Anchored

On watch we saw dolphins and whales; by the afternoon the weather had warmed up a lot. We anchored after lunch outside of Sydney, Nova Scotia and continued with work party. Jojo and I were on the mizzen breaking bolts, making sure they’d come off when the time comes and others caulked the tweens. Since we were anchored some of the guys played a really long game of Risk.

To Sydney

Reefed the main top before getting off the dock because we heard it was really going to blow. I was standing by number 2 and as we got off it kept getting tighter and was pushing on the fore royal stay to the point that I actually made it slack when we check it later. As this was happening our bow as going forward into the dock and our head rig was just sliding under a lamp post, it was getting close and pressure was then being put on to the jaboom, you could hear some cracking. We some how manage to get free and back out, but as we do so the stay leading from the tip of the jaboom down to the martingail gets ripped out. Later found out that it was a bolt that snapped and ended up being pretty easy to fix everything, just taking up slack on a lot of things.

C watch had work party then and went straight to putting it all back together and were done by the early afternoon. Work party in the afternoon caulked and NP1-ed more of the tweens; we’ve been getting a lot done recently, both hallways from the great cabin to about the main mast are done and starting on some cabins.

Watch was super windy, had to wait till B watch was about to relieve to strike and furl the main top and fore cores, took an extra 45 minutes.

Fixing head rig.

Richard.

Harp Seal

For work party we did the same thing again, but this time it was a lot harder because we had a bare stay, noting to help us as a guide. We had to have a lot more people helping us and in the end was a bit more messy. In the afternoon we caulked more the tweens.

For dinner we had harp seal, the really cute white fluffy ones. We had fillet and sausage, they were both really very dark colored meat when raw, almost black. They stated a bit like fishy beef, I preferred the sausage, it had more flavor.

10 months

For work party we unlayed and layed the mizzen stays with polypro, doing one strand at a time was really easy. Jesse layed the line on, Jesse and Katie twisted the cable and I twisted the spool of line.

I also made cupcakes today because I’ve been on the boat for 10 months along with Katie and Peter. It’s been a really long time and we’re all started to get tired.

Day off

Another day off, spent the morning watching movies and after watch went to the internet café/bar for four hours and caught up on internet things. Half the crew is now obsessed with Arrested Development, they keep watching it in large groups in the galley. Told we were going to stay another two days and do work party

Madeline Islands

It rained all watch and was miserably cold; we had to dock as well at the Madeline Islands, north of P.E.I. In the morning we spent about two hours putting the boat together, furling staysails, cleaning and what not. We then were told we had two days off and might leave Monday. Walked around in the morning, very small town, not a whole lot, went back for hour of watch in the afternoon. Ended up having to help move the boat to a different dock because a big boat was coming to the dock we were at, turned out late to be the Roald. Spent the night in watching movies with everyone and knitting.

New home for a few days.

Mizzen stays

I made cinnamon bread on watch, it filled the whole tween deck, Robin said he was having dreams of bread because of it. For work party we unlayed the service on the mizzen backstays, in the afternoon the continued the same thing. We fully unlayed one stay, but in the afternoon they only took one of the four lines off because they had to think about how they were going to relay it. They then cut black polypro into lengths and unlayed it by throwing it over the stern and letting it untangle itself and get the twists out as they pulled it apart. In the long run there were still a lot of twists in the line that had to be taken out.

Unlaying line.

Richard, Laura, Dan and Jesse.

Warming up.

Unlaying line from the stay.

Taking down the mizzen

We’ve had pilots on for the last few days going through the seaway but since they didn’t get on or off on my watch I hardly remember them. The moon was really full tonight and bright, illuminated the whole deck, but then we couldn’t see any stars. For work party we prepped things to take down the mizzen royal topgallant mast, work party in the afternoon took it down; it was super fast and smooth.

Caulking

Underway early, for work party we caulked more of the tweens. Watch was really nice and warmer than before.

