We awoke to a sunny Saturday this morning! Excellent weather to set our stuns’ls, and that we did. All stuns’l booms were sent up, blocks and halyards in place aloft, then all three stuns’ls were set by 1100! Stuns’ls or studding sails are sails that protrude outboard of the yards, and as we are currently on a port tack, the stuns’ls are rigged on our port side, otherwise known as the weather side. By 1115 the t’gallant stuns’l bamboo boom had snapped, nothing earth shattering, nonetheless the sail and broken boom were taken in immediately, sent to the hatch to unbend as crew members found a new piece of bamboo for carpenter Carlos to cut to the exact length. The t’gallant stuns’l was bent on to the boom again, sent up and set by 1200.
Meanwhile, at the aft end of the ship on the quarterdeck, the riggers Anders, Anne-Laure and Annie were preparing the gaff topsail to be hoisted aloft on the mizzen to be bent on. Brittni and Tyler climbed aloft to secure the sail into place, reattaching the gear; the halyard, tack, and brail, until James came to relieve them and began lashing on the hanks. Hanks are metal ‘U’ shaped objects that are attached to the sail with robands and run up and down the stay as the sail is either set or taken in.
With our 3 stuns’ls and spanker bent on and set we have a total of 21 sails set. Once the gaff topsail is complete, the only sail missing will be the mizzen staysail. As the work day winds down, the crew are resting, or preparing for the holidays. Wrapping presents, completing their stockings and baking, a fair amount of Christmas baking has gone on this week. Christmas at sea is just around the corner, or rather another 300 nautical miles ahead. We’ll always remember the Christmas we set stuns’ls.
From: Bali, Indonesia
Towards: Rodrigues
Date: Saturday December 22nd, 2018
Noon Position: 15°16.5’S x 093°14.2’E
Course + Speed: W 1/2 S + 4.0 kts
Wind direction + Force: SExS + 3
Swell Height + Direction: 1m + SExE
Weather: Hot, sunny
Day’s Run: 94.5 nm
Passage Log: 1596.6 nm
Distance to Port: 1755 nm
Voyage: 153712.4 nm
Sails Set: All sails except gaff topsail and mizzen staysail, plus all three stuns’ls