Skip to main content

Sail Training


Good Morning Everyone. Unsettled weather here in the Northeast for the next few days. The sap flow has slowed down here the last few days, a curious thing since it has been so warm.

The crew has survived their first few days of fit-out. They seem willing to tackle anything despite the bumps and bruises and nervousness, mine and theirs. I read about sail training programs and the skills they will teach you but as one crew member and I talked about at the end of yesterday, this whole crew thing is as much about mutual respect as it is hard skills. While I appreciate a competent sailor I also appreciate the human element that makes the difference between good and great. So in this picture is a great sailor in the making. Jennie is willing to tackle head first whatever it is that needs doing, including slushing the mast with grease, as you can see here. I told her she would get a raise. She assumed I was talking about money. But money can't pay anyone for what it takes to be a great crew member. I value most that rare quality, a discipline of sorts, that allows a crew member to consider the needs of their fellow crew members and the schooner before their own. If you ever want to try being a crew member our Wooden Boat Course may be just the ticket.

Most of the emphasis of mainstream media advertising seems to me to focus our attention on how we can be more comfortable and independent people. The fanciest rain gear in the world doesn't come with the mental toughness that a deckhand needs to stand all day in the fog and rain straining to identify potential perils. Aboard a schooner there are numerous physical and emotional challenges that take the crew way out of a normal range of comfort and that can be most successfully negotiated as a team. And maybe that is what makes windjammer passengers so unique. Windjammers guests seem to be willing to sacrifice the national no tell motel chain for a little closer experience with the elements and with the camaraderie of others. I find these experiences make me feel most alive and the guests who come aboard are certainly a lively group. What a gift for our family to meet all of you. Thank you!

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Photo be Jim Dugan...crew member and web guru. Does you mother know where your camera has been?

Comments

Unknown said…
If I'm not mistaken Jennie slushed the mainmast during my first trip on the Mary Day in August 2005. My memory is that Jennie is related to the Mary Day's first Captain Havilah Hawkins. So if my memory isn't too faulty she comes by her sailing instincts honestly.

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

We are Nuts

Good morning everyone. Well I just had to say it before you did. Yes, we are truly nuts. Now we have gone and added one more adventure to our already full lives. As you can see she is some cunnin'. We have named her Colby. We had a sign... literally. We were in the car brainstorming names on the way to get her at WalMart (yes, you heard it right) and there at the Waterville exit was a sign for Colby College. Colby just happens to be dear Mary's alma mater. It is also the name of one of my favorite ledges in Jericho Bay, the Colby Pup. It just seemed to fit just like the way she came to us. Nothing about our Sunday was going to be different than any other except that I just happened to be helping a friend get her generator back in the barn while Jen and the kids met her new puppy Sherman. They fell in love... so easy to do. We called and there were had two pups from the same litter available... no commitments yet. We had been having the long family debate for weeks about the k...

Darkness and Light

Good morning everyone. OK, so this blog does not have a whole lot to do with schooners or windjammers or sailing vacations so if you want to leave now I will not be offended. Today is the winter solstice, as you know, the shortest amount of daylight in our calendar year here in the northern hemisphere. Of course it is the summer solstice on the other side of the equator. So I guess if you wanted to celebrate the summer solstice you wouldn't be at all in the wrong. I would applaud your ability to see outside the box. Map from Wikipedia commons Living and sailing in the mid latitudes (remember, Maine is half way to the North Pole) as we do, we experience a balance that spans a year's time, maybe many years' time. To feel the darkness of winter creeping quietly into our homes is not as bad it may appear from the outside. This is our season to rest... emotionally if not physically. We know it takes more physical energy to live and work here in winter. But when the sun goes down...