Geting Ready to Set Sail

So the past week and a bit has been incredibly busy with preparations for setting sail.  I painted, primed, rowed,  learned to splice lines and whip (bind) the ends, and climbed up 2/3rds of the way up the main mast to help attach a block and tackle.  I still have yet to go up to the first yard, given that I'm not so keen on heights, but I'm confident I'll get there in time.  So far, though, I've been busy learning ( literally) the ropes on the main deck.

I was also put on the safety team, which was three of us responsible for sorting, and taking inventory of all safety gear such as immersion suits and pfd's.  We also went through all of the provision cannisters that are put into each lifeboat.  We had to make sure all of the gear was up to date and still in good shape.  We are well equipped in the event of any emergency,  I can assure you!  We went though emergency first response training and fire safety and training.   Next week we start safety drills such as man overboard and lifeboat drills.

This week we actually "bended sails" - meaning we began to attach them to their respective yards.  I was put to work on the fore topmast staysail. We carried the sail from the warehouse to the deck and then furled it nice and neatly and secured it with marlin hitches to keep the grommets in place.  The grommets are where we attach the sail to the hanks that are used to raise it along the halyard.  Then we had to carry it out onto the bowspit in order to attch it to the fore mast.  The bowspit is the part that juts out over the water at the very front ot the ship.  This is called the "head rig".  In order to work out there you must be harnessed in for safety.  My specific task was called "hanking".  Hanks are steel rings, kind of in the shape of horseshoes with rings on the ends, that are lashed through the grommets around the halyard and onto the sail.  I shared the task with Joanna and Rebecca - the third mate.  It was cool to see the sail raised after we were finished and know that our little part played a role in it.

On Sunday I was on galley and ship watch, which meant I had to stay on board all day until our watch was relieved the next morning.  But, being Sunday, breakfast isn't served until 9am, so I was able to sleep in a bit.  On Sunday's Donald has the day off so we are responsible for preparing the meals, as well as serve them.  Thankfully one of my fellow trainees was a restaurant cook for 20 years and so he took over and did a fantastic job.  Once meals are over it's pretty relaxing and so I spent the bulk of my day working on my lanyards. 

Each of us is required to wear a "rig" which consists of a knife and marlin spike - which is exactly what it sounds like.  It is a big spike that can be used for a variety of purposes, but it mostly comes in handy untying difficult knots.  Both are worn in a sheath attached to a belt, but they also must be tied on to prevent them from falling when using them aloft.  The last thing anyone wants is a long knife falling ten stories to the deck below.  That "string" is called a lanyard.  Mine is done in a 4 strand sennet, meaning that I "braided" it using 4 strands of twine for strength.  I used blue and white thread to make it pretty, but soon it will be covered in tar - sigh!  At least it looks nice now.   Actually, nothing is allowed aloft unless it has a lanyard - that includes everything from lipbalm to sunglasses.

Today we hauled up the Mizzen topmast, which is situated on the quarter deck. The Mizzen (like the main and fore sails) is like 3 long poles attached to one another climbing upward and the topmast is the very top part of the mast. It was pretty neat to see it being hauled up using only man power and lines. The ship is now starting to look like a working tall ship. Tomorrow we are hoping to raise and cross the final two yards - the T'gallant (or Top Gallant) and the Royal. We will then bend those sails, and Picton Castle will be ready to take to the high seas.

As well, we've been busy continuing to load the hold. Today the food stores started to arrive, so we formed a long chain gang from the dock to the deck of the ship and down into the hold. It's unreal just how much food we will be taking with us, but from the looks of it we will eat well. Donald, our Granadian cook does a fantastic job!  Sigh, to which my expanding waistline can attest...  Well, we do work it off.

Due to the fact that we were delayed getting into dry dock, we have rescheduled our departure date for the 8th of May, returning sometime in July of 2011.  There is an air of impatience among some of the trainees - we are so anxious to get going and get the show on the road!  But, it will be here before we know it...

Ship life and "Tammy-isms"

So, some of you might be wondering what ship life is actually like, aside from the work we do.  Let me try to explain.  Picton Castle is about 180 feet long from bow to stern (front to back), with 3 somewhat distinctive structures.
Towards the back of the ship, also known as "aft", there is what is known as the super structure.  That houses the chart room, the captain's mess (dining area) and quarters, as well as the first mate and engineer's quarters and a head (bathroom) with a small tub/shower.  Behind that is the scullery, kind of like a mini kitchen, where the crew does the dishes and condiments, cutlery, dishes and snacks are held. Down below that is what is known as the "Bat cave" where about 8-10 of the younger girls are housed. Behind the superstructure, on the main deck, is the "aloha deck".  That's where the entrance to the scullery is.  There are also benches, Chibley's litter box, a food locker, a coffee, tea and juice station and outside sinks to rinse dishes before washing them.  When the weather is nice our meals are setup buffet-style back there, as well.  It is a place that people are allowed to hang out during their off-time.  Along the sides is called the breezeway and on the port side is also another small "outside" head.  On top of the superstructure, known as the quarter deck, is the bridge, The helm, the lifeboats as well as pins that hold the lines to the main mast. The quarter deck covers the aloha deck below.

In front of the superstructure is the area know as midships.  This is where the giant hatch to the hold is located, as well as the main mast and where most of the time mustering takes place.  In front of that is the building which houses galley and the entrance to the salon below.  Going down the steps to the salon, on the right hand side (or starboard side) is the head (with a shower) and to the left (port side) are two bunks, one on top of the other.  Down each side are two rows of bunks, 8 per side.  In front of them are benches that span the width of the bunks, with small hatches that contain our personal gear.  There is surprisingly a lot of storage because it extends underneath each bunk which is about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long, although some are longer.  This is where I live, in bunk #35 (top bunk), to be precise.  The salon is actually quite nice inside, with varnished walls and balinese carvings. There are four long tables, 2 per side, where we all sit and eat when the weather isn't very nice or just hang out in the evenings.  Each bunk has a light, curtains for privacy, and a long storage cubby down the side for your personal belongings.  Latched to the ceiling is my pfd (personal floatation device) attached with what we call rotton cotton - string that will break easily when pulled.  I've also added a bunk hammock that contains most of my clothes, a mirror,  baskets which I've screwed into the wall, and hooks to hang miscellanious items, such as my flashlight, waterbottle, face cloth and towel.  I can't quite sit up without hunching over, but with two pillows, I can comfortably read.  I'm really only there to sleep, so it's not too bad.  And by the time I go to bed, I'm so knackered that even the sounds and snores of other people don't really bother me!  I sleep like a baby, and wake up feeling pretty well rested.
Behind the stairs to the salon, is the entrance to the hold which goes a long way aft.  Is it full with all kinds of supplies needed to conduct such a long voyage, and by the time we set sail, will be full to the brim with supplies. 
Moving forward from the salon, is a watertight door that leads to the fore peak, better known at the "bro cave".  That is where about 8 - 10 young men are housed. 
Moving back on deck, behind the galley is the foc'sle or "fore castle".  In between is the fore mast, some benches and apparently the area where people go to get out of the scrutiny of the captain and mate.  Located on the starboard side, main deck of the foc'sle is the paint locker - which stores all of the painting supplies.  Inside the foc'sle is where the pro crew have their bunks, as well as the carpenter's station.  There is also a ladder that goes down to the bro cave.  On top of the foc'sle is the a deck where the anchor winch (which is "pumped") is located, as well as pins that hold the lines to the fore mast.  There is also a capstan (which is pushed in a circle), which can be used instead of the winch.  I don't know why, yet.  And there you have the Picton Castle.  You can find a diagram of her on the Picton Castle website.
So far I think I've settled in quite nicely, but just when I think my body is beginning to adjust to the various taskes they have for us the introduce something new.  Today it was rowing.  We each got a turn to row around in the boat that will mainly used for our shore trips.  It takes 4 people per side, plus a person to steer and give directions - in this case the mate, Mike, to instruct in the correct way of doing things.  It's kinda confusing at first because I'm actually facing the back of the boat to row it forward.  I kept having a "Tammy" moment, which is kinda like a blonde moment, except I'm not really blonde anymore and I'm also trying to be somewhat politicaly correct.  When everyone else was rowing backward, I was trying to row forward.  Sigh... It was quite embarrassing, although I learned in due time.  But man, Is it hard on the arms!  The oars are really heavy and cumbersome to maneouver.
I've also come to the acceptance that my hands will never truly be clean again.  well, not until some time after this voyage is complete, me thinks!  I spent the better part of today working at assembling the "rigging".  That is what is used to attach and control our sails.  First, we had to haul it out of the hold - after I spent the bulk of yesterday putting it into the hold.  Most of it is wire rigging, that has been oiled and tarred to preserve it and prevent it form rusting. I was given the job of oiling and tarring it again.  Bythe time I was finished, I had oil and tar on my face, all over my hands, in my hair and definitely all over my brand new Carhartt's.  At least they look WELL broken in! 
Yesterday morning, I was using the "outside head"" to brush my teeth and do my "business" and, wanting to be sure I used it correctly, I dilligently read the instructions.  "Open both valves, to add water to the bowl"...  Okay, not so diificult, must be these two valves right in front of me.  Good news is I discovered another shower on board.  Bad news is, I wasn't really looking to have a shower at that precise moment.  :-(
Anyway, that is some of the fun things going on in my life at the moment....

