Back From SEA

[Ray Frechette Jr]

Just got back from Maine Maritime Academy in Castine Maine.

My son Josh and I sailed back form Marblehead MA on the Schooner Bowdoin.

Too late to share memories and experiences in detail, but it was the ride of a lifetime for me unmatched by any passenger fare opn a Schooner in my book.

We were part of the crew pulling 4 hr watches on a three watch crew, sailing through the night and day,  anchoring, docking making sail, trimming, ballentining coils, steering and forwd lookout as well as boat checks and inspections and daily cleanup, galley chores and infamous Bowls and Soles after every meal as well as routine maintenance and repairs under way.

Interspersed between that fun was undergoing Man Overboard drills, fire drills and abandon ship drills where we had to don exposure suits, gather food, fuel, water, epirb, andditch kits, simulate deploying life rafts all while being timed....

After securing self in Exposure suits one very much feels like Gumby and moves similarly....

"Hands to the Mainsail.

Ready on the top[ping lift?  Ready on the Main throat?  Ready on the Main Peak?  Raise the topping lift!  Make fast the topping lift.

Main Peak and Throat haul away together!

Haul with a Will!  We have places to go!

It all is still ringing in my ears along with the sounds of the pods of whales spouting all around us up and down the coast and as I type the chair and room is rocking and pitching below me.

I am about to retire to my bunk and feel the movement rock me to sleep in an instant.  Being on C watch we have the dawn watch at 0400 to 0800 so I better get some sleep while I can....

[wkisting]

Sounds very cool, Ray! I'll look forward to a detailed report if you find time to write one. And pictures?

[ThistleCap]

Congratulations, Ray.  You've done a great thing for your son, and glad you enjoyed it as well.  Check out the ASTA (American Sail Training Association) catalog.  There are a lot of other training vessels out there you both would enjoy as well, different types, different locations.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

Heading back up to get cell phone which has pictures on board it.  I forgot my cell phone and windbreaker aboard the boat. 

So Pictures will be forthcoming this week.

I guess the best I can do is to give snippets of stories over time as there are too many to relate all at once.

My son Josh is a bit of a prankster and decided it would be great fun to send one of the younger boys on board from the sailing school looking for a bucket of prop wash .  The 12 year old lad went from mate to mate and finally asked the captain.  The captain was amused and asked him who needed the prop wash.

The captain asked the boy to go to the Galley and ask the cook for an empty yogurt container.

When the boy brought him the yogurt container the captain then asked him to go get Josh and call him aft.

Cap'n Eric gave Josh the yogurt container and a big black bucket and advised him to go down in the engine room and he could bail out the engine bilge into the bucket and he might find some prop wash in there.  Cap'n Eric asked for 3 buckets of bilge water to be brought up on deck for him to  inspect.

Now the engine room on the Bowdoin is good size with mostly standing headroom,  and it has both an on board genset and a 190 HP diesel Cummins engine. And it gets quite warm down there as well.

The engine bilge is a good 2-2.5 feet down from the sole so one needs to lay on their stomach and hang an arm down to bail it out with a yogurt container.

Josh dutifully went below and got about 6 scoops out before he noted a stick type pump against the wall. 

A few pulls on the pumps though revealed the check valves to be non functioning.  Josh took a nitrile glove to hold over the discharge for the down stroke and took it off to drain the water into the bucket and proceeded to fill it smartly.

Cap'n Eric was surprised to see him up soon and said he did good and to go get another bucket.

He was very surprised to see him back up on deck so soon again.  He asked him if he had seen any prop wash in the bilge and Josh replied "No Unfortunately,  there only seems to be propshaft wash down there."

Cap sent him down to haul the third bucket and Cap peaked down the hatch to see him using the bilge pump he jiggered.

Cap chuckled and was amused and impressed to see the ingenuity.  He turned to me and said "This is going to be fun."

When Josh brought the final bucket up Cap congratulated him on his speed of bailing and sent him off.

Next day Cap say's he wants to exercise the manual Bilge pumps some to ensure they would work if needed.  I reply that we should also exercise the manual bilge pumper too to make sure it would be up to the task and that I know I had heard Josh mention he would like to try them.

