Musical Tall Ships

Well, sorry about the delay between posts, I had this fantasy of sitting down and thoughtfully composing an incredible post... But as life would have it, it's simply been a crazy week, or two weeks. Here's the basic idea.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              We got an opportunity from Bundaberg Distilling Company to sail to Bundaberg with their 125th anniversary logos on our sails (this is aboard Southern Swan, the barkentine), pick up a half dozen barrels of Bundy rum and hop back down the coast to Sydney - a realdeal rum run. In return we get a new set of sails (without logos) made for Swan. Sweet deal you think. I arrived in Aus at the start of an intense 2week refit to get the Swan seaworthy- she hasn't been past the heads of Sydney Harbor for probably a decade. Bundaberg is about 900nm North of Sydney, so this was quite a trip to prepare for! In addition to the refit and training a crew for the trip, the Swan had to pass a specific survey in order to travel in near coastal waters; this included a short trip with the surveyor demonstrating man overboard and fire drills. Incredibly, we passed the survey, but the documentd went to some government office for a signature and hasn't been seen since.                                              

We anticipated getting the go-ahead, so went across the bay to Little Manly Cove and have been anchored there for two days bending on sails and doing last minute things. As we only have a limited time to get there the decisiob has finally been made that we shall take the Soren Larsen to Bundaberg instead as she already has her papers in order. However, it is 11pm and the 11 of us must pack ourbags , the pantry, and the bosuns locker, and switch everything with the Soren Larsen when she gets in from her evening sail (there are about 15people living on Soren who must move their belongibgs to the Swan). Its going to be one heck of a night! 

PS. Plank juice is a French Canadian tradition that involves putting some water into old rum or whiskey barrels. You turn the barrel ine plank per day and you eventually end up with rum inside from the wood absorbing the water and releasing the alcohol. mmm. Also, will add pictures when possible (doing this from a smartphone at the moment)!

First Day Off, Awww Yehhhh.

I consider myself very exceptional at being spontaneous, but I think this is olympic status for dropping myself right into the middle of things. The flight over the puddle was long, arduous, and just, well, what flying normally is over a 30hour period. One nice thing though was landing in Fiji just at sunrise, it was quite beautiful.

Immediately off the plane in Sydney, I found the office of the Sydney Harbour Tall Ships, and "enlisted." Bam. Thrown on a ship, stuffed my belongings somewhere in the hold, and started working. It's gotten better since then, though, and the amount I am learning is enormous.

The company has 4 ships, the Soren Larsen, the Coral Trekker, the Southern Swan, and the Wangi Queen. There are some issues going on with the port of Sydney because some of the people in charge don't like seeing all the ships in one place or something, so we are constantly shuffling them around between the pier by the opera house, White Bay which is a commercial area, and the maritime museum.

I've been put to work helping refit the Swan, as she's supposed to go on a trip to Bundaberg next Monday (not this coming one) which I might be on (I also just moved onto the Swan). James, the captain in charge of the refit is really nice and I'm learning a lot from him. Long hours though, the other day we were at it from 7am to 8pm! I've cleaned out the captain's quarters, which was a pretty grimy job, stripped, sanded and oiled the mainmast with linseed & diesel, and today I got to be the rigger's apprentice and help this guy fix and retension the lanyards for the shrouds (I know they're not called shrouds, but I forget what the proper name is) which was really interesting. Other things the rigger taught me was the legend behind the Matthew Walker knot, and how to make Plank Juice from old rum or whiskey barrels, a French-Canadian tradition apparently.

I've also been learning to climb the mast and go out on the yards - it's pretty intimidating at first! This company is one of the few left that have you go up without a full body harness clipped in the whole way, which is very cumbersome. We do have waist harnesses (no leg straps) that clip onto a wire when you climb around onto the top and you're hanging backwards, and onto a safety line when you're out on the yard, but the rest of the time you're on your own. As James said when he was taking me up there for the first time, "nothing like the natural fear of falling to keep you safe; you'll be surprised how strong your hands and arms are." 

And so, my adventure has begun. The folks here are all really nice and helpful, so it's made the transition easier. Some of them are even helpful with how to improve my accent, "You Americans say 'Oh Yeah,' but around here, you gotta learn to say 'Aww Yehh.'" That's all for now, Cheers! 

Here We Go

Well, this is the start of my newest adventure. After a great summer in the Santa Cruz region, I find myself in the midst of people and buildings, planes and cement, on my way to Sydney, Australia. I have a sort of job lined up on the Soren Larsen in Sydney harbor, so we'll see how it goes. I'm excited. Sitting in the LA airport I'm not feeling too inspired to write at the moment, but there will be more when I can.

A Short Sad Poem of the Coexistence of Cars and Deer

There was a deer in my headlights

The deer went through my headlights

Now the deer, and my headlights

Are sleeping down below.

Unblocked.

I'm happy to announce that the writer's block that has plagued me for the past year is finally dissipating. There was an interesting turbulence from her recently...

"But my story's not very good!" She yelled. I raised my eyebrows.
     "What's not very good about it?"
She sighed and dunked the teabag in her cup a few times. "It's just not ready. The characters don't have names yet, and there are some major plot flaws."
     "Names are pretty easy," I scoffed, "despite the fact that it's taken all this time to name you. And what plot flaws? Every plot has problems, you just have to work around them when you get there."
     Her hardened brown hands hit the table. "It's not only the plot, and you know it!" She pleaded frustratedly, "It's the whole point of the story that's not developed yet. At the stage it's in, the guardian angel has the importance and reality of a fairy godmother! It isn't ready to start on. You haven't even decided whether it's supposed to make a spiritual point or not."
     I was very annoyed now. Perfection was no fun to have tea with in the morning; she always deterred me from writing. Not only a block, a talking, arguing block at that. I burned a hole in the bottom of my tea cup with my frustration before downing the dregs.
     "Well then," I resolved, "I'll just have to go back to working with the guys who are marooned on the desert island." I eyed Perfection suspiciously, waiting for a comeback. She put on a pouty face.
     "Just try."

