Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Exhausted!


Whew! Finally off work after a long day of stowing for sea. We spent an hour dangling from the top yard reefing the topsail and putting a storm gasket on it. In the rain. Damn I feel like a badass sometimes. I am starting to put a lot of faith in the rig and the tools we are given to make this job work. I am not as nervous aloft anymore because I am confident that our boat is well rigged and safe which allows me to do things I never thought I would ever do in a million years... like hang by one leg while half straddling the top yard using both hands to furl a flogging sail 100 feet above the deck like I did today. I wasn't scared at all.

Our new Captain is really cool. He seems confident and knowledgeable and very adamant about safety procedures. A few of the crew have worked with him before and seem to like him a lot. He is super easy to talk to and very approachable. I like that.

The weather here still sucks. It's cold and rainy and WINDY! We hope to get a weather window tomorrow and get the hell out of here. We have to clear customs and get fuel in St. Georges before we head out and I hope that goes smoothly. Then it's southbound! Our plans change seriously every day, at this point we are headed toward Dominica but depending on how long it takes us the first few days we may divert to the BVI, or Culebra or just go on ahead to the Dominican Republic. Our new Captain and the Director of the company seem hell bent on giving us some R&R before we hit the Dom. Rep. which is awesome! Fingers crossed for Culebra because I have never been there, seen it from my home in ST. Thomas but never been. None of us are holding our breath for Dominica.

We were briefed by the Director of the company night before last, he flew in to have a meeting with all of us. And I can't talk about a few of the things I had been earlier in this adventure due to security and stuff. Sorry. As soon as we get where we are going and things start happening I will spill the beans but till then I have to shut my big mouth.

In other news, I not only have a job for the summer but I am SECOND MATE! WOOO HOOO!!! lol Moving on up! I am really looking forward to spending the summer up north. Turns out I am only an hour and a half train ride to New York City!!! Stay tuned for that adventure!

Above is me and Deon when we were offshore somewhere between Norfolk and Bermuda... I call that my Oompa Loompa outfit!

This is my bunk. I call it the cuddle cabin. It's the only one that you have to crawl through a trapezoid to get into. I love it. It's very secluded and private. My head goes on the left side behind that little slanted wall.


And this is when I need my privacy. lol
This is Deon wearing my hat. Kinda. We were having a hat wearing cocktail party in the fo'c'sle.
This is Hanifa the chef, Isaac a deckhand and D on deck one night that it was actually warm enough to hang out there. I wish you could hear the sound that goes along with this movement... LOL
And here is Isaac again with another deckhand Sawyer... Look at those flowing native american locks... whew!!! :)
Ok that's all I have for now, probably wont get internet again till we get wherever we are going. It may be 8 days or so so be prepared!

Catch y'all on the flip side. Hopefully it's warm there!