The Watch Blog

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kennedyc2007-05-08 19:46

Hey everyone at home -

I'm blogging for Kerkyra who is suffering from an acute case of sea sickness. She and several others.  We, on the Chieftain, have had a long transit from Crescent City to Coos Bay Oregon.  I think it tested several of us as we were head into the wind for most of 25 hours straight.   We were on a Swedish watch system which had us on watch for 6 hours, sleeping for 4 hours, on watch for 4 hours, sleeping for 6 and so on until we arrived.  All the while we were moving north into 20 knot plus headwinds and 8 foot seas at times.

 This really mixed up the food in our guts, and mixed up the rest of our body systems as well.  But, we all pulled together and persevered.  As for me, I made it through my midnight to 4 am shift by wathcing a glorious moon next to Scorpio rising and 161,742 stars (I had time to count them).  There was some singing, lots of joke telling, and lots and lots of silence.

 And, we have just arrived in Coos Bay, yet the Lady, which left almost 15 hours before us, still hasn't arrived and we've been here for about 4 hours. She moves slower than our boat, but this means our other classmates have been underway for more than 40 hours.  Wow.  I'm sure they'll have some stories.

 Hope you are all alive there and looking forward to your own trip.

 Until soon...

 Cynthia

kennedyc2007-05-06 20:29

Breakfast at 8.  We can hear whales' songs resonating through the hull of the Cheiftain.  Due to tidal constraints the Lady (who's 11 foot draft was sitting in the mud) couldn't make it out of the harbour until late in the afternoon so we started out today with a solo adventure sail.  The weather was beautiful and the sailing was great.  The boss reported gusts upwards of 30 knots, almost ten higher than what NOAA predicted.  Mike, the engineer/gunner on the Cheiftain gunned his last today leaving for things bigger, better, or otherwise and we whooped the Lady in the battle with a starboard broadside.  The other boat left for Coos Bay this evening and we're leaving tomorrow afternoon.  In any event, I've galley duty now and there are three pieces of my hand in the rigging.  Peace out.

 Kegan

kennedyc2007-05-05 20:51

Began at 6:30a.m. and its not over yet.  From 10-1300 we had dockside tours.  Tourists came aboard checked out the boat and bought bric-a-brac.  From 1400-1700 we had our first battle sail.  Wind was blowing a steady 15-23kt with swells between 5-7ft.  Weather was awesome.  Captain Mike dawned a Mexican Wrestling suit and mask, then attacked the Lady Washington with a bubble sword in honor of Cinco De Mayo.  The Chieftain then returned to dock for lunch. From 1800-2030 we went on an adventure/battle sail due to the Chieftain running the Lady so ragged that she blew out her top sail in the first battle. Victory Hawaiin Chieftain. The Chieftain returned and we completed the days duties.  Now I'm sitting here writing this blog for the educational benefit of y'all back home. Happy Cinco De Mayo.

Jon-Michael