The manual Bilge pumps are large cast iron deck mounted pumps that use 4 foot long heavy iron handles that are stowed on engine room deckhouse.

Cap called out to Josh and ordered him to man the Port manual Bilge.  These pumps push a gallon per stroke.

The engineer went below and Josh was advised that the engineer (Henry) would switch the pump from one bilge to the next untill the whole ship had been pumped.  Josh was to pump each bilge untill it was clear and no longer pulling water up.

Henry started with the Galley bilge followed by the Mid ship Bilge followed by the engine room bilge and then the captain's quarters bilge.  Each bilge took but a half dozen pumps or so.  Finally Henry says I am going to switch you to the C Bilge.  That one will take a while longer...

Josh pumps for a while and notices that the biolge water is no longer brown and stinking.  Cap says "Thats fine Josh,  Keep pumping though till we get her dry."  First mate walks by and says "Pump with a wIll Josh we got other things to do!" 

Josh increases tempo, but then the handle keeps falling out.  2nd Mate Henry syas "What are you doing Josh?  Are you trying to bust my pump?"

Josh is working harder now to keep up tempo but not pop the handle out.

Thisd Mate WIll walsk by and says it really works much more effectively if you pump it slower and steadier...

About 10 minutes in Josh wonders how full the bilge can possibly be.  Cap says "Thats what you get when you pump the C Bilge and pump C water... It takes quite a while to pump her dry."

Suddenly it dawns on Josh that the C Bilge is really the Sea Cock pumping Sea Water.

As the look on his face changes and he stops pumping every cracks up laughing.

Cap tells him he isn't finished yet and passes out mops and buckets to the crew to swab the deck with Josh Manning the pump to pump up that nice clean Sea Water .

Deck wash was a daily occurrence on ship but generally we used the fire hoses with a high pressure pump running off of the gen set.  Deck is 3.5 inch thick unfinished white pine  caulked and pitched that is going on 30 yrs old now.  No signs of rot as the daily deck wash keeps it pickeled with brine, but they were running low on funds when it came time to redeck her in the 80's and the aft deck has a fair amount of knots in it.  As they went aft decking her over they swapped to lower grade of pine to save on funds.  With time and foot prints the surrounding softer grain has warn down leaving knots proud.

[wkisting]

That was good for a good many chuckles. Thanks for sharing. Cap sounds like a fellow with a good sense of humor. Josh sounds like a good sport. 

[Ray Frechette Jr]

Captain Eric Pulled Josh aside and told him the moral was that when you start to take advantage of someones lack of sea knowledge be prepared that there is always someone on board who knows more than you do.

[Greg Luckett]

Ray, this was sure fun to read about. I am happy for you and your son.

[Steve Day]

Ray,

Great story! I know that Josh learned a lot on that trip and that you did also. I envy you and your son. My son did a sea voyage with Outward Bound down in the Keys years ago, but I was unable to go for a number of reasons.

We have had sea time together, but not like that. He wants to help me with deliveries in the near future and we are trying to work that out.

Good on 'ya, mate!

Steve

[Ray Frechette Jr]

I am sure quite a few on this board are very intimately aware of shipboard watch routine.

I am also sure many have only a vague notion.

Let me share with the latter camp what standing watch is like and what the watch schedule and system consists of.

Onboard Bowdoin were 17 souls.  The Captain,  His wife serving as Cook.  The Admiral their 18 month old Daughter,

A First Mate, second Mate and Third mate, and

11 crew or crew trainees.

Most fell in the later as crew trainees.

Bowdoin is part of the ASTA (American Sail Training Association) and is a sail training vessell teaching novices the ropes so to speak of sailing a larger crewed vessel.  Bowdoin is 88 feet length on deck and 66 ton displacement and carries 3000 sq feet of sail.

Bowdoin does not take the public out and train them for a fee such as most other sail training vessels,  Rather it is used to train students enrolled at Maine Maritime Academy and is it 's flagship sailing vessel.

My Son, Daughter and self were invited aboard as the Bowdoin had to make an annual Goodwill voyage to Alumni asociations and to neighboring states Yacht clubs to show the flag,  hold open tours and take out youth of yacht clubs to give them a taste for such fare and possibly whet their appetite to attend MMA.

