Monday 18 October 2010

Picton Castle at anchor at Asanvari, Maewo, Vanuatu; Monday 18 October 2010 בס"ד

Woke up at 0715, and at the post-breakfast muster, we found out there would be a select few chosen to go on a MONOMOY EXPEDITION to the next island, 17nm away. All hands looked around, wondering who would be chosen amongst us. After muster, I did domestics, and then Bracken pulled me aside and gave me the nod. OH YEAH! I help set up food provisioning with Yo, and our group got ready and rigged up the Monomoy. The day was already hotter than any other day we'd been in Vanuatu, and we knew it would be a scorcher. We departed at 1018 into a glass calm sea. We started rowing and sang Happy Birthday to Dave, who turned 21. We rowed and rowed and rowed and rowed and rowed and rowed and rowed and rowed, with a quick swim call here and there to rinse off the buckets of sweat. A breath of wind came and we set sail, cruising at about 0.5kts. Liam actually jumped overboard with a line and tried towing the boat. We left the sails set and continued rowing, and shortly after the Picton Castle overtook us under steam. Those who were initially jealous of not being able to go were probably quite thankful as they passed us, since they were sweating to death in the shade aboard the ship. We had no shade, and we were rowing and rowing and rowing and rowing and rowing and rowing and rowing in the windless calm sea. Luckily I love rowing, otherwise it would probably have been a terrible experience. We ended up rowing about 6nm or so, when once we cleared the lee of Pentecost we picked up a fresh breeze. I got to take a trick at the helm, and we had a MOB drill. We sailed for the rest of the way to Maewo, making it close to the island before we had to tack several times to make it into the pretty awesome looking bay. We got a radio from the Mate saying we'd better hurry or they'd eat all of our steak dinner, so we rowed the last ten minutes singing sea shanties and arrived at the Picton Castle at 1809. All of us were much darker and probably several pounds lighter. We had dinner, and I helped clean up in the scullery. I found out I'd be standing anchor watch at 0100, and that we were in a tricky anchorage, with little if any room for swing. I took a shower and trimmed my moustache, and then passed right out, exhausted from 8 hours of small boating.

ALL BROS ON DECK was shouted into the forepeak at I didn't know what time when I was startled out of my sleep. We were sent to stand by the windlass, and then a few minutes later were sent to set the spanker and then take in the spanker. All hands were on deck by now, and I helped stream out the emergency hawser from the chain locker. The kedge anchor that's normally in the port breezeway was put into the rescue boat made off to the hawser, and I was sent to stand by the Panama chock in the after port breezeway. The rescue skiff came around port side and pushed the stern with her bow fender on, but then the hawser ended up being fed through the starboard chock by the sea sink. After all was hauled tight and made fast, the Captain mustered us and explained exactly what just happened. The wind seemed to be coming around, and we needed to put out a stern anchor to keep up from swinging. While we were very good at being quick and ready, it wasn't a crazy emergency and probably not even an all-hands event. Anyway, I was woken at 2230 and it was all over by about 2330. I went back to bed and went DTW.