Teacher Aboard

Date: Monday, January 12, 1998
Position: Latitude: 8: 45N Longitude: 87:11W.
Off the west coast of Costa Rica
Conditions: Air Temp: 33C/92F Wind Speed: 9 knots/ 3 Beaufort Scale, Wind Direction: NNW, Waves: 4 foot swells, Clouds: 10% scattered small cumulus, Water Temperature: 29C/85F, Barometric Pressure 1007mb
Entered By: Teacher Aboard Leslie Bridgett
DOLPHINS

 Dawn started off with lots of excitement. Three dolphins leaped fifteen feet into the air just off the bow as if to announce that they were ready to play. John, Jason and Summer took turns climbing down into the rig below the bowsprit to drag their hands and feet in the water in hopes of touching them. The dolphins were just below them and would turn a curious eye upward to take a closer look. In the words of Andy, our cook, we were doing our best to "meet the dolphins halfway." It was quite a thrill to witness two intelligent passengers on this planet expressing a desire to know each other, but separated by evolutionary design.

CELESTIAL (SKY) ENTERTAINMENT
For us, like mariners (sailors) of old who stand their watches through the night, the sky becomes a source of entertainment. A small group gathers on deck each night to watch the sunset. We've been told there is sometimes a green flash as the last piece of sun dips below the horizon. Not everyone "buys" the idea. Nevertheless, since sunset can be spectacularly beautiful, some of us take a few moments to watch its final moments each day.

As darkness slowly settles in, the planets and brightest stars begin to shine until the heavens are filled with stars. We have the good fortune of a full moon on the early part of our trip. Its brightness makes shadows dance on the deck as the ship's rig move with the waves. Like all celestial (sky) objects, the moon sets in the west. It is a beautiful sight on the water as we head into its reflection on our westward journey toward Asia

A CALENDAR FOR TIME

The reality of the length of this journey to Hawaii "hit home" when I pulled out my calendar to plan my schedule for January. I wanted to record the dates I was sending logs, the phase of the moon, my duty day for helping with clean up chores, and my shower days (every other day). An entire month will pass before I plan anything on land. Andy's calendar in the galley notes when Pride II passed through the Panama Canal. His interest, however, is in the amount of time that has passed since he bought fresh fruit and vegetables. He estimates they will last two weeks - the oranges will hold out the longest. We also have strict orders not to open the freezer. We have a generator to run the freezer, but it's not like home. Without cold enough temperatures, there is no ice cream. Now there's a food the crew really misses!

WATCHES

While underway (sailing), a ship develops it's own schedule of time. Since we do not dock at night, the crew works watches to sail the ship 24 hours a day. Each crew member stands two watches every day. Each watch is four hours long. The crew is divided into three groups called Watch A, B and C. Everybody on board is assigned to a watch, except the captain and the cook. I am on A Watch. First Mate Jason is my watch captain . He carries out the captain's orders, plots our position, and advises Captain Parrott of the need to change the course or the sails. Here are the members of all three watches (if you want to see a picture of my shipmates on these watches, check out the crew biographies):

  • A Watch - First Mate Jason, watch captain, with Leslie, Summer, and John
  • B Watch - Second Mate Amy, watch captain, with Samantha, and Sinker
  • C Watch - Bosun Damion, watch captain, with Kelly, Jennifer, Dan.

Sailors, like people in the military, use a 24 hour clock - so we don't use AM and PM like you guys do. For us, 0100 hours is 1:00 AM, and 1300 hours is 1:00 PM. (To figure out the hour past noon in "your" time, just subtract 12 from the first two numbers and add PM. So 1630 is 4:30 PM (16 - 12 = 4). Here's my daily routine.

SCHEDULE for Leslie Bridgett, A Watch

24 hr clock12 hr clockDuty
0400 4:00 AM On deck for A watch
0800 8:00 AM Breakfast
0800 8:30 AM Sleep
1200 12 Noon Lunch, write log, be on stand-by to help with sail changes
1600 4:00 PM On deck for A watch
2000 8:00 PM Dinner
2100 9:00 PM Shower (every other day) and sleep
2400 12 Midnite Sleep but on stand-by for sail changes

At 0400 the next day we start all over again! It takes few days for your body to get used to sleeping during the day and being awake at night. Eventually your internal clock takes over and it becomes a way of life for the next several weeks. Back home there are lot of folks who have to work in the middle of the night - like the police, newspapers, medical professions, power plants, airlines to name just a few. Can you think of any others?

The watch rotation and meal times on Pride II are as follows (see if you can fill in the 12 hour clock times):

MEAL & WATCH SCHEDULE ABOARD Pride II

24 hr clock12 hr clockDuty
0400
A watch on deck
0730
Breakfast for B Watch
0800
B Watch on deck. Breakfast for A & C
1130
Lunch for C Watch
1200
C Watch on deck. Lunch for A&B
1600
A Watch on deck
1930
Dinner for B Watch
2000
B Watch on Deck. Dinner for A & B
2400
C Watch on deck

How about making up a chart with your schedule. Write it out using your both the 12 hour (landlubber's) clock AND the 24 hour (sailor's) clock.

At the change of watches on Pride II , the watch captains discuss the previous watch. What were the conditions? How did the ship handle in the wind and waves? What was our course? Did the captain leave any specific orders?

If there is a need for any sail changes, this is when they occur since the man power of the two watches are on deck. During the watch, the crew checks and records every hour the ship's position, the weather, bilges (the lowest point inside the ship's hull), heads (bathrooms), navigation lights, engine gauges, the deck, and sails. Basically the crew is looking for water leaks, chaff (wear marks from rubbing), tangled gear, and a large change in numbers for the engine gauges. Anything unusual is reported to the watch captain.

If the sailing is smooth, the decks are hosed down twice a day to add salt which keeps the wood from rotting. Although we use radar to tell us if other vessels are in our area, a constant lookout is kept for other ships, whales, or anything in the water. As we left Panama, we were in the company of several ships. One tanker radioed us just to say hello and find out where we were going. The ship was carrying chemicals from Texas and was headed to Japan. The watch will also trim sails and chat about music, movies, the wind and weather. Catching the nine foot sailfish and the visiting dolphins were big topics for conversation. This morning the discussion centered around crossing the 87th line of longitude. Crossing this line will mean we are in a new time zone. Since we will turn the clocks back, the watch on duty will have to work another hour!

The off watch sleeps, reads magazines or books, watches videos (if the engine is running), writes in journals, or plays musical instruments. Captain Parrott is working on carving a ship into a polished piece of walrus tusk. With no radio, television, computers, movies, or malls to visit, how would you spend your free time on a ship at sea for four to six weeks?

SUMMER O'MALLEY

At 21 years of age, Summer O'Malley is the youngest member of the crew, and she's full of energy and enthusiasm. Her first experience with Pride II was as a volunteer in the fall of 1996. After that she was hired to take on the challenge of winter maintenance. Her hard work and effort put her in a position to be a knowledgeable candidate when crew was being selected for the Great Lakes Tour in 1997. During this time, she spent eight months aboard. Her favorite port of call on the Great Lakes Tour was the Lundenberg Seaport Museum in Nova Scotia where she enjoyed the colorful houses and people who she cleverly described as "sweeter than candy." Summer also had the unique opportunity to celebrate her 21st birthday on board Pride II. Before the ship left Oxford for St. Michael's in the Chesapeake, the crew had a birthday party for Summer in the main cabin which began with tossing her in the water! It's not just anyone who gets to celebrate such a big day on Pride of Baltimore II.

To see Summer in action while we are underway means she is actively attending to some task. I usually see her recording weather, doing boat checks, helming (steering), rinsing down the decks, trimming sails, or climbing the rig to set sails. She is friendly and has been very helpful in showing me how weather and boat checks are done. During this Asia with Pride Tour, she is looking forward to sailing across the Pacific and visiting foreign ports. We'll have to ask her later in the tour what she enjoyed the most!

Next time we will learn more about living aboard. Sleeping, showers, eating, and free time have a new twist while heeling (leaning over) on a moving boat. We'll also meet John, our engineer and handy man!

Enjoying my first days sailing the Pacific,
Leslie Bridgett

YOUR THOUGHTS

  1. How did the behavior of the dolphins suggest they are intelligent?
  2. Consider why the sun rises and sets. Based on this reasoning, explain why all celestial objects "appear" to rise in the east and set in the west.
  3. Why is "1300 hours" used on ships and in the military instead of "one o'clock?"
  4. Write out your daily schedule using ship's time.
  5. Name a profession that works in the middle of the night. Tell why this is necessary and how you would feel about working these hours.
  6. List the items that are checked and recorded hourly while Pride II is sailing. Make a note of why each of these is important.
  7. If you were to spend a month on a ship at sea with no phone, television, computer, or music, how would you spend your free time?
  8. Summer O'Malley had the good fortune to celebrate her birthday with a party on Pride II. Describe what your "perfect birthday party" would be like.

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