We have been Friends with the Captain and his wife for 6 years.  We first met them at Portland Yacht Services when they were on a similar trip and Eric was First Mate and his then fiance was the Cook.

We had studied the arctic Voyages of Peary and MacMillian and visited the Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum in Brunswick at Bowdoin College and heard on the news that the Bowdoin, Macmillians arctic exploration schooner was making a Port of call in Portland.  We were a Homeschooling family and this was a field trip for us.

We got to the doc just as public tours closed for the day and the next days sail was already filled up to capacity.

Terri and Eric took pity on us and volunteered to keep dock watch aboard while the rest of the crew went ashore for supper at a restaurant and invited us on board and to look around to our hearts content.

We stayed for hours and asked tons of questions and became friends with Eric and Tery.

The next day we drove back down to Bowdoin after the public sails and presented the Captain of the time a copy of Cruising Rules by Roland Barth to add to the ships library.  Cruising Rules is a very funny expounding of rules meant to assure shipboard harmony with various and diverse crew members.

We were again invited aboard and continued to build our friendship.

Cap called us and asked if Josh and Rebekah would like to come for the cruise as they had open bunks given School was out and this cruise simply does not fill up with students like the Greenland or Labrador cruises do.

Rebekah took the first half and then swapped places with me as she had things to attend to at home.

So enough background as to how I got on.

When I arrived along with several other new crewmembers we were assigned bunks and given 20 minutes to unpack and then all hands on deck to Muster to Midships for assignments.

So back to 17 souls onboard.  We are all trusting our lives to each others care.  All of us have to do our jobs and do them well for safety and a pleasant voyage.  This is where the rubber meets the road!  Makes the whole dropping backward with your eyes closed trusting your teammates to catch you look really lame.

You are trusting the captain and the mates to accurately navigate you.  Trusting the engineer and fellow crewmembers to maintain equipment well and to log correctly gauges and alert engineer of problems.  Trusting your mates to be vigilant with lookouts and helming etc...

The Captain and the Cook Stand no watch.  The Cap is on duty all the time and his sleep is very broken up.  He is responsible for everythin that happens on board and to ensure it is all done correctly.

The Cook has enough to do with cooking for 17 people.  Her day typically started at 0400 and ended at 2100.  SHe would have an hr or two off between meals.  And no one would seriously expect and Admiral to stand watch now would they?

So that leaves 3 wath officers and 11 crew to do the "work" of sailing the ship.

The crew is split into three watches.  Each watch has a watch officer, one of the mates.

The captain delegates much authority on handling the ship to the mates with standing orders of when he is to be consulted.  IE course changes of more than 10 degrees other than temp course changes,  need to reef or douse sails, advise if heavy weather comes up... need to engage engine for propulsion etc...

The first mate is the only one onboard to ask the Cap where we are going or to question rational for an order.  Everyone else may ask their mate where we are going and can ask mate reason for an order after the order has been fullfilled and there is no urgency afloat.

The first mate is in charge of the other two mates and shipboard discipline and setting the pace on board.  The second mate also serves as chief engineer and medical officer,  third ate also serves as safety officer and has responsibility ofver sail and rig maintenance.

Each of the three watches had 1 mate and 3-4 crewmembers .

We run 4 hr watches meaning you are on watch for 1 wathch followed by two watches off. 

Most watches are 4 hrs long.  2 watches are 2 hrs long each.  This rotates you through the watches so you do not have the 0000 - 0400 watch every day.

Watches are as follows.

afternoon watch  1200 - 1600  12-4 PM

First Dog Watch 1600 - 1800  4-6 PM

Second Dog Watch  1800-2000  6-8 PM

first watch         2000-2400  8 pm to midnight

midwatch or middle watch 0000-0400 Midnight to 4 am

Dawn watch 0400-0800  4 am to 8 am

forenoon watch 0800- 1200  8 am to noon

afternoon watch  1200-1600  Noon to 4 pm

Onboard Ship the Cap is always referred to as Cap or Captain Eric.  The Mates are referred to as MR or MS followed by their last name

I was on C watch with a crew of 4 plus the 3rd mate.  There is one crewmember who has the helm and one crewmember who is on forward lookout watch.  The remaining 1 or 2 members of the watch are on standby to handle sails, relieve a crewmebmber, do what ever else is needed or run boat checks.

