(no subject)

[arwen_lune]

Back again. Had a good time. Still didn't manage to climb to the skysail (45 metres high) as I went to the bovenbram (at 42 m) to stow sail, and just didn't feel up for that last wobbly bit of ladder. Yesterday the wind picked up to a harsh 5 while we were motering back into the piers of IJmuiden, and I've climbed before in hard wind, but I've never been splatted up against the rigging by the wind. It was literally hard to move because you were squashed up against the rigging so hard. Interesting experience :-)

I'm now home for a couple of weeks to do office work (yay...) and then another two weeks of sailing. I have the paperwork to get a real sea-time log. I also have an offer for a Basic Safety Training course for a doable price. So that stuff should all get rolling. First, I have some relaxing to do and a pirate party tomorrow...

Comments

[random-c.livejournal.com]

...45ft? You don't really mean you were up nearly 140ft? In, in, twigs and string?!

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

45 metres, yes. And it's a big steel mast, steel yards, lots of steel wire, wood, and rope. It's always hard to give people an idea of the proportions because it's just so huge. See http://www.tallshipstock.com/009987.jpg

[random-c.livejournal.com]

*hides under a duvvit*
HIGH! Ground going to eat me!

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

You're much braver than me. It sounds as if your career is well under way.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good time, and yay that you're off again in a couple of weeks!

[bunnyk.livejournal.com]

erp, too high! Well done you, though :-D

Welcome back

[sessifet25.livejournal.com]

Nice to hear you had fun :)

(Yay! Pirates! See you tomorrow)

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

So how does that compare with the royals on the TSYT brigs? I just managed those in light wind braced to port, and without actually having to do anything up there! I didn't make it to the very top of the mast. The website says the brigs have 45m masts too, but that picture makes the skysail look a lot higher up!

I went up to the upper topsail in pretty windy conditions last time I was sailing - we were trying to set the fore upper topsail and it wouldn't unfurl properly because a buntline had got caught. Somehow I got roped in (pun unintended!) to go and sort it out. That was interesting. Your experience sounds somewhat more scary though.

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

My memory of the brigs is that the masts are lower, but I may be mistaken. It's been a while. The Stad has perfectly sensible and climbable rigging up 'till the bovenbram (*counts* the royal, for you) and then to the skysail there's this horrible little ladder. That one is still on my to-do list ;-)

Being on the Stad is always good for my skills - you work with the crew, and those guys don't fuck about. No vast amounts of hands to do everything with. To stow the main mast, they'll send two people into the main to stow sky, royal, topgallant - each a side, working down. Then two more to start out on the topsails while the first are working. By the time the upper three sails are stowed those two join the two on the topsails and work down.

I've stowed the kruiszeil (like a course, but narrower and a few metres longer) with three people. While we were motoring into the wind, so big bells of sail all over the place. As I said, good for my skills.

It's going to be interesting being on the PW with that many hands to spare. Kind of grown used to doing everything with very little people!

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, but on the PW most of the crew won't have a clue what they're doing, so you'll probably end up doing almost as much work as you do on the Stad!