Travels With Barbara

Bending On Sail

Last fall, after the ship finished sailing and was tied up at the dock in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia  for the winter, all the sails and running rigging were removed and checked over before being stowed in the warehouse. The ship's sailmaker and rigger have been overseeing any necessary repairs and/or replacements before rigging the ship this spring for the fourth world voyage.

"Bending on sail" is the term for rigging the sails onto the yardarms and stays. On Tuesday Captain Moreland gave us our first lesson in bending on sail. We bent on the Main Upper Topsail. For anyone who is not familiar with the sails on a barque, there are three masts that carry sails: the Foremast is the most forward mast on the ship; the Mainmast is the tallest one located mid-ships and carries the largest sails; the Mizzen is the third mast situated farthest aft.  The Foremast and the Mainmast each carry five square sails: from the bottom up they are the Course, the Lower Topsail, the Upper Topsail, the Topgallant, and the Royal. So, the sail that we bent on, the Main Upper Topsail, is the third sail up on the Mainmast.

To bend on this sail required about nine or ten people to climb up to the Upper Topsail yardarm (third one up). The sail is hoisted up in a bundled that is gasketed in such a way to make the necessary corners available. It's too complex an operation to explain in detail here. With three or four experienced crew and the remaining people on the yardarm new trainees, the process was a little slower since we were all learning on deck. It took two hours to complete, in part because the foot of the sail has to be stretched very tightly to get it on.

On Wednesday we bent on the Main Lower Topsail as well as the Fore Upper and Lower Topsails. We also learned to hank on the headsails. We started with the Inner Jib, each of us taking a turn doing one hank at a time. This involves using a 2-fathom length of marlin (the rope is unwound to three strands and each strand is unwound to individual threads which are used either singly or doubled) called a "roband." The roband is threaded through one eye of the hank, through the grommet in the sail, up through the other eye of the hank, back and forth many times along with a figure eight between the two eyes and "frapping" wound around the threaded marlin to be sure that none of the metal hank touches the sail.

On Thursday we hanked on a couple of other headsails: the Fore Topmast Staysail and the Outer Jib. The Flying Jib has yet to be hanked on, and there are at least six more square sails to bend on. We've had to use some of the crew to stow cargo while the weather is dry because we can't have the cargo hold open when it is raining.

Sailmaking

Sails are vitally important for a sailing ship. The Picton Castle is a traditional sailing vessel and she carries canvas sails. We have a couple of professional sailmakers on board for the voyage and we will be continually repairing and/or making new sails. 

My first taste of sailmaking came last week when I helped repair seams on one of the sails. It was relatively easy: a straight running stitch through two layers of canvas. I enjoy sewing and it was satisfying work. The sailmaking work is done on the third floor of the warehouse by the ship's dock. We have a large space where we can spread out the sail that is being worked on.

Yesterday I was asked to help out again in the sail loft. This job was quite a bit more difficult. We were replacing a canvas cover that goes over the rope that runs along one edge of the sail. The needle has to be pushed through at least six layers of canvas and it takes both skill and strength to do it. I had to learn the proper way to hold and manuever the needle using a sailmaker's palm. Once the needle is pushed most of the way through the canvas, then pliers are used to pull the needle all the way through on the other side. Each stitch was an accomplishment! On the fifth stitch I broke the needle, which means having to cut the thread and start again with a larger needle and a new thread.

Just before we took our lunch break, I borrowed an awl from one of the other sailmakers and discovered that using an awl to punch a hole through the canvas makes it much easier to pass the needle through. Since I had the afternoon off from ship's work, I went shopping and bought an awl and pliers to add to my toolkit. Now I'm better prepared for sailmaking.

Lots to learn!

Now that my shipmates and I are officially signed on to the  Picton Castle, and living aboard the ship, we have a lot to learn. Things that we take for granted knowing how to do on shore have to be learned anew on ship. For example, not every faucet has fresh water. Some faucets are connected to sea water; the fresh water is used sparingly. And there are no flush toilets. For starters, the toilet on board a ship is called "the head." To flush the head involves opening two valves to let water in, then closing those valves before the water overflows and pumping it all out. Do this three times at least to be sure the pipes are clear.

