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Hi Guys,
SAMANTHA'S DAY AS COOK Yesterday was Andy's day off. This guy has been cooking three meals a day for thirteen people for almost a month. It's no wonder that in Andy's eyes, Hawaii is the "Land of Store Bought Bread." It was Samantha who came to the rescue - she volunteered to be cook for the day. This was no easy feat since most of the easy foods, like fresh fruit and salads, ran out days ago. The worst part was the peer pressure. Most of the crew is in their twenties, and although they enjoy a nice shepherd's pie from time to time, they were salivating for burgers and fries. Of course, you say, "No problem!" But you have forgotten already that the Land of Store Bought Bread lies over the horizon. Sam would have to make hamburger buns from flour - and French fries from fresh potatoes - and chocolate cookies from scratch.
Knowing Samantha (as you do now), this was not going to stop her. Nor was she daunted by the fact that the stove was propane, and the ship was heeling a good 10 degrees. She did employ some unusual methods of mixing the dough. On one of my passes through the galley, I found her sitting on the floor with the large bowl of dough braced between her legs with her head set and CD player swung around her neck. Dinner was a smashing success. And after seeing Sam's performance to get it on the table, we have much more respect for Andy. We love you, Andy! Of course, Andy couldn't let the day pass without some appropriate remark. So he says, "You know, Sam, what they are going to say about you now? 'Nice buns!'" PROBLEM SOLVING AT SEA Actually the whole crew has a wonderful sense of humor. After striking the top gallant (the square sail that flies above the fore topsail - see if you can find it on the Sail Plan), the crew wraps the sail cloth onto a gaff (wooden pole). They then bring this twelve foot long " beast" into the cabin to stow it (put it away). Now there's not a lot of room in the main cabin. One of the reasons is that there is a big ladder in the middle of it. So it's a challenge to maneuver around with a twelve foot sail and gaff. Basically it becomes a bit of a puzzle trying to move the gaff in and out of open doors to try to fit it along the ceiling where it "lives." As the off watch is stretched out on the cushions in the main cabin, they enjoy watching the on watch struggle with this puzzle. It is not uncommon to find them humming the Jeopardy "waiting for the answer" tune -- La de, La de, La de, La . . . da, dadada . . . da . . . da . . .da, Bzzzzz. Wrong! You lose!"
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ALIENS - Meteors? Presently I am on C watch. I was warned about this watch. The hours are 0000 hours to 0400 (midnight to 4 AM), and 1200 to 1600 (noon to 4 PM). Now you just know that something starting with that many zeros has to be anything but ordinary. My watch mates are quite a colorful bunch. You've already met Kelly Landen, and in the near future you will meet Dan Nelson, Jennifer Muther, and Damion Sailors. This will explain a few things.
Anyway, as if our watch wasn't already different enough, last night at about 0300 I see this yellow glow on the horizon just below the clouds. In a matter of moments it was glowing bright white, had climbed to 10 to 15 degrees in the sky, and had developed a long glowing tail. In the one or two minutes that it lasted, we saw it cross horizontally from north to east in the sky from 350 to 60 degrees according to our compass. Pieces of it burned away falling below, making small tails of their own until the entire meteor burned up and disappeared. Since we left Panama, I have seen 22 meteors - and that does not include the ones other crew members have seen. In my estimation, this must have been a fireball, which is a huge meteor that burns much longer than a regular meteor. Whatever it was, it was definitely spectacular. When we told Jason the next watch leader about our vision as he comes on duty at 0400, he asked, "So what, are you all different people now? Possessed by aliens, maybe?" Like we needed an excuse to be different! Anyway, as "it" crossed the sky in its seemingly endless burning path, I felt a kinship to the dinosaurs on a night like this 60 million years ago. SWELLS!
The swells are gigantic! A swell is a large wave in the ocean that is a "left over" from a storm at sea. It's much like the remaining unsettled waves in a plastic swimming pool after all the splashing is over. Except Mother Nature makes some big "splashes" with the wind in her storms, and the swells are huge. They come in sets of waves. By Olympic standards, some of the swells were only a 6.0. But we had some 10s today. I would estimate the height of the biggest waves to be 15 to 20 feet and their length to be 200 feet. Pride II, which is 109 feet long, would ride up and over them like a roller coaster ride. It was quite a ride! (No place for the weak of stomach here.)
