April 26, 2024
Another beautiful night at sea under sail. The moon is still pretty full but waning, lighting up the masts, sails and deck, making it all so easy for us to see at night. The star-gazers are waiting for the moon to be gone so the sky can dazzle with stars. The southern cross marches across the sky to our south over the course of the night. At midnight its spine points due south.
St. Helena is almost 1,000 miles astern in our wake. Picton Castle is about 900 miles east of the coast of Brazil and about 2,900 miles from Grenada. Not much to say really, the days are much alike. Modest seas, ocean blue as can be with scattered whitecaps. Those perfect puffy tradewind clouds sliding over us in the fair breezes. Yards braced off-square on the port tack. Sails that cannot hold wind due to our running with the breeze are snugly furled.
“Nipping Buntlines” On this passage with its day after day of steady winds we have introduced the old deep-water square-rig practice of nipping buntlines to reduce chafe. Nipping the bunts consists of slacking all bunt lines and leech lines, overhauling them maybe a foot and nipping that to a jack stay with break-away “rotten cotton” twine. We must be able to snap them free from deck with one sharp tug in order to take in sail. This way the buntline does not saw away at the sail all day and night. An old windjammer wrinkle. Most important when you are sailing as we are right now. But you can over do it. In one ship I saw a young crew headed aloft with seizing wire and pliers. Asked him what he was doing? He said he was going up to nip the bunts. With seizing wire? Oh boy! Nope, not even sewing twine, but wire. Easy to break cotton thread is the ticket. Imagine? Seizing wire? That would have been funny trying to take in a sail with buntlines nipped with wire.
Cats on the quarterdeck all night in the moonlight, playing and hanging out with the watch, getting a chin scratched now and then. Sometimes one of the cats curls up with 11-year old Dawson who often sleeps by the skylight. Dawson likes to be where the people are. He has his mat he got in Port Vila, blankets and fuzzy pillow. Before washdown or maybe if a rain squall passes us, he rolls up his mat, ties it with a knot, stows it in the office and stumbles down to his bunk, rubbing his eyes. He is not a morning person…
April 27, 2024, early morning
Up on the quaterdeck Rikki the Cat was playing with his shadow in the bright moonlight. Earlier he and sister Tea were growling over the grizzly remains of a flying fish. Rikki and Tea, from Rikitea, Mangareva, French Polynesia.
As the sun rises astern of us it looks like we have another beautiful day ahead. Winds are still force 4, meaning about 14 or 15 knots. Seas are down to 6 to 8 feet. Very pleasent sailing under square sail.
The spanker gaff is almost done with its renewal work. Dan did a first class job. It will be as strong as new. And we still have a timber for a new royal if required. New heavy canvas hatch cover is all done and painted. Looks great. Diane is taking charge of a new bridge awning that Dirk started in Cape Town. The new course is getting grommets, soon ready for roping. Under the Bosun’s supervision Liam is overhauling the fore upper topsail downhauls. Some rumblings heard about the ship coming up to the Equator soon.
Donald brought out his big Grenadian BBQ and set it up on the lee side of the galley. With some natural charcoal we got in Dominica some years ago, he got quite a feast on the grill. Sophia and Violet conjured up a potato salad and a pasta salad to go along with Donald’s ribs, beef and shrimp.
April 28, 2024
It rained a good deal over night. No strengthening in the winds just scattered showers. Took in royals just to be on the safe side though. By 0500 this morning all clear and the moon still more than half full making for easy seeing on deck. Cats chase each other around the quarterdeck. Playing in and around the saw horses supporting the spanker gaff, all fixed awaiting painting and sending back up. Being Sunday at sea, personal projects are underway here and there. Liam is making a canvas tote bag. Spring is overhauling an 8 string Cook Islands ukelele. A very pretty thing this is.
Explained about studding sails today. Perhaps we will rig them up soon. Nate will be leading a five-day Rules of the Road class after lunch this week coming.
