Windjammer Crew ~ A special breed

New snow fell last night, about 1 1/2 inches on top of the boiler plate ice in the door yard. Yesterday Kaitlyn just about finished splitting the schooner wood and Paul sanded windows in the shop. I spent my day showing Paul around the global headquarters, rust busting deck lanterns, answering phone calls and e-mails, went on 3 ambulance calls, and meeting with our dear friend and former crew member Brad about building a new centerboard for the schooner. Brad has become one of this area’s trusted shipwrights. He spent the better part of a bitter winter during our 99/00 rebuild staring at and rebuilding our transom shoulder to shoulder with an older shipwright who learned his trade the same way. Brad has that rare combination of honesty, talent, self-belief, and grit. He doesn’t talk, he just does. And he has that rarest of skills, the ability to share his talents without making me, or anyone else, feel like a complete moron (which I may be by many accounts). But at least he gives me the benefit of the doubt and let’s me work with him without saying, “Why’d ya do it that way?”

Our crew, past and present, are some pretty amazing people. We could never repay our crew for what they give to us, our kids, our guests, and the schooner. Not that this gig is all about money but we always feel a debt of gratitude to those crew who we have the privilege of working beside. We have seen many budding young sailors and a few older ones that wanted to sign on for the dream. Some make it, some don’t. Working aboard a schooner is very tiring, the days are long, the “old man” is not always easy to get along with. The passengers have diverse interests and needs and the boat has its many demands that can’t be ignored. There are watches to be stood and sails to be furled and paint to be spread and decks to be washed and on and on and on. I tell people that, under the best of conditions, boats (and wooden boats especially) will ask for a full level of commitment unlike anything ashore. And even when we are ashore we are thinking about projects on the boat. So I don't think it is too far fetched to say that it does take a special breed to be a schooner sailing crew. These days we are interviewing hopeful crew. Just yesterday, I talked with an excited young woman who just might be a part of our crew this summer. She has hopes and dreams and so do we and only the future knows how the dance will be danced.

Have a great day out there folks! Be well, do good, put on clean underwear, and the rest will take care of itself. I should explain the accompanying picture by Jim Dugan, again? We have this thing called Flair Friday. We have seen a few other boats where the captain and crew wear formal dress on Friday. This particular crew felt the need to have a little fun with that idea, and, well, you can see the result. Yes that is mild mannered Mary, the cook, in the devil ears at the end.

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

Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se

Fall Maintenance

Good morning everyone. The sun has been kind to us these past few days and the crew has been spending much time aloft prepping and painting the mast heads and tarring the rig as part of our annual fall maintenance schedule. They were a little silly on tar fumes by the end of the day hence the rat board dance moves. Am I the only one who is reminded of Willy Wonka's little friends at the sight of the crew in their tyvek suits? Schoona-loompas? The smell of tar, after all, is what we sailors live for. Extracted from the stumps and roots of pine trees through dry distillation pine tar will cure what ails you especially some skin conditions and any emotional maladies from being too long away from the sea. All we know for sure is that Mary Day’s rigging is kept hail and hearty by coats of tar mixed with boiled linseed oil. Notice that I specified boiled linseed oil and not raw linseed oil. Tar mix with raw linseed oil will not “kick”. Don’t ask me how I know this… just take my wo

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