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CAPTAIN DAN PARROTT
This message hit home a couple of times when Captain Parrott gathered the crew for a muster (meeting) to remind us about the importance of safety, health, and keeping a sharp look out for unexpected objects in the sea. When we are 2,000 miles from land on the Pacific Ocean, we may not have the resources to solve certain problems, so it's best to avoid them by being careful.
His travels aboard this ship took him to New Zealand and throughout the south and western Pacific. He also served as mate and master for four years on the Tole Mour, a three-masted topsail schooner, in her duties as a medical ship providing health care to islanders in the Marshall Islands. Appropriately, her name Tole Mour, means "gift of life." With so much time at sea, he sat for his test to obtain a master's license for 1600 ton ocean vessels with the Australian government. Since returning to America, he has obtained an American captain's license as well. Back in 1985, he heard of the opportunity to sail on the original Pride of Baltimore. He signed on as a deckhand and was soon promoted to watch officer for her European Tour under the command of Captain Miles. In 1991 he returned to the company and served as Chief Mate for Pride II's tour of Europe. In the 1990's, when Captain Dan was not sailing on Tole Mour, he served as captain of two east coast schooners, Bill of Rights and Harvey Gamage. Most recently, Tole Mour required his services as captain as she sailed the local waters around Hawaii. This time, however, the mission of the ship was to provide a six to twelve month experience for troubled teenagers. The challenge for Captain Parrott was to lay the groundwork for this program, and manage the ship's complement of students, educational staff, and crew. Presently we have the good fortune to have pulled Captain Parrott away from his studies to give Captain Miles some "down time" in this year-long journey to Asia. While at home in Rhode Island with his wife, Captain Parrott is completing his master's degree in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. His undergraduate degree is in English and political science.
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After four weeks at sea and 4,000 miles, Pride II is marking off her last 500 miles on this stretch of the Pacific. It has been a pleasant journey. Nevertheless, we are all eager to see the small outposts of land on the horizon. It has been a long time without many of the familiar pleasures only land can provide - ice cream, mail, and a long hot shower. Unlike the arrival of jets bringing tourists to enjoy this land of paradise, our arrival by sea will have a special significance. Captain Parrott says it best, "After crossing an ocean, we have the right to be there."
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HOT SPOTS
By the time I send my next log, chances are good that I will be wearing a lei! My itinerary from home office tells me we have a lot of ground to cover - the Hawaiian Maritime Center, the WWII Memorial in Pearl Harbor, the Bishop Museum, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. We will also meet some Hawaiian kids as we visit several schools. The ship will be getting some dockside maintenance before crossing the second half of the Pacific under the command of Captain Miles. We will catch up with the last crew members, Jennifer, Dan, and Damion, as they work on the ship in port.
As visions of ice cream dance in my head, YOUR THOUGHTS
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Captain Parrott stands on the aft deck, his arms folded over his chest as Pride II heels smartly in the building breeze. She seems to be begging him to let her keep all her sails up - despite the increasing wind. Decisions! This is the captain's domain. The weather, navigation, communication, the course, sail trim, and sail selection are the obvious business that demands the captain's constant attention. As a sailor, this is the part of the job that would appropriately be described as a "labor of love." Like men with huge toys, captains love to sail their ships.
However, there is the huge list of responsibilities that go unnoticed by the casual observer. Foremost would be ensuring a safe passage for both crew and ship. This requires a watchful eye on all facets of the ship. Other demands include the maintenance of the ship, management of the crew, interacting with the authorities in ports of call, answering to the demands of the public, and keeping the home office informed of Pride II's activities. If the passage delivers heavy weather, balancing all these responsibilities can be very draining on a captain's energy. Ultimately, he will answer for every decision.
Captain Dan also has a talent for carving scrimshaw onto bone. Since we left Panama, he has completed a lovely piece depicting Pride of Baltimore II. The scrimshaw sheds light on one last facet of Captain Parrott that I would like to share. Somehow in the midst of all the technology of Global Positioning Satellites and a crew of twenty-something college graduates, he is able to preserve a sense of history. His mannerisms, his values, his commands, his demeanor (the way he presents himself), all do tribute to a traditional, wooden hulled vessel at sea. As we approach the year 2000, sailing Pride of Baltimore II, an 1812-era topsail schooner, is as close as we can hope to actually "live" history. As he approaches his business as captain, it is clear that he recognizes the importance of tradition, and appreciates his unique opportunity to sail tall ships in this century. We will only have these tall ships at sea for as long as we have captains who are dedicated to sailing them.
