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[arwen_lune]

It's funny how I have this more after having been on the TSYT ships. I can come off the Stad and settle right back into my life. Maybe it's because the TSYT ships are everybody's holiday, and you get more group feeling when you make overnight sails. The Stad, no matter how much fun, is still 'normal work' for most of the crew there.

In any case Dave the engineer sent me a photo he made of the deck team. For once I like one that features myself. I have no eyes on it, but it's still a fun photo. This was taken right after the RAF rescue chopper dropped and picked up two people on our aft deck.

Comments

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

That's a lovely photo.

What happened with the chopper? We had three people evacuated ill in the Caribbean (second officer got bitten and was seriously ill for a while, elderly chap got appendicitis, deckhand got a mystery illness and ended up being flown home) but there were no choppers, they just went ashore.

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

they were just practising. They circled around us for a while, sizing us up, then radioed if they could do a high-line practise because these people had never done one with a tallship. Then we moved the spanker booms and they decided they could actually drop someone on deck as there was enough free space. So they dropped someone, he came up to talk for a minute, then the chopper came back in to pick him up. Then they repeated this with another guy.
It was quite interesting to see really, and I also had this sense of 'this world is insane, that we're able to do this'. Maybe it was the culture shock of the old fashioned sailing life with the chopper or something. It just felt so weird that we were there in our own little world, and all of a sudden this stranger dropped in on us.

We did have one girl being dangerously seasick, but not to the point of evacuation. Vicky Cook (bosun) is a paramedic, so they felt okay about keeping her aboard.

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

That sounds quite good fun, but I agree - a bit odd! I'm itching to do a man overboard drill at some point. I love the idea of having to stop the ship and turn her round as quickly as possible. We wore ship twice in the Caribbean and it was brilliant; plus Captain Liam seemed to be pleased with his ramshackle crew for once!

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

I've done loads of tacking and wearing, but never a full MOB drill either. A rescue aloft is also still unsigned in my training book, so I hope next time aboard we can go through that. Maybe we could stage one - I'm sure I'm not the only one who'se never done that.

And Liam, pleased? Next you'll be telling me that he didn't shout.

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

Honest, he didn't, not when we were wearing ship! He shouted quite a lot the rest of the time, and clearly felt limited by the fairly old average age of the crew. I was utterly petrified when my watch leader suggested I steer the ship out of Bequia harbour - it involved a complicated three-point turn. Luckily I was careful to listen, repeat the orders mostly correctly, and do things quickly, and we got out okay. He seemed satisfied with my steering so I was dead chuffed! I liked him, actually, I find sarcasm refreshingly honest these days when too many people take things too seriously. Plus he's an amazing sailor.

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

He's a good sailor, but I don't find him a good (sail training) captain. Maybe it's that I've sailed with enough captains now who didn't shout... at all... EVER - and know what a difference that makes to the atmosphere aboard.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Arwen

Very nice picture! And thank you for the funny card.........

Marijke