Crewman's Log

Oh dear. A blast from the past. I totally described the secene, I can feel it so well. Making me nostalgic.

I’m sitting on the main staysail, a triangle sail currently all bundled up on top of the classroom, I’d been working for 10 minutes on POLS 2783, a daunting prospect. But hell, I’m sitting on a sail, on top of a classroom on a 180 foot tall twinmast sailing yacht. *Dinkle*’s soaked pants are still drying on the Foremast shrouds on portside, which makes me smile, or at least smile more then when they were hung up in the 9-man yesterday, and I had to take them down.

The Bosun is working with a staysail sheet, Aaron is on the bridge, drinking out of a Nalgene bottle with two hands, Algis is sitting on the stern stairs, keeping lookout. We’re on a Run, yards square, apparently still heading northwest on Starboard tack, towards Columbia.
Mike doesn’t mind me sitting here, he’s not going to set the sail yet. I can hear people chatting in Discovery B class through the open portholes, the sound is at least as loud as the waves crashing around me, it surrounds me, and for a moment I’m entranced in the noise.
The Forecourse was luffing just now, Morgan must have steered off course. Or it could be because of one of the buntlines, it’s stuck and too windy for us to fix it while the sail is set. The masts creak, pushed by the wind, and the blocks whine as they undulate under the constant rocking.
Hmm… The wind seems to have picked up. Or maybe I’m just imagining it, but it does look like the waves are just a bit bigger now. No- they definitely are, which means that helming must be a pain (helming on a run is always a pain, it’s like trying to balance a book on a sowing needle.)
This of course, reminds me of the time I went up the bowsprit while they were setting the outer, to unjam some rope that had gotten caught. On the way down, I nearly got ko-ed by a widowmaker, but a timely reflex made my hand catch it just before it connected with my face. Most fortunate.
The cook just called out. Looks like he caught a fish. If it’s big, we might have raw fish paste for breakfast; a tasty spread for toast, and that is good since the Nutella supply has run out.
I should really get back to work now though.
Feb 27th, 09
gab