Mail

By the way, should anyone wish to send me anything (cheese puffs, body scrubs, cards, letters, ketchup chips, etc) the first mail port of World Voyage 5 will be in Panama. Please allow four weeks for regular mail to reach Panama. All envelopes and packages should be outlined in heavy green waterproof marker and addressed like this:


[Crew member name] Barque PICTON CASTLE
c/o Panama Agencies Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 0843-00948
Balboa, Ancon
Rep. of Panama
*Hold for arrival of Barque PICTON CASTLE on or about May 28, 2010

No obligatory, of course, but would be nice...  One thing I would like is pictures. If you have pictures of me with you, I would love to receive them to hang in my bunk.  Thanks! 

The Preparation Continues...

It's hard to believe that I've been here for a week - it feels like it's been much longer than that! This past week has
been a very busy one! Every morning is pretty much the same - wake up at 7:15, breakfast at 7:30, muster at 8am. Domestics are first - meaning everyone cleans our respective ships - then we are given our jobs for the morning until lunch at noon. We muster again at 12:45 and then more work, followed by training until around 5pm, dinner at 6pm and evenings free. By 10pm, most everyone has crashed for the night. As my friend Joanna says, there is very little thinking involved, since someone (or your body) is dictating your every move.

There is so much preparation to be done before we sail, despite the fact that for the majority of the time PC has been up on blocks in dry dock - meaning we had to climb the long way up to get on deck to carry out our various duties. Those of you who know how well I am (not) with heights know THAT in itself was a feat for me. But I did it and feel very proud of myself! Maybe I will make it aloft!

On Tuesday morning, I was put to work busting rust on deck. That means taking a hammer - and in tights spots a chisel - and hammer the crap out of the rusty spots to break all the rust off until we reach bare steel underneath. Then it's sanded down, covered with coro-seal, repainted with aluminum primer, primed, followed by a final paint job. It's a great job for anyone needing to vent any frustrations! Nicksa, one of the pro-crew (but not on our voyage) came over to me and told me not to worry about how hard I hit it, just to give it all I've got! Well(ahem), I'm paraphrasing a bit... Anyway, he told me the story of a girl on previous journey who, after breaking up with her boyfriend, only wanted to rust bust. All I could think was, "But I'm not mad at anyone...". Meh, I gave it my all, anyway, and did a smashing good job of it, too, I might add! Heh heh heh, no pun intended!