We've been practicing proper line handling techniques and we learned how to brace the yards. "Yard" is short for yardarm, the spars that run horizontally across the masts and to which the square sails are attached. "Brace" means to turn the yards from one tack to another. So, in order to turn the ship from port tack to starboard tack (or vice-versa), the yards are braced to bring the sails around to the other side of the mast. Since there are five sails each on the foremast and the mainmast, bracing the yards involves a lot of people, some of whom are easing out lines on one side of the ship while others are hauling in lines. We have to listen for the commands, repeat them and do what is required with the correct line. And always watch what's going on aloft.

Yesterday we had our first "up and over" class. We learned to climb the lower section of rigging on the foremast. With several of the experienced crew stationed at strategic locations, we climbed up, one at a time, to the "top" (which is only about halfway up the mast), then over the top and down the other side. I certainly am glad we did this on a calm day while tied up at the dock. Today we had another climbing lesson: out on the head rig. Whereas going aloft yesterday was a vertical climb, this was closer to horizontal in direction as we went out along one side of the bowsprit and back along the other side. In some ways this was scarier than going up high.

Another class yesterday was rowing the life boat. We learned a whole new set of commands for rowing and practiced several different strokes as we rowed back and forth along the Lunenburg waterfront. 

Into the water goes the Picton Castle!

Thursday was a busy day. We had our first lesson on handling lines - how to ease off, haul away, belay and coil down properly without injuring (or losing) any fingers. It looks really easy, yet there are a lot of fine points to pay attention to that are not so apparent until you actually try to do. There's a rhythym to it and it's a bit like learning to dance: knowing when to move forward or backward, where to position feet and hands, and how to coordinate with other people.

After the line handling lesson, I was assigned to paint the scullery along with two other people...that's about all that can work in the limited space. It actually seemed quite spacious to me since all the cabinetry and sinks had been removed. I had painted the same space when it was the galley and everything was installed, in 1996, before the ship was fully converted to a sailing vessel. At that time it was difficult for two of us to work there at the same time and it was quite difficult to reach all the corners.

We were almost finished with painting shortly before 3:00pm when the shore power to the ship was cut off. That was our signal to clean up and get off the ship immediately because they were ready to move her off dry dock and back into the water. Only the Captain and professional crew were allowed on board while the ship was being moved back to its own dock. It was quite an operation and I caught most of it on video.  The entire dock was slowly eased out into the water until it was deep enough for a tug boat to pull the ship off the supports and out to open water. When it was partially in the water, the Captain inspected below decks to be sure that everything was okay (no water leaking in anywhere) and then he signalled to complete the re-launching of the ship.

Once the ship was securely tied up at its own dock, we were able to move aboard. Since it was late in the day, the owners of Greybeard's B&B (Bob and Rosanna Higgins) where I've been staying invited me to spend one more night there. That will be the last I see of a private room and private bath for quite some time, so I happily accepted the invitation!

Galley Duty

The ship's crew is divided into three watches. While at sea each watch handles the ship for four hours at a time, with eight hours off between watches. Although we are not yet out at sea, and for several days we were not even living aboard the ship, we were assigned to watches at the beginning of the week. Each day a different watch does "domestics" (which means cleaning the ship and all living quarters) and provides two or three people to assist the cook in the galley.

Tuesday was my watch's turn for domestics and galley. I was chosen along with one other person to help the cook in the galley. So at 7am I reported to Bailly House (which is home base for most of the crew while the ship is in dry dock) to help with breakfast - make juice, set out the food, and clean up when everyone is finished eating. We do the same for lunch and dinner. By the end of the day we had washed about 150 sets of dishes and flatware, not to mention all the pots and pans.

The nice part of galley duty is having some free time between the clean-up of one meal and the preparation of the next. During the morning as I was walking about town I saw a sign for massage therapy. With both professional  and personal interest, I went to inquire about scheduling an appointment. I was able to arrange one for 3:00pm, and we finished the clean-up from lunch just a few minutes before 3pm so it worked out perfectly.

Speaking of the galley, our meals have been wonderful - nutritious (lots of vegetables and salads), hearty, and plenty of choice so that I doubt anyone could complain. Extra food from one meal frequently finds its way into another meal in the next day or two. Especially vegetables, rice, potatoes, meat or chicken - all of which go into the soup pot or a casserole. The ship's cook, Joe Keenan, besides being creative in the kitchen, is a singer-songwriter and plays the guitar.  Swapping stories about previous voyages at sea, we figured out that he was the cook on the schooner "Ernestina" when I sailed from Brigus, Newfoundland to New Bedford, MA. (1990). It's a small world!

Arriving in Lunenburg

The past couple of weeks have been immensely busy as I prepared to leave home for seven months, said goodbyes to family and friends, packed my bags and set off on this adventure of a lifetime. I had fully intended to post updates several times along the way...obviously, that didn't happen.

I arrived in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on a very rainy, foggy Sunday evening, May 1st after a long day of travelling. With only one hour to change flights in Toronto which included picking up my checked luggage, going through Customs, dropping off my checked luggage for the connecting flight and getting over to the domestic flights terminal to the departure gate, I had not a minute to spare. I got to the departure gate about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure. My bags were not so swift, so they did not get on the same flight. Fortunately, by the time I realized that my checked luggage had not arrived in Halifax, they were already listed in the Air Canada computer system as being on the next flight, which would arrive two hours later; and Air Canada promised to deliver them to Lunenburg.

The Picton Castle went into dry dock last week to have the hull scraped clean ofbarnacles, sanded and painted as well as some other work that can only be done when the ship is out of the water. Since it is not convenient for us to be living on the ship at the moment (no running water while in drydock), I am staying at Greybeard's Bed & Breakfast which is quite a treat compared to the shared living quarters that I will move into on the ship in the next day or two. The ship is expected to go back into the water tomorrow and, if all goes well, we should be able to move aboard late in the day. I reserved a bunk in the salon (the main living quarters) by taking down a bag load of clothes today.

Monday morning at 8am I went to my first ship's muster. A muster is when everyone on board reports all at one time to the designated location for instructions and job assignments. Since we are not living on board, this muster was held a few blocks from the dock, at the Bailly House, where about half the sail trainees are living at the moment. A number of us were sent over to the warehouse by the dock to sort clothes and books that we are taking to people living in the Pacific islands and other places along the way. The ship's purser had purchased 800 pounds of clothes from a local thrift store and they had to be sorted according to whether they were children's or adult's size, male or female clothes. Some particularly intriguing items were culled from the lot for "marlinspike" parties on board (you'll hear more about that at a later date). I started out with the clothes sorting and quickly moved over to books when they asked for more help in that area.

First we had to separate out the "keepers" from the ones that were not appropriate. Since most of the island children do not stay in school past 8th grade, we are not taking any books above the 8th grade level. Also anything with broken bindings were not acceptable. Then we sorted the books to get all the texts of one kind together and bundled them into "bricks" of a manageable size. Each "brick" of books was wrapped in plastic and taped copiously so it will survive all the handling involved in stowing them in the cargo hold and travelling halfway around the world. I gravitated towards sorting the children's books, which I really enjoyed.

Today I was assigned to work in the ship's galley which is being thoroughly cleaned and painted at the same time that plumbing repairs are being made. We had five people working in a rather small space. My job was polishing the cast iron stove with black stove polish. Needless to say, my hands were thoroughly black by the time I finished. After lunch, I went back to working with books. We had to move all of the packaged books from the first floor of the warehouse to the third floor, keeping French books separate from English books. Then we sorted school supplies: pens, crayons, writing paper, notebooks, construction paper, erasers, glue, tape, some old cassette tape players and even a Smith Corona word processor.

Yesterday afternoon, we saw the schooner "Westward" sail into Lunenburg under full sail. This afternoon I had an opportunity to visit the Westward and got a full tour of the ship. It was especially interesting to me since my brother, David, had sailed on the Westward with the S.E.A. program when he was in college. I even got the tour of the engine room, which was David's favorite place.

It's getting late and I have to report as cook's helper at 7 am tomorrow, so that's all for now.