Monday morning and we’re back at it full swing. The 4-8 watch set all sails as the sun glowing orange and yellow rose on the eastern horizon. After that, we sent them all to deck. Yes, that is correct. We unbent our sails, depowering our natural form of transportation and fired up the engine. It may seem strange, a tall ship removing all sails, yet there are a few reasons we did this. The first is that the ship will be dry docked for roughly 4 – 5 days and the forecast is rain, by taking down all sails we will not have to worry or care for them when they get wet, which leads to mold and decay. Another reason for taking them down is that this is a sail training ship and by unbending, which then leads to rebending sails, the crew learn a lot more about the rig, how objects work in the rig and they gain a larger appreciation for the vessel in which they’ve chosen to live for months or a year at a time. The more a crew member learns about the ship and the more tasks they get their hands dirty with, the closer they come to understanding this vast world of square rig sailing.
After successfully sending down 18 of 20 sails in 6 hours, a power shower was erected on the main deck for all those who wished to cool off to enjoy. Once the deck was tidied up and tools were neatly put away, a delicious dinner of lamb, green peas, salad and potatoes was served on the main hatch. It’s days like these that bring the entire crew together, working as a team on one visible and tangible project – well done crew.
From: Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga
Towards: Suva, Fiji
Date: September 17, 2018
Noon Position: 18°27.7′ S x 179°26.3′ W
Course + Speed: W by N (motoring)
Wind direction + Force: NE + 2
Swell Height + Direction: 1 1/2m + SE
Weather: Hot, Sunny
Sails Set: All sails were sent down, expect the foretopmast stays’l, the spanker and the gaff tops’l