Later that afternoon, I was busy cleaning the galley and, as the counter tops are copper, a lot of polishing was involved! But, with a fresh coat of paint (a cheerful white with blue trim) and spotlessly clean, it looks quite nice! It even has an old-fashioned pump for water, which adds a bit of a charming quality to it.

Wednesday I was out to work in the warehouse packing and labeling books. Picton Castle delivers literally thousands of schoolbooks and reading material to various places, such as Pitcairn and Cape Town and all must be sorted and categorised, then packaged in plastic and labeled in preparation of being loaded into the hold. Wednesday afternoon, the captain was hoping to take out the small boats and do some training, but as it was cold, rainy and windy, he decided it wasn't a great idea. So, we met in the dory shop, where the smaller boats are built, and went over the basics there. For the most part, our small boats are controlled with oars, rather than engines, and so everyone has to learn the proper terms and maneouvers in order to get anywhere. I'm thinking by the end of this trip I should have some pretty impressive pipes!

Thursday I was put on Galley duty, along with Joanna, Brad, Kate and Nadja, Our pro-crew supervisor. That meant my day started at 6:00am. I was to report for duty aboard Zebroid, although breakfast was served aboard Chidley. Before I headed over I stopped to put the coffee on - a VERY important job - as well as making sure the kettle was on for hot water. No sooned had I left then the power went out! Apparently the power connection to the shore had some issues and it took a while to fix it. So, breakfast was served in the dark using flashlights. Flexibility is a very important quality to possess in order to survive on a venture such as this one! You just gotta go with the flow. But the four of us had a lot of fun! After breakfast we made our way over to the ship to finish the galley and stock it with utensils and cookware.

In the afternoon, everyone was called onto the ship to help with raising the anchor. Using the windlass on the front of the ship with 5 people per side we pumped the chain back onboard. We each took at turn at the windlass, and by my third time I thought I would puke - that's how hard it was! But on the plus side, who needs "Buns Of Steel? By the end of 14 months I should have the butt and thighs of a 20 year old! Woo hoo!

Friday PC finally came out of dry dock. Again it took a few hours to do - they needed to check the integrity of the hull before she was actually permitted to sail - so Adrianne, another Albertan and I headed to Bridgewater - a larger town about 20 minutes away to do some shopping. We hit Mark's Work Warehouse to stock up on some work pants. Apparently "Carhartt Pants" are a "must" for any true tall ship sailor, so we had to do our part to fit in. Once you have them, it is imperative they look as dirty and broken in as possible. We also stopped at a bead shop to pick up fancy twine and beads to make our "lanyards". Lanyards are made of braided twine and attached to our knives and marlin spikes. Everyone personalizes his or hers in their own way. Marlin spikes are exactly what they sound like - big spikes used for a variety of different uses from undoing stubborn knots to hammering nails when you don't have a hammer handy. Both are attached to a belt slung low on your hip, ready to use at a moment's notice. After lunch, once the ship was back at the Adam and Knickle Wharf (pronounced kuh-nickle), we all began a much-needed cleaning job of the ship. I was put to work swabbing the decks, which turned out to be a lot of fun.

Everyone was pretty excited to actually be moving in to the ship that would carry us on our adventure, although most of us chose to move the majority of our things in but still spend one final night on our respective ships since they were still heated and PC is not. Saturday was more of the same - moving in and getting settled until lunch and then we practised bracing, Bracing is when you change the tack (orientation) of the sails and then secure them. For example, if the wind is coming over the left (port) side of the ship, you would change the sails to a port tack to catch the wind in them. If the wind changed to a starboard or right side tack, then you would have to change your sails to catch the wind and then "brace" them. Make sense? Its really not as complicated as it sounds, but it takes quite a few hands to change all sails at once, given that there are two masts to work with, each having five yards (or levels) of sails. One side needs to ease the sails and the other needs to haul them. It was freezing cold, but I think we all managed to get the basic gist of it.

