Wednesday 22 September 2010

Picton Castle at sea; Wednesday 22 OR Thursday 23 September 2010 בס"ד

First hour of morning watch started with no coffee, because the 8-12s forgot to make it (DEAR G-D WHY?). So Clark and I went to the galley, he to brew up some coffee, and I to sharpen Donald's knives, most of which were as dull as spoons. Shortly after we began we had to go brace up a bit sharper. Also set the main topmst staysl. Resumed sharpening til 0055, when I took second helm steering WxS 1/2S. Halfway through, we had a fish on, and I was relieved by Nadja to assist in taking it in. It was a Mahi, and Dan did most of the work since the 12-4 watch is light on seasoned fishermen. Once it was dead, I was back on helm while they gutted it. After helm, went back to the galley to sharpen knives and clean and polish the stove. Final hour I hung out on the quarterdeck, mostly chatting with Rebecca. At the end of watch we were talking about the date change at muster when Rebecca told us that although we're not yet at 180° (the antimeridian), we've crossed the actual International Dateline and technically it's tomorrow. We're not sure if we'll carry on until Fiji with today as 22 Wednesday or change the date while underway. Note: The 22^nd is/was the equinox.

Woke up this morning at 1030 and reorganized part of the salon library and found “The Cruise of the Conrad,” by Alan Villiers, which I grabbed and is now on my to-read list after Jewish Pirates and the Captain's book. First half hour of watch I finished painting the black Monomoy gunwale. After that, I TSPed the cowl vent pipes and forward bulkhead for a while, then I painted the gudgens (or pintles, I forget which is which) of Monomoy white. Finally I used Green Knight on some eyebolts by the sea sink before going to steer final helm. At first, I was steering WSW, but had a hard time keeping her steady. Then we braced a point sharper and changed course a few times until I steadied on SW 1/2W. We also passed by some small rocky islands of Fiji during my helm. And, also, we caught several fish in the four hours of watch (wahoo and mahi). We have filled all of our freezers with fresh fish as we're catching them faster than we can eat them. At 1630, a weatherfax workshop on the quarterdeck, where we learned to read weather reports and forecast maps and apply the information to sailing. Of course, just the basics, as it's a very complex subject. After a beef dinner, Fred stories and videos, and then I read aloud from Chapter 6: Small Outboard Boating from Chapman's Piloting, since in Fiji those interested should get a chance to practice small boat coxning. Now some reading before watch. We're not changing the date aboard until we arrive at Suva. Happy Sukkot!