Adventures in Retail

Working at Boat, Bath & Beyond (to maintain decency, even though most know who I'm talking about, and if you don't then it's just as well) sometimes just cooks your little grey cells like scrambled eggs. The strain between pleasing the customer and making the company money or just following company protocol is often quite significant. And then sometimes you just get those customers who think they know everything, like the frustrated man who nearly screamed at me the other day, "Doesn't anybody here know anything?!" And the little red dragon on my shoulder said quite complacently, "Well, if YOU knew anything you wouldn't be asking that, now would you?" It all must be taken with a sense of humor and the foreknowledge that the ugly moments will pass, regardless. And that sense of humor goes a long way, especially on those long days that are just slow and we have to get creative.

Like that one day the minutes were just creeping by and my coworker Steve and I were bored to death. We'd done everything possible and more, and there was simply nothing more to be done without customers.

To be continued, because I am typing this on an iPhone at the boat show and I'm tired of the stupid touchscreen because I'm not used to it. Autocorrect is quite nice though because its doing a pretty good job frisking my typing mistakes. I said Pretty Food. Food. Good. Crap.
...
Actually, come to think about it, at the start it wasn't so dead. It was really busy. The printer was out of paper again. I really didn't have time for this as the phone was ringing off the hook and three new customers came in. I ran to the back room for new paper. I just needed these shipment forms to print so I could finish filing the orders form yesterday. Certain people in the backroom often left it like hurricane Sandy matched with writer's block; receipts and forms floating amongst FedEx boxes and water pump rebuild kits.

My coworker Steve was helping an ornery crusty fisherman order some parts we didn't have in the store ("you guys never have the right sizes"), and I slipped by to shove some paper into the printer. The printer made a happy sound and started spitting pages as the crusty fisherman clumped out the door in his brown boots covered in old fish scales. We meet some characters for sure.

"What's up, Krista?" Steve asked as I flipped through the pages.
     "Oh, just shipment forms.... and Sea dragons?" I had come across a picture of the cute kelpy creature from AustralianAnimalsWeekly.com.
"Maybe it's Fred's?" he smirked.
     "I have no idea."
"Are those real?"
     I laughed, "Of course they are!"
Steve looked intently at the photo."He looks happy."
     "Yeah... Hey, the boss isn't working today, is she?"
"Nope, I'm bored... Let's switch name tags again!"

Let me tell you, fish have it easy.

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,


And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;


And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,


And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking,


I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide


Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;



And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,


And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.


I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,


To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;


And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,


And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.


'Sea Fever' By John Masefield

Something Compelling

This looks like a cool thing these guys are doing, filming the albatrosses on Midway Island. The broader picture and the inevitable situation we are facing is quite sobering indeed. It is hard for me to give a concise reaction or conclusion from it, because I see that the problem is much deeper than just plastic being thrown into the ocean - it's principles, values, man and society's view of life. This external problem has a root in the philosophical and also theological debates of belief. The way we view ourselves, where we came from, how we are meant to live, and how we treat others directly affects our world. There are physical ramifications of beliefs. We can change the way we live, we can even stop the use of plastics, but the true problem to which we must discover the true solution is on the inside.

Blue

I'm glad the ocean's my element. It's about 70% of the planet. And understanding her is the work of a lifetime, and not dull work neither. How she moves, the winds and currents and tides, it's simply fascinating. I've been reading Heavy Weather Sailing by Coles and it's deepening my respect for the ocean, as well as my appreciation for weather charts and the amount of knowledge we have at our disposal. His accounts of rough passages are greatly insightful into how weather systems work, and general ocean movement.

There was a fantastic sunset this evening that filled everything, reflecting pinks, oranges and purples off of anything, grey silhouettes of seabirds transiting the sky, the flash of the lighthouse and the sad moan of the mile buoy in the distance. The intensity of it overwhelmed me as I stood in what was perhaps a subconscious state. It didn't matter if I were happy or sad, heartbroken or hopeful, tired or fresh. There was only the Sunset, and the Ocean. Lines from a song floated in front of me,

Mother, mother Ocean

I have heard you call

I've wanted to sail upon your waters

Since I was three feet tall

You've seen it all

You've seen it all...

I don't know why I'm so interconnected with the ocean, but I'm thankful for it. There's a mysterious aspect to her that I don't understand, but perhaps one isn't supposed to. Perhaps it's the force that produces the allure that makes us want to know her and sail her. But she's home, and when things are bad, she can always swallow my problems and drown my tears. And when things are good, she can send me forward towards the horizon believing in dreams.

The Fantasy of Security

The strange society we live in gives us preset notions of how life should be lived. Go to school, find a job or start a business, work most of your life, and then the last 20 years or so do what you wanted to in the first place, if you're at all able to. If you're religious, then perhaps 10% of your income goes to the church and maybe you'll go on a mission trip a few times. You work to build your "empire," but what all for? These days we work for security, we live for security, we give up freedom for security. Why?

I've come to the realization that there is no security in this world. We like to think there is, that we can rely on something for certain no matter what happens, but it just doesn't exist. Outside the salvation of the soul through Christ there is no certain thing. So why worry so? Why deceive ourselves with this fantasy that doesn't exist?

It's true if you don't take action nothing gets done, and there is a healthy amount of attentiveness that should be taken to assure yourself agreeable circumstances. But more than that, why do we struggle with the worries of the future and the downward spiraling course the earth is on? We are not promised tomorrow, only today. Today! Seize it, do something with it, make it your own. It is a gift.