Monday 15 November 2010

Picton Castle at sea; Monday 15 November 2010 בס"ד

In the morning, I stood first lookout, again with glass seas and stars reflecting perfectly to the ship's wake. I had to step over the people sleeping on the focslehead. After lookout, Bracken explained the lack of wind was based largely upon the Monsoon, and went into the basics of how it works to create different winds in this part of the world. Shot twilight stars, and did galley wakeups at 0615. Did deckwash, wakeups, rigged up the awning, and then watch below. After breakfast, I laid in with the bosun department, painting primed wire seizings on the shrouds. Did that until lunch, and went below, where the forepeak was actually cooler than on deck, although still over 100°F. I passed out DTW, and when I woke for watch at 1530, it was as though somebody had taken an entire sea bucket and splashed it in on me and my bunk, I had so completely saturated my living space in my own sweat. I helped rig up the 1600 power shower, and partook in the washing. At 1630 we had a workshop on piloting and chart skills. We split into four groups, and my group was led by Bracken on the aloha deck. While teaching us, we were literally catching about one skipjack every 2-3 minutes, and it took him about 30 seconds to pull it in, snap its neck, and throw it in the sea sink before resuming the lesson. We reviewed terrestrial navigation and how bearings are more accurate if they're actually further away, as there is less error in the angle. I relieved Nadja from helm at 1745 steering W1/2S. Plotted at 1800, had quick dinner, then took third helm steering W1/2S still. Many fish were caught, and I finished helm, plotted our position, determined CMGT and log, and then Bracken assigned me to clean out fish, so I learned how to gut a tuna and cleaned three. Watch below, and our total fish caught on this watch numbered over twenty. I did my forearm workout, and reset my clocks as we would be retarding the time to ZD-9. Went to sleep on the hatch, then below on my sea chest, then in my bunk.