Cleaning and splinters

I spent a good part of the day cleaning while on duty; it’s amazing what people can forget about. I cleaned out the crew cupboards and the crew fridge, gross things left behind leaking juice. I tallowed the mizzen topgallant mast and got a deep splinter in my hand, I had Richard take it out, but he was too slow and gentle so Jesse jabbed and gouged at me and he got it out. Then I was sent to find iron work and that was a big sweaty mess digging under sails and rigging, but the right piece could not be found.

Mizzen mast

This morning Laura and I lead the braces for the mizzen topsail and did a bunch of other rig work. In the afternoon Tenley and I scrapped the mizzen topgallant mast.

Bending on the spanker

Took the 6:30 am ferry to get back to the main land, drove like crazy, got back to the boat at 10:30 because of traffic. Once on the boat we got to do lots of rig stuff, put up the main top and the spanker.

I bet he could fit a bit more junk.

Day off

We thought today was going to be a great day off, but turned out a little wrong at the end. The five of us, Richard, Brooke, Grant, Jesse and I, rented a car again for the day off, we went to the rainforest. The forest was beautiful and so by it’s name, it was raining. We stopped to get some food, fried little things; the best was corn with cheese, like a cheese stick battered in thick corn goop. Then it was a little further up the mountain to a viewing tower and then to a path to the waterfall. Hiked out to the waterfall on a paved path, raining the whole time, we were drenched by the time we got there. The waterfall was muddy and full on thrashing down the rocks, lots of rain, monsoon.

From the rainforest we drove to the coast to take a ferry to an island. While we waited we had an amazing lunch, fish that was brined in garlic and breaded with crackers, served with fried plantains. Off on the ferry we went, took an hour to get there, which we were all surprised about, by the time we got there we realized we only had about 45 minutes before the next ferry. We asked if there was another one, there was at 6, so we walked around a little then got tickets. Long story short we ended up throwing rocks at another rock by the water and missed our ferry.

So we spent the night on the island.

Rain forest.

Me and Jesse.

A path, a path!

Waterfall.

Ferry boat.

Food stand.

Donut car.

Chickens in trash.

Creature of the deep.

Brooke and Grant.

More sewing

This morning I helped Brooke and Sam rig the heel rope so the mizzen topmast could be placed on the fore. Mike, Jesse, Chris and Grant helped put up the mizzen topsail in under four hours and started to stretch out the sail. I also finished the three grommets in the clew of the spanker, then we stretched it out to roll it up and found another place that needed to be stitched.

Matt working on the co'jack.

Chris, Mike, Jesse and Grant rigging the mizzen topsail.

Sewing and Harvey Gamage

Even though it was a rig day Laura and I were sent below like the seamstress we are, she was finishing up her splice with it’s fuzzy ends for a sail makers slice and I was sent back on the spanker clew. I had put a patch on the corner covering the bolt rope, but that wasn’t going to work, I ended up putting leather around the corner and then sewing in the large corner grommet. After lunch I went with Nick to a huge produce center to get some fruit and vegetables for the next two weeks before we leave. When I got back Laura had put in the holes for the two smaller grommets. First she made a dotted line with an awl, cut a little here and there and in the long run just melted the edges.

The Harvey Gamage arrived tonight and is docked by us.

Laura and Brooke combing strands for a splice.

Sail stretched out to sew on bolt rope.

Sewing

Serviced more footropes on the main in the morning with Sam and Laura doing the fore while another group finished bending on the foretopsail. We had a big talk about striking sail and finally furled it right before lunch. After lunch we lowered the cro’jack from the shrouds, we had put it up there a few days ago to get it out of the way for the party last night, this way Matt would have a chance to work on it. Then Laura and I were sent to sew sail. I worked on the clew of the spanker, I’m going to put in three new grommets with rings, Laura is splicing in some bolt rope for the main topsail.

One of the 66 cats we counted.