BOUNTY bound for Belfast

     After three years, four TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series, and 18 events, I finally have the opportunity to be a participant on board a tall ship. Not just any tall ship, but perhaps the most famous of all, the HMS Bounty. A berth is waiting for me and I board tonight.  Next stop- Belfast, Northern Ireland for the last event in the TALL SHIPS ATLANTIC CHALLENGE® Race Series.

     Since May, vessels have been racing their way around the Atlantic Ocean. Starting in Vigo, Spain the vessels have been to Tenerife, Las Canarias; Hamilton, Bermuda; Charleston, South Carolina; Boston, Massachusetts; Halifax, Nova Scotia, and finally Belfast. I have been following the ships since Vigo and working with them personally since Charleston. It has been an awesome experience and one that is not nearly over. Twenty one days from now, I will be in Belfast, proudly wearing a crew shirt and most likely a bit more swarthy after sailing 2324nm across the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Nelly and Amelia will also be on board as crew and the three of us are all eager for the transit.

Waaaay back in June….

Nelly on MIRCEA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

Written by Nelly Turley

  Way back in June, when I arrived in Hamilton, Bermuda on the Bounty, Captain Walbridge briefed us on some port etiquette, from bringing friends on board to letting other ship’s crew members climb Bounty’s rigging.  I didn’t really know anyone else that would want to come climb the rig so I didn’t think too much about it until I visited the Cisne Branco.  The Cisne Branco (or White Swan) is the Brazilian navy ship and was docked in front of the Kruzenshtern at the Bermuda tall ships event, where I had just had tea and cookies (baked on board) while they filled out a vessel survey. I decided to tour  Cisne Branco and chatted with the radio operator, Mario. As I was walking away he said “If you have any questions please, don’t hesitate to ask.”   There was only one question that came to mind, “Can I climb your rig?”   And so my quest to climb to go aloft on as many ships as I could began with that one simple question.

             Being up in the rig, or over the side, still hasn’t lost its luster for me.  I know some seasoned sailors might shrug it off but I still consider it my favorite place on board (just ahead of my bunk and wherever the food is). 

A night to remember at ASTA’s Annual Fundraiser

Amelia N. Smith – July 14th

 

Sunday was our big day, the ASTA Annual Fundraiser on tall ship Concordia to raise money for sail training and education.  I started off the evening directing guests to the reception by greeting them at the beginning of the pier.  They were easy to spot—the well-heeled guests and spotless crew and cadets. 

Palm trees and old friends

SAGRES

Welcome aboard SAGRES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Packed with people to tour the tall ships, Boston is alive and going strong.  Yesterday Nelly and I watched as hundreds of people lined up at Fish Pier and World Trade Center to enter the gates at 5 p.m. sharp.  Even the harbor was crawling with tour boats and smaller recreational vessels.

Boston…where everybody knows your name

Class A vessels at Fish Pier and World Trade Center - Amelia Smith

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

      While Boston got off to a rainy start, the captain of Kruzenshtern promised to bring the sun and every day since has been a perfect summer day.  The ships are spread out across Boston from the World Trade Center, all the way up to the USS Constitution Museum where the Eagle is docked.

Jennifer gets to sail….finally

“ALL HANDS ON DECK! – There’s an emergency!!!  Wake up! ALL HANDS ON DECK!!” 

            I tried to remember where I was and what kind of emergency there might be… Ah, yes, I’m on board the Spirit of Bermuda racing from Charleston, SC to Boston, MA.  I had been on board for almost 2 days, and was still trying to get some sleep whenever I could.  This call came at 22:15, just about an hour before I was to be woken for my midnight watch. 

            I remember hearing ,“Man overboard,”  and thought , “Oh, no.  Not one of the kids”…  There were 22 of us on board Spirit of Bermuda for this passage, most of them sail trainees from Bermuda between 15 and 18 years old.  I really hoped that I was dreaming and what I was hearing wasn’t true. 

     Quickly, it was made clear that all of our crew was safe and now on deck looking for signal flares in the distance.  Several red flares had been spotted by the watch on deck and they feared that there had been an accident up ahead.  Each watch has a responsibility when it comes to different emergency situations and my watch (A watch) was in charge of readying and launching the dinghy for potential rescue. 

A homecoming in Norfolk

By Amelia N. Smith

     Norfolk Harborfest for the 4th of July was phenomenal but, before delving into the event itself, I should start with the morning which was lively as well.  At 5 a.m. I had a confused wake-up for anchor watch– I’d been off-watch and asleep during the midnight anchoring.    It was a brisk morning, and I watched the sun rise, helped the students to complete the hourly boat check and took bearings recorded in the log with students Zach and Lauren.  As locals to the area, they were excited to recognize the coastline and explain where we were anchored.

A 4th of July welcome into Boston

As New England enjoys a second day of beautiful, sunny weather, two ships wait as the rest of  fleet makes their way up the coast and heads towards Boston.  Irek Zubko of Fazisi said that as their vessel arrived in Boston last night, they were welcomed into the harbor by the annual fireworks display. It was an amazing site and much appreciated by the crew after a week at sea. The crew is thrilled to be in Boston and they are thoroughly enjoying this historic city and looking forward to the next maritime city of Halifax. Fazisi is not alone in Boston, Rona II had finished the race as of this morning. Here are the standings as of noon today, all on corrected time:

Cool breezes as VIRGINIA heads home

From ASTA Intern Amelia….

     Thursday on the 12 to 4 a.m. watch we had 9 knots of speed but still some seasickness.  The students worked hard to fill the rotations of helm, lookout, rough log and boat check.  My rotation was rough log, so I walked the students through determining course ordered, course steered, wind direction and speed, sea direction and height, cloud type, and air temperature.  It was a little challenging explaining wind and sea direction in the dark, but the students worked hard and powered through.  Getting them through the rough log, I may have built more character than the students that watch, Ms. Cole joked, as I stopped to grab some water.

     Later that day, there was great excitement during our afternoon watch when
dolphins appeared.  There were not just one or two, but eight dolphins jumping and twirling around in the ship’s wake.  Some were speckled, others gray in color. Soonafter, we caught a Mahi Mahi on the fishing line, and student Zach cut it up for us.

    After rounding Cape Fear, Cape Lookout and finally Cape Hatteras, the seas have calmed and left us with a steady wind.  It was wonderful to wake up to a cool afternoon breeze instead of sweltering heat, and you could see it in the smiles of the students how big of a difference it made.  With seasickness lessening, students have started building leadership as Junior Watch Officers (J-WO).  The J-WO organizes the watch and leads rotations, making sure tasks are completed on time.

     During watch, Ms. Cole (1st Mate) led lessons on dead reckoning, and the students have picked it up quickly and incorporated it into their rough
log.  Instead of using the GPS to determine our position and plotting it on the chart, students read our nautical miles traveled on the taff rail and log it into the rough log.  Combining the distance traveled with the course steered, students then plot our position on the chart using this “dead reckoning” method.  On the watch change every four hours the watch leader plots our GPS position.

     When not on watch, students have been learning their knot tying, compass points, aloft safety and rigging in order to be cleared to go aloft.  It has
been great to see the students helping to teach each other as they pick up more and more information.  Their goal is to see the July 4th fireworks aloft in Norfolk!

Race Four Update – Day 4

As we head into the long holiday weekend, here are the most recent standings from Race Four: