto deck.  Fear keeps you holding on, but it doesn't stop you from thinking about how cold the ocean must be.  Once you get up to the yard you have to traverse a very small footrope to get to where you're going.  You clip in, but when you're up there the distance between the mast and the yard seems pretty great. 
    Today Alex and I had to climb up and cinch the buntlines to the jackstay.  It was terrifying in a fun sort of way.  There's nothing like being out on the course or lower topsail yard while the ship's going 6-9 knots and dipping from side to side. 
    I say it again: I love this trip.  I'm having such a good time and I'm learning so much. 

Oct. 11, 2004
2100 hours

    I finished my 6-8 PM watch about an hour ago.  Next watch is at 8 AM, meaning that I get to sleep through the night.  Funny how insomnia disappears on a ship--you catch shut-eye when you can. 

    Today:
    -4-8 AM watch (loved it!)
    -Happy hour at 9 AM (cleaned heads)
    -Made Ordinary Seaman
    -Hung out on the stern while the crew did a stowaway drill
    -Learned how to use a sextant to determine our latitude
    -Had tirimisu and brownies for dessert (I love Graham!)

    My favorite parts of the voyage so far:
    -Sailing under a canopy of stars
    -Sunset on the sails
    -The pull of the ship
    -The organization and timeliness