This past Independence Day Week has been an admittedly mixed bag of high's and lows. If you were living last week,, with a 10-foot high- day-to-day frame of reference, mucking around in the swamp of daily sweat and tears, you might have felt your expectations fallen short, Charters planned, some cancelled schedules changed, training sails cancelled, more focused deckhand training, but crew billets left unfilled. Plus it's just damned hot! More time on the dock, still waiting for casting off and sailing. A great evening on deck for Fireworks. That's one perspective,
But..
If you stood up higher, and gazed around at the 500 foot level (metaphor for a broader reflection of the future and recent history, trends and events-more context).You could not miss these;
Our Volunteer Roster of active volunteers has quadrupled since December. Volunteers are signing up via our Website, and referrals from other volunteers. Volunteers are seeing Schedules appear. The Ship's operating tempo (human activity measured in labor-hours) at all levels has jumped. Our planned time underway has likewise soared from Zero for 3 years, to now two or more cast-off's per month(cancellations acknowledged). Already we are tracking two or more charter bookings per month. One significant observation,, if not most significant, is that, with every cast-off, every cancellation, training or maintenance we are learning-lessons. And we, as a crew and as an organization are getting better. And.. though it's still hot, we've got the Awning downrig/up-rig, to a five minute drill.
It's a good course to be steering, and our sail trim is improving.
Now, back to this past week.
All of us had hoped for a July 4th afternoon harbor sail in one form or another. At best, we would've had a paid charter to sail, but despite Capt Bobby's best efforts to promote a paid charter, it did not come to pass. Lesson Learned; Advanced Planning using a City Events Calendar on the table. The Post and Courier, and City Paper, both hosted ads by local charter sailboats for afternoon/ evening Harbor sails and Fireworks Viewing. We were not in either.
The back-up plan for seven of us who had signed up as crew for that afternoon, was just a training sail. Unfortunately, by the morning of the 4th, the SignUP roster for that harbor sail showed mostly New Volunteers, and "never-evers" remaining on the crew roster, not a desirable proportion for training, and operating a traditional sailing vessel in a busy harbor at the same time. Subsequently, several motivated but mostly rooky volunteers mustered Wednesday afternoon with nowhere to go. Bos'un Bryan easily converted it to a New Volunteer orientation and basic deckhand skills check offs.
Three new volunteers US Navy sailors, Lance Halderman, his SO, Kyra(a civilian) from San Antonio, Maxwell Dale, Alden N., and Martin Bull mustered on board at 3 pm. For the next three hours, Bos'un Bryan conducted orientation on Volunteer Roles, the Volunteer Log, and then on deck for safe line handling, coiling, bowlines and dock lines, intended to make them competent for the next planned sail which was scheduled for Saturday Morning 6 July.
By 1800 the deck crew-in-training had weathered the hot afternoon, and were ready to get below for some additional Volunteer Administration under the blasting fan in the saloon. At that time, Deckhand Alumni, Danni Feerst came on deck, and volunteered to about-face and go provision for sandwich makings from Harris Teeter.
By 2000 hours, as dusk arose the breeze cooled, the deck started filling with guests. Harold Wilkins, and spouse, Walter Barton, Mark Held and wife, Wayne Burdick too, Capt Bobby, joined our new volunteers on deck, set up our stash of 7 operational deck chairs along the port side cap rail to watch the display. Danni Feerst also on deck, generously invited another seven members of the public standing on the dock, to join us on deck. The show started with a startlingly impressive display around 2115, and lasted a good half-hour to 40 minutes.
.Saturday morning was planned out at a Volunteer Training Sail, just volunteers aboard for a no-stress, team-building/skill-enhancing/ well-spent morning on the water. Once again we faced a cancellation; this time, we were short a second license on board, required by USCG Regs. The change of plans to transition to a training day were communicated sufficiently early to allow participants some flexibility back into their own weekend plans.
Nevertheless, nine volunteers most from the previous Thursday, to put into action their training. Bryan arranged the morning to be performance oriented. Having walked thru safe line handling, and undocking and docking. Bryan assigned volunteers to each dock line, and on shore. After a cursory review of commands and actions, with emphasis on repeating commands, and minimizing chatter. Bryan and crew executed a complete undocking operation, from "Stand-by Dock lines" taking off all four lines (the doubled ones. we stayed tied to the dock for this exercise). to "Coil and nipper-up". Time for some hydration under the shade of the awning.
The next drill was to rig up the dock lines just retrieved, bend on heaving lines, and "Stand-by lines". Bryan set the sequence that might be directed from the quarter deck, for warping the schooner into the dock. In that sequence, Bryan shouted out the commands for sending each heaving line over waiting heads of volunteer shipmates, one at a time. The drill was only completed after each dock line had been made to a cleat, all lines properly tensioned with dock line commands.. "Check," Hold!", "Ease",; heaving lines recovered and gasket coiled. Another break in the shade for hydration and an after action review.
 |
| "Haul Away Together!" with 6-to-1 purchase, an easy pull |
With the next break and more hydration, the crew listed their menu preferences for Bryan and Capt Bobby's run to East Bay for a carry-out lunch.
Last task was to secure the deck, put all trash ashore, clean up the galley and finally trice up and furl the awning back onto the foresail gaff.
-
No comments:
Post a Comment