Quebec City

We weren’t even underway for a day when we docked at Quebec City in the middle of the night, on our watch. We had dock watch, like anchor watch, watching the lines because there was such a great change in the tide. During the day Katie and I walked around with Richard and Justin, there were really cute streets and old buildings, reminded me of France a little. There was a huge hotel that looked like a castle, they have their own hotel dog and there was a fort with some huge cannons that Katie loved. Spent the early afternoon on the boat hanging out because it was cold and wet, as soon as we decided to go back out it stopped raining. Went to a café and used the internet.

Arriving at night.

Richard excited about a glass harmonica.

Katie, Richard, Justin, Mitch and Jojo.

Hotel dog.

Katie

Steep brow.

Ship's store dinner

Took awhile to get off the dock and Katie and I ended up cleaning the office while the whole thing was going on. Caulked the tweens for work party, Jojo is on A watch and Chris moved to B watch. Now on the 12 to 4, we deep cleaned the laundry room and Katie and I ended up in the galley peeling potatoes some how.

Tonight we had a very fancy dinner from the money from the ship’s store, sadly Darren wasn’t there and he’d put the most money in it. We had fancy cheese, steak, salmon, mashed potatoes, greens, salad with candied walnuts and figs.

Justin likes to make holes in the deck.

Tough tours

Had another day off because it was Jesse’s birthday and he wanted to hang out just the two of us, we didn’t do a whole lot but enjoy each other’s company. Got a new guy today, Jojo, he’s an AB, from Michigan and has worked on boats since he was 12, even went to a special school.

Tours were nuts today, I was told, people tried opening everything, crossed over lines, go down into the laz and some kid almost fell down the tank room hatch.

Had a crew dinner and hung out with Brooke, she goes home tomorrow.

Day off

On my day off I walked around Montreal a lot with people, ate in China Town and walked around some more. For whatever reason we all ate a lot that day or just kept stopping somewhere to get a snack. Katie finally bought her own warm ear flappy hat, she was constantly stealing mine. Went to a café at the end of the day and ended roaming the streets some more at night. We had also seen about 15 bridal parties all over the city, people getting pictures taken all over the city. Went back to the boat and did laundry, while waiting for it I worked on a scarf that I’m making for Jesse’s birthday, multi colored stripy.

Also sadly Darren left this morning, no more Doodles. He’s going home to Oregon to get his 500-ton license so that he could possibly be chef mate next year.

Whole BBQ-ed squid.

Dragon dance.

Lion dancing.

Pink pony.

Latte.

Work party in Montreal

For work party the whale board was just at the right level to be painted, but with no yellow paint we just scrubbed it clean. I inventoried bosuns flammable lockers and all the paint, oiled part of the fore deck and then started to serve some cranelines. Katie went shopping with Dina at some giant market, she said she begged Dan to let me go, but apparently he needed my skills, don’t know why. When Dina got back I helped her put things away, she got some really amazing produce, huge beautiful cabbages.

For dinner a whole bunch of us went out because Brooke is always wanting those fun gatherings, and I’m glad that we did.

Montreal

Last few locks into Montreal, had to wait around for the parade of sail to start so docked against a huge wall. Motor sailed around in the freezing rain and didn’t do anything. Docked by 1900 and it was still raining so stayed in.

More

Another day under way.

Singer Castle

Watch was really cold, finally decided to put shoes on, I haven’t worn shoes since who knows when. Went to bed and again was confused when I woke up, it was all hands to eat lunch because we were docked at Singer Castle on Dark Island in the Thousand Islands. We got a tour of the Castle, it was better than Boldt Castle, the rooms were filled with furnisher, a lot of things were original because it’s always had a private owner. The guy who built it was big in the Singer sewing machine company. Went through another lock on watch and anchored out, had some ladies from the Unicorn over for a movie night.

Wind farm.

Chris in morning light.

Katie.

Brooke and Ashleigh relieving A watch.

Singer Castle.

Main hall.

Electro therapy, water and electricity.