Before we leave

A really busy day. It was nice to be aloft the whole day with Brooke, we finally got to finish tensioning the lanyards on the main top and then tightened the main stays on the fore. John, Cory and Jesse were in and out of the rig, everyone else was sea stowing, lashing down cannons, wedging things in corners, putting lanyards on things and such like.

We had a few big tours today of school kids and then a few small ones that tour guides really wanted to let them on, was distracting. Cookie provisioned a whole lot, got some great looking food. Katie made a lot of trips in the small boat today.

Robin also arrived around 1700.

Drill and Main top

We all know everyone’s favorite way to wake up is to a blaring alarm, that’s how we got to start our day. The general alarm went off at about 0645 with Peter yelling down in aft crew, “Abandon ship!” Scrambled out of bed, ran up on deck, shoved ourselves into the gumby emersion suits, threw on a life jacket and went aft to the life rafts to our port or starboard groups. We did the drill in 4 minutes, not bad for everyone having been dead asleep.

Those of us who haven’t done SCTW had to jump in; legs and arms crossed and over the side we went. It was actually a lot of fun, we made a raft and then a chain and swam around the boat, the suits actually keep you really dry, only faces and hair got wet.

In the morning Grant and I finished the forward port pin rail stanchions, got to put really shiny copper tops on them. In the afternoon Katie and I painted all the slats from the main top, it was annoying to get them down and then had to scuff, prime and paint them all. They still need another coat and grit.

There was also another mousing party on the main and mizzen, every shackle has been moused now. Turn buckles got covered and the cross tree on the main got put up. We worked about two hours over, but I’m sure tomorrow will be another long day.

We leave on Thursday!

Grant, Cory and Dan on the main top.

Drying the canvas awning.

Surly Zach.

Last day off

Our last day off in West Palm Beach, went to Paris for the last time and they have us free dessert crepes again. Wandered around and then went to Walgreens to pick up a few last minute things.

More Pirates

Another day filled with pirates. I ended up having to give two tours because it was really busy, so did Peter and Mitch who arrived in the morning. When Jesse brought out the flying jib to bend it on he noticed it wasn’t in great shape, sadly it was put away wet so the canvas rotted, you could easily poke your finger through the fabric. Jesse and Brook then spent some time cutting I it up and keeping all the decent pieces, Jesse convinced Dan to let us keep it for personal projects. I’ve been asked to make a hat and shorts; I think I’ll make myself some kind of fitted top.

We did fire off the cannons again and at the end of the day had to haul the big brass cannon off the ship.

Cory showing Brooke how to balentine.

John, Dan and Jesse lowering the brass cannon.

Jibs and Cannons

A very bright and sunny Saturday, we did a really good cleaning of the deck and the tweens this morning. On the tweens we put the two royal yards back up lashed to the over hang, moved a lot of the trash and other junk that had been there for weeks. We also finally got new crew shirts, that fit! They are a different green from the old ones and say “HMS Bounty 50 years of history” on the front.

We hauled a 500 pound bronze cannon on board and then busted up the main topgallant and topsail. A lot of work was done on the foredeck today because that’s the only space we really had to move about because we had so many tours with the pirate festival going on. I put the last hank on the jib and then we tried setting her, there were a few other things that needed to be re lead, like the sheets and to actually lash her to the stay.

After lunch we finished up rigging the jib and Katie, Grant, Michelle, Peter and Maisie all went below with the cannon guy and learned about charges and made 15 of them. At 2 when Lynx left we fired at her, as well as on the way back in. At the end Michelle, Grant, Katie and I were all made official gunners by Lawrence, the cannon guy, he got the nasty washing swab and dabbed it on our cheeks.

John finishing and eye splice in manila for the bronze cannon.

Michelle, Brooke, Grant and Katie worming the cannons.

John, Dan and Jesse staring at the stanchion.

Dan cutting wood for the main cross tree top.

Lynx approaching.

Michelle, Brooke, Peter and Maisie looking at bucket of wash water.

Maisie in pirate wig and hat.

Climbing out to flake the jib.

Katie, Grant, Michelle and Brooke flaking the jib.

Peter firing off a gun to announce Lynx's approach.

Nigel and Lawrence next to the bronze cannon.

Loading.

About to be swabbed.

hehe Grant's face.

Eew.

Furl Practice and Main Top

Deck wash was a little out of the ordinary today because A watch handled the hose, Grant, Michelle and I. At the end of the wash we closed the hose so no water came out and dragged the charged hose all the way to bosuns, down through the main hatch, through the galley and down the ladder. We also did it all crouched down as if there really was a fire, yay for the A action watch.

This morning we did some practice set and furl of sails. We went over the whole processes, going aloft to un gasket the sail, casting the gear, sheet home and then hauling on the halyard. To strike sail you do about the opposite, ease the halyard, haul on the clew and gear. We did the fore topgallant and topsail, I helped furl both of them.

Ryan left shortly after that, he was here a over a month, really great volunteer, we all really loved him. He’s going to go be bosun on the Denis Sullaven so we should see him in at least the first three ports of the tour this summer.

B watch went and learned a Williamson turn in the small boat.

Brooke, Jesse and I went aloft again to finish off the tightening the shrouds on the top that we has started yesterday, everyone else was in the head rig finishing off putting the jibs up. Jesse is really strong, far to strong in some cases, Brooke and I had a go at tightening and then Jesse came along to check them, then there was a thunk, we looked around, everything seemed okay so he went on to another come along. This time there was an even louder deeper thud, we checked more closely this time, Jesse broke the after most cross tree on the main top.

The rest of the day was spent fixing that, only problem was that there were a lot of tours going on then, we couldn’t shut that down or have them go around so the flying jib was set up under the top as a net to catch anything.

Sadly I wasn’t there to see most of the processes because Brooke, Peter and I had to go for a drug test, everyone loves to pee in a cup. On the way back Cory taught us the Williamson turn in the small boat, it’s a way of turning the boat around in a man over board drill so that you end up coming right at them.

The broken crosstree from the main top came down smoothly at the end of the day, we don’t have the best wood to replace it, but we have something good enough.

Flying jib to catch anything.

Jesse and John on the top.

Lowering the cross tree.

Cory and Dan pulling it down.

Watches

Things started to get done yesterday, Ryan started tightening the forward port pin rail, another jib was put up and Brooke, Jesse and I started tightening the shrouds on the main top. Since Maisie is also the safety officer she had us try on the Gumby suits, they are really hilarious, bright red and cover your whole body except your eyes. We cut out early at the end of the day so that we could go over some things in the new crew manuals and devide into our watches.

A Watch: Peter, Michelle, Grant, Me

B Watch: Cory, Katie, John, Mitch

C Watch: Maisie, Zach, Jesse, Brooke

A watch is the action watch, we jump in and get things done, put out the fire, find the problem and do things. B watch is in charge of the boat, if they need to strike the sails, turn us around and navigate. C watch is communication, radio if needed for help and make sure the watched all communicate together.

The first drill we discussed was about fire, so A watch assembles by the hose, would put it together and take the hose where it was needed. For each drill there is something different to do.