Blue skies, trade wind clouds, blue seas, a few white caps. Wind has picked up enough today, averaging 3 – 4 knots. Weather is gorgeous, making it comfortable and enjoyable to work in. At 0630 the quarter-deck was filled with eager crew members sporting headlamps, watches, and sextants in order to take a morning star sight.
As the sun rises it’s always astounding to see how the day unfolds on deck.
Our 180′ ship goes from a quiet, orderly, clean deck and transforms into a sail loft, a carpenters’ shop, a blacksmith, and rigging shop. Today the two stuns’l booms are sitting on sawhorses midships being sanded and prepped for varnishing. Stunsails are extra sails that you see on the outboard side of the square sails. They are rigged up in low wind conditions in order to help the ship gain a half to a full knot of speed.
The rigging department spent time this morning assembling and checking over the stunsail gear, ensuring we have everything we need to set the outboard sails. Today at 1600 the Captain will explain in further detail where stunsails originated from, how they are rigged and what effect they have on the vessel. The sail makers continue their window patching work from yesterday on an inner jib. The teak bridge deck bench is receiving a heavy sanding and will be prepped for varnish. The bosun has a handful of crew members in the rigging today, tarring and slushing shrouds, gear, and lifts.
More and more finished ditty bags are seen around deck and hanging outside of bunks. Some crew members are engraving or decorating the bottoms of their ditty bags, a neat way to personalize their ditty bag.
From: Galapagos
Towards: Pitcairn
Date: July 10, 2018
Noon Position: 18°48.5′ S x 118°04.1′ W
Course + Speed: SWxS + 3.1 knots
Wind direction + Force: ExN + 4
Swell Height + Direction: 1.5m + NExE
Weather: Bright, sunny
Day’s Run: 74.2nm
Passage Log: 1960nm
Distance to Port: 766nm|
Voyage: 5436.8nm
Sails Set: All square sails, mainsail is goose winged, main topmast staysail, mizzen topmast staysail