Every hr the members of the watch rotate through responsibilities.  Forward lookout mans helm,  helm goes on standby and a standby goes on forward lookout.  1 hr is about as much time as vigilance at an activity can be reasonably expected.

As you might imagine on an 88 foot long boat visibility forward from helm is compromised.  Hence reason of forwd lookout.  Forward lookout is the eyes and ears of the ship and reports back to the mate everything seen or heard that might pose a hazard to the ship.  IE flotsam, small vessels whales, and even lobster bouys when under power as a notice can allow prop to be taken out of gear untill bouy pops up behind boat and avoid wrapping the propshaft.  When reporting a bouy report color and pattern as well as when it goes under vessel.

Helms job is to steer the boat to course given by mate.  Also to keep eye on wind direction if sailing downwind to alert mate to windshift that might put you by the lee.  You really do not wan an accidental Gybe of a 1500 sq ft Mainsail!

Whenever any order is given to you you firdt repeat order back to confrim you understood it and then you advise when completed.  So if on helm and ordered to change course to zer 5 zero you repeat "Course change to Zero Fife Zero.  Once you are on that course and holding steady you report Zero Fife Zero and holding steady.

When you first stand helm you are luicky to hold steady to within +/- 15 degrees from intended course.  Typical comment from mate watching you zig zag is that "It would break a snakes back to follow your course"  A schooner takes 8 and a half turns of the wheel to go from lovck to lock and is typically a full keeld boat and at 66 tons has a fari amount of momentum  The trick is to count the number of spokes to initiate a turn and then once you are halfway to new course start backing back down spokes untill you slowly arrive on course.  Typically you want to feel a wee bit of pressure on the weather side of the wheel to keep pressure to keep her head down when close hauled.  Steering the ship is harder in light airs and easier when the wind pipes up or the Prop wash form the engine is hitting the rudder.

Within a few turns on the helm you should be able to hold her =/- 2-3 degrees from ordered course.  Landmarks ahead of the ship are also very helpfull to steer by.  A star in the sky or cloud above or landmasses ahead.  If steering by a cloud formation you do need to che3ck the compass every 10 minutes or so incase the cloud is being blown off course...

With sail handling again you always repeat the order and report when done.

IE if ordered to trim the staysail sheet, you repeat "Trim the staysail sheet" and then when the mate says "That is well,  make fast you reply "Make fast the staysail sheet.  Turns taken,  All fast" as you make frist turn and after it is all wrapped and made fast .

If you are not on watch you are allowed to be on deck, but if a significant sail handling maneuver is needed such as Gybing the boat it is expected you will participate.

If a significant sail change is needed and there are not enough hands on deck, than it may be deferred  untill watch change or an all hands on deck will be called.

On any sail handling order a prepatory command is issued such as "Hands to trim the mainsheet"  Once crew is assembled the Mate will inquire "Ready on the mainsheet?"  If all ready you respond "Ready to trim the mainsheet"  The Mate will then give the command to "Trim the Mainsheet"  It is important that no trimming take place untill that order is given.  Once trimmed to the mates satisfaction he calls out "That is well,  Make fast"  The Crew then responds Make fast the Mainsheet.  The crewmember closest to the cleat will call out to crew " Dig in" Where all brace themselves.  When he is ready to wrap around the cleat he will call out "Up behind, Drop the line!" In which case you immediately drop the line if you are not him so he has slack to warap around the cleat, Bits, samsom post or belaying pin.

Once any line is trimmed or eased the remaining line is then coiled and hung or flakef or balentinmed to allow it to runb free as ordered by the Mate.

At least once an hr, a boat check is conducted.  Reefer temp is checked and noted in engine log.  Mate is appraised any time temp is 30 degrees or above.    Gotta keep the fridge cold to keep the crew fed and healthy!

Battery bank voltage readings are read and if below 11.5 on 12 volt bank or below 23 on 24 volt bank Mate is to be advised.

