09/10/2011

More mishaps and advenures on the way to Montreal. Our small crew is proving resilliant in the face of long hours and demanding work. We left Port Colborne around 2200 with our pilot on board and headed into the canal, taking the first lock with all hands. The next being a few hours away due to traffic bravo ad charlie were stood down to rest for the coming locks. Just after bravo returned to the deck we started nto the next set with charlies help and passed lock seven and the flight locks in about three and a half hours. During that time we were pushed into walls by ugly currents and had our dock lines dropped on us by people who are clearly used to much taller boats but made it with only minor bumps and scratches.

Credit must be given to charlie watch for basically standing the deck from 0300 till 1300 and taking away the right of anyone else to complain.

Now we are pushing through Lake Ontario and driving for the Saint Lawrence. Four days till Montreal.

09/09/2011

Another voyage has started, though we have had many challenges already. The entire trip was nearly scrubbed due to new pilotage requirements and a surprise twenty thousand dollar cost to fulfill said requirements. Thankfully we were able to make a deal with Montreal to mitigate some of that cost and got under way with only an eight hour delay. It was an uneventful motorboat ride to our current dock at Port Colborne.

I personally have many reasons to be excited for this voyage. My parents are on board wich is alwas welcome in my mind and I get to see a dear old friend once we arrive; I am glad that it worked out.

So now we wait to leave at 2100 and pass through thelocks on our way to Lake Ontario and points beyond. Our yards are cockbilled and our fenders greased. One more push on our adventure.

08/25/2011

We are truly homeward bound. Niagara is back in lake Erie and is followinf a favorable breeze home. The engines are off and both stacks are set full for a down wind run. As we entered the lake a shot while after breakfast all hands were called to get her dresed the crew found new energy for one last big push. We set the sails ast with a zeal that I certainly haven't felt for a good while. The sence of homecoming may well have had something to do with it, along wth the promse of favorable wind and a following sea after our trals on lake Huron. It is as though this calm quiet sail is our reward for the challenges of the voyage behind us.

It has not been a bad voyage, but certainly a difficult one. We have been pushed in so many ways both physically and mentally. Training new crews and losing them one they finally become a part othe ship is harder than I anticipated, but I at least can believe that I may see some of them out on the water again sometime. Failing that, perhaps we at least widened a few horizons which can rarely be called a bad thing.

08/24/2011 part two

After many hours of making and losing ground we have finally found our way to Port Huron where the crew has been given a quiet few hours of liberty while the conditions are assessed. The channel is narrow and while the winds have calmed some, the the chop and the current is certainly still intense. The crew is definitely tired but we are once again balancing our needs versus the schedule put before us.

08/24/2011

All hands wakeups crossing Huron. We have been dodging, running from and running into storms all night. I have heard stories abou Huron being a rough lake,especially by the Saganaw bay but this was my first time experiencing it. Five to eight foot seas on a short chop with a very frsh breeze have been pushng us around and we have made very little headway till just recntly. somewhere in the early hours we were all called to deck because the sterm of the yawl boat was knocked free and we had to catch it before she was lost or damaged our rudder.

But now we are told that we are making good time and are about four hours from Port Huron and the mouth of the St. Claire. There may be another update later but for now it is time to sleep.

08/23/2011

Solidly into lake Huron and it has been excitement. We crossed the Mackinac bridge at 2300 last night. As far as I can recall I have never personally seen that bridge during the day but it is a lovely sight in th dark. Because of the way it is lit it looks as though you are sailing off into the void. Personally I couldn't help but imagine someone up on the bridge... a kid in the back seat on a road trip seeing us ghosting under as they crossed. Thoughts like that tend to make me smile.

The lake opened up to strong winds and fairly heavy seas, getting up to five or six feet. Around lunch we were taking some solid spray over the bow and had put in the gunport covers to try and keep the force of it down. We have also been stowing, loosing, setting and striking sail quickly as the conditions and forcasts shift around us.

I've gotten a lot of experience with reefing sail this season and am finally comfortable with the lashing. I learned to do it on Pride but have not till recently really trusted myself with it. It is interesting seeing my own confidence growing, hopefully not unreasonably. I am also finding myself more at ease with training now that there are fewer people that need it.

As restful as it is without huge groups of trainees the boat is a bit more lonely without them. A bit quieter in a way that is bitter sweet. It makes me look forward even more to a day when I can pick my own crew and go as we please.

08/22/2011

Under way once again and headed to Erie. All of the students are gone and we have a small crew entirely of people who have sailed with us before. It is a nice change of pace, not having to watch over every little detail of operatons. We recently passed sleeping Bear Dunes which is always a pretty sight. We sailed out of Port Washington in the early evening, getting sail set before we cleared the harbr. After we fired off our fairwell salute the dock called out fair winds to us. I can't recall a port ever doing that for us before. It is nice to feel like people do care about what it is we are doing.

Will,wo is the head of the hornet project that I am bcoming involved with is aboard for the voyage and we have had many long conversations about sail theory and sail training theory. As the project gets closer I find myself more and more excited to be a part of it.

But for now we are motor sailing at about ten knots with the squares set trying to make Huron before expected squalls drive up an angry sea for us to plunge through. Either way sounds like it could be interesting in my mind.