Saturday night, as much as I hate to admit it, the princess in me surfaced. I was so unbelieveably chilled to the bone and desperately wanted a bath, so I booked into one of the local hotels and did just that. Undoubtedly the most I've ever paid for a bath but WELL WORTH IT! I slept like a baby (for the most part) and woke up feeling well rested and rejuvenated. Sunday was a day of rest and so I gladly slept in, then headed over to the local pub/restaurant, have breakfast and some good coffee. Once I finished that I walked the 20 minutes to the laundry mat to do some much needed laundry! What a great feeling to have clean clothes - we get so dirty! It was well worth the walk in the rain to get it done.

Today, it was busness as usual. In the morning I was put on domestics and then we were busy, again, getting the ship ready to sail. My job was to carry wire "rigging" (wire cables that attach the sails to the yards) from the warehouse, to the hold of the ship. Not a clean job to say the least because each line is oiled and tarred and very messy. Once we got it into thehold, we had to sort it and hang it until it's ready to be rigged. At least I got my Carhartt's well broken in! My hands were black by the time I finished. I spent 10 minutes scrubbing my nails, but alas, to no avail. They are going to be permanently black for the remainder of the journey or so I'm told. Sigh, I guess it is just all part of the adventure...Tomorrow, weather permitting, we are going to do our first "up and over". That's when we climb up to the first yard (called the course) and over for the very first time. Hmmm, given that I am not a fan of heights, it should prove to be very interesting. But, I am determined to try.

So that's the scoop for this week. Stay tuned for my next installment coming soon... Hope everyone is well!

And it begins...sort of.

Early Saturday morning, Wayne, my driver (along with his sidekick, Tiffany the Westie), picked me up for the hour and a bit drive to Lunenburg. He was my driver the first time I came to Nova Scotia and was willing to drive me the second time around.  After all the anticipation and preparation of the past few weeks, I found myself eager just to get here, get settled and meet the rest of the crew.

Since Picton was scheduled to go to dry dock on Monday morning, we've all been put up in other ships for the time being. My vessel is called the Cape Chidley (not to be confused with Chibley, the cat - we'll talk more about her at a later date) a big trawler, that's painted a bright blue and yellow - mom would have liked those colors. For the time being, I'm in a small bunk room with two bunks, which is actually not too bad. My bunkmate, Via, is a sweet young-ish lady, such as myself, from Denmark.  Meals are eaten aboard my ship or out on the dock, but prepared aboard a vessel called the Zebroid, another smaller trawler, where the other half of the crew are housed.

There is a great mix of people of all ages, from many different countries and walks of life, but all having one thing in common - the yearning for adventure. I've already made some fabulous friends! Saturday night was trivia night at the local pub called the Grand Banker and our team, the "Terrain E's", beat the crap out of everyone else! Yep, we rocked, if I do say so myself...  We're already gearing up for next Saturday night. It's amazing how quickly such a strong comaraderie can be built up among people who just days ago had been complete strangers. There have been loads of laughs, and the teasing and goading have already begun - all in good fun, of course.

Sunday, I decided to walk to find the famous "Frenchy's", a second hand store well known in Eastern Canada. Lunenburg has a small one, but apparently there are bigger stores in Halifax and Bridgewater. It took me about 30 minutes to find it located just on the outskirts of town. A pair of work pants, capris and overall shorts cost me a whopping $11.00! The kind lady who worked there even offered to drive me back to the ship once her shift was over - such hospitality here! I graciously declined, opting to walk back and stop at Tim's along the way for a double-double and a maple donut. Made the walk worth it! Then I followed a scenic path along the water, which wound it's way through Luneburg's 250th Anniversay park and passed by a very old cemetary that had some very unique and elaborate headstones.  Lunenburg is such a picturesque community with great architecture and character, although everything is pretty much uphill from the ship... I've been getting a great workout just walking around.