If engine is running then you make note of revs, engine temp oil pressure, oil temp, ammeter voltmeter, and marine gear temp and pressure.  Again anomalies from designated levels are to be reported.

All bilge levels are also checked every hr and if above thresholds reported to mate for action.  Any other maintenance item you note or observe on a check or at any other time is reported to Mate who either directs standby crew to fix or places on list of chores when at dock depending on urgency and resources available.

Breakfast is served at 0800,  Lunch at 1200 and supper at 1600.

An ongoing watch eats 30 minutes before watch and reports on deck 10 minutes before watch starts to muster with watch and mate for special instructions and station assignments to start watch.  You are expected to show up on watch with clothing necessary for watch to include foulies as necessary and for warmth as well as shade protection, sunscreen and water to keep hydrated.  Frequent reminders to reapply sunscreen and to drink are given on deck.  If reporting for a watch in heavy weather or that will enter into nighttime hrs you must report with a flashlight and harness lifejacket and must clip in with a tether while on watch to the jacklines.

If going on forward lookout you advise current lookout "I am Here to relieve you, Do you have anything to report?"

He may advise the recent presence of large whales,  or a ship he has been keeping an eye on, or very often he may state' Nothing but Wind water and waves"  Yoiu then advise him " You are relieved"

If reporting to helm you adivse of your intent to relieve and ask him what course arre you steering by?  He may give you a course heading that you repeat or may tell you full and by which means to sail as close to wind as you can bearing up in the puffs.  After you confirm the orders you advise you are relieved.  He may respond wait untill I steady up if he needs to correct course before handing off to you.

Offgoing watch musters to midship to review the watch with the mate before being relieved form the deck.

Iff at meal time offgoing watch is responsible for washing all dishes in Galley and performing Bowls and soles. You sweep and wash every below deck sole"floor" and wash out and sanitize both Bowls "Heads"

After breakfast the 3rd watch that is neither off going or oncoming is responsible for washing and swabbing deck, wiping down all deckhouses and caprail of dew, and polishing all shipboard brass.  Generaly everyone on ship is busy between 0800 and 1000 at which time offgoing watch and 3rd watch is relieved and free.

If sailing day and night you are now free to go take a nap.

When sailing around the clock it is mazingly easy to fall asleep.  You crawl into your tiny bunk, and maybe count to three swells lifting and dropping you gently in your bunk and the next thing you know someone is waking you that it is lunch time in 30 minutes or you have a watch coming up.  Offgoing watch wakes each member of oncoming watch 30 minutes before watch or 45 minutes before if mealtime.

If you are anchoring or docking at night you stay on watch schedule and your watch is responsible for a dock watch or an anchor watch for those hours.  It will be split up among members of your watch and you each stand 1 hr.  Typical duties in your watch is to check dock lines for chaffe and tightness, keep unauthorized people off boat, keep eye out for fire or weather,  check bilges, reefer temp and batteries.  if on anchor watch check GPS against log and anchor bearings against log to make sure you are not dragging.  Mates do not stand watch but if you ever have a question or concern you are to wake Mate and advise and carry out orders from him.  Also wake up your relief 20 minutes before his watch.

Sometimes you have to wake your relief several times before he hauls his sorry behind up on deck.

Never leave deck untill he is on deck and clearly awake and alert and not at risk of falling asleep on duty.

It's the whole trust thing.  If he falls asleep, the whole watch can fall apart till morning and the cook doesn't get woken in time to make breakfast.  If that happens the Cap might just have the cook make breakfast for himself and herself and the Admiral.

The Admiral inspects all work and sometimes will help sweep the sole.  Of course she is not terribly good at it and you may have to go clean up after she has gone on to another task with out letting her see you clean up after her.  Don't want to hurt her feelings.

The admiral also will ring the ships bell before every meal as she really seems to enjoy ringing the bell.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

OK no lengthy text tonight,

Just some pics

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[Ray Frechette Jr]

[wkisting]

Thanks for sharing the pics... Makes me wish I were there too. Beautiful ship.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

I sort of wonder that no one commented on Caps Weapon.

[JeffM]

Special-issue boarding axe, right?  I like that it glows in the dark for night actions.  This is a wonderful thread, Ray!