Since the weather has been fair we’ve been doing lots of painting, so it was a well timed paint and coatings workshop this afternoon. Captain explained how any unprotected steel will quickly rust in the damp, salty marine environment, and how we counteract this by diligent and regular painting. It has been thus ever since the launch of the first iron ships, and will continue to be so as long as ships are built of steel. Even modern cruise liners and cargo ships have their people spot paint as a matter of course. He also discussed proper painting technique and some of the other coatings we use on the wire and fibre standing rigging: tar, slush and oil, and gave a practical demonstration of how to clean up spilt paint from the deck – much to Bosun’s horror.
SHIP’S WORK: Lots of painting to make the most of the fair weather – white on the aloha deck bulwarks and starboard fo’c’sle head round, primer on the pelican hooks, headrig seizings, scuttle hatch and salon sink, buff on the cat heads and jiboom, black on MONOMOY gunwale, red on starboard fire box, and green on main mast boot. Replace spanker knock lashing, get chafe gear on fore t’gallant headstay at martingale, replace ratlines port main topmast shrouds, replace port main upper topsail brace, serve threads on fore topmast backstay turnbuckles and install canvas boots on port main t’gallant and royal backstays.
TOWARDS: Cadiz, Spain
TIME ZONE: ZD + 1
NOON POSITION: 38°40.5’N /022°47.8’W
DAYS RUN: 72nm
PASSAGE LOG: 472nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 794 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: SExS (143°True), 3kts
WIND: ExN, Force 3
WEATHER: 4/8 cloud cover (cumulus and cirrus), air temp 60F (16°C), sea surface temp 66F (19°C) barometer reading 1033 millibars
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: 2 foot, ENE
SAILS SET: All square sails to the royals, fore, main and mizzen topmast staysails, inner, outer and flying jib, spanker.