Monday morning dawned bright and early with breakfast at 6:30 and muster at 7am. Muster is a term for gathering everyone together at the same time in one specific spot. We met with Captain Moreland and met the "pro" crew and were then told that we pretty much had the morning to ourselves, since Picton would be moving to dry dock, and that was a very detailed process that needed only pro crew - or crew who had previously sailed aboard PC or a similar vessel. We newbies would only get in the way.  So, we all crowded around the end of the dock to watch as she weighed anchor and headed out towards the dry dock station. Then we all herded like sheep to the dry dock to see her hauled up and out of the water. Although it took a couple of hours to do so, (during which me and a few of my fellow crewmates took some time out for a little shopping for foul weather gear) it was still quite a sight to see her up on blocks.

Monday afternoon we broke up into groups to go over our crew handbooks and then to practise/learn different knots needed to know onboard when sailing.  I was pleased to know that it didn't take too long for me to remember how to do a bowline, reef knot, clove hitch, sheet bends and a few others.  I guess my sailing courses really did pay off!  Even though we can't do a lot with the ship, there is still so much to do to get prepared for a long voyage.

Tomorrow, I've been told, is a full work day with wake up at 7:15, breakfast a 7:30 and muster a 8am.  That means I'll be layering on the clothes - wool, long-sleeve shirt, fleece pullover, fleece jacket and windbreaker over top, long underwear under work pants, along with a touque and gloves.  Well, at least the sun has been shining!  I'll probably shower at the end of the day, which I do about every other day.  And since we're trying to conserve water (and we can't plug in any appliances cuz it pops the breaker) I'll head over to the PC warehouse and shower there.  Vanity just doesn't exist here - practicality does.  Most of the time it's ponytails and touques, and a touch of mascara.  Fine by me!

Anyway, things, so far have been great!  I'm enjoying myself, getting great exercise and looking forward to what each day brings!  Can't ask for more than that!

Getting Ready...

Well, d-day is almost here.  On Friday, April 9th I fly to Halifax.  The following day, I head out to Lunenburg to join the rest of the crew and trainees.  At the moment Picton Castle is in dry dock - meaning she has been pulled out of the water for maintenance - and so we will be staying aboard an alternate ship until she is back into the water. 

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity - planning, packing, moving my things into storage (many thanks to my sister, D'arcy, her husband, Rick and to my dad for all of their manpower and help!) and trying hard not to pack too much stuff for the journey ahead.  Yeah, I'm a chick...  Out went the fancy bubble baths and creams and my portable exfoliator in favor of rubber boots and old t-shirts. Sigh...is it possible to survive with only 3 pairs of shoes?

Up until now,  I have to admit that I haven't been that excited.  I AM excited, but there were so many details to attend to first.  Aside from the above mentioned there were vaccinations, taxes, selling my car (which is still in the works), forwarding mail, getting my finances squared away as well as getting used to typing on a much smaller key-board than I'm used to. Thank goodness for spell-check!  Anyway, at times it has been somewhat overwhelming.

Besides all of the everyday tangible details, there is my mind to contend with (which is always a trip!).  I can't help but wonder if I'm getting in over my head.  Questions such as "Can I handle 15 months in a small bunk?"  "Will my body be able to do this?"  "Can I learn all the details needed to sail a tall ship?"  and of course, "Am I crazy?"  play over and over in my mind.  Well, I think we all know the answer to the last one - remember, these are rhetorical questions!  I guess we'll find out.  All I can say is that I'm going to try.  I really have no idea what to expect, so I'm going without many expectations and with the attitude that, whatever happens, "it's all part of the adventure".

Anyway, I'll try my best to keep you all posted along the way.  My next post will be from Lunenburg.  You are also more than welcome to follow along on the Picton Castle's website :http://www.picton-castle.com/ for more information. 

Cheers!