Here on our wharf in Lunenburg The Bosun School is in full swing and the gang has been busy, very busy. We have had six weeks of almost perfect weather at the ideal time of year. So often we find ourselves working in the cold rain and even snow while we down rig or up rig the Picton Castle. This time we get do the job in delightful summer weather and teach all the techniques at the same time and have a little fun besides. Here is what we have been up to as part of The Bosun School.

1. Sent all the 21 canvas sails down off the yards and out of the rig. This is a job that takes seamanship and skill.
2. Sent all the 175 pieces of running rigging and 350 blocks down. Then they have to get labelled and stowed properly. The blocks will get overhauled over the winter.
3. Sent the t’gallant and royal yards down. This is a very nice piece of seamanship which young seafarers rarely get to take part in today.
4. Taught, practiced and made new wire seizings as we overhauled the lower shrouds. These are the same one would use on rigging a ship like Peking or Moshulu.
5. Bosun Chair: learning to use a Bosun Chair properly for attending to the rigging.
6. Sail in local Tancook schooners: The local members of the Nova Scotia Schooner Association took all our crew out on a weekend of racing in some pretty fine craft.
7. Sail in the topsail schooner Pride II: The Captain and crew of the beautiful topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II took our whole gang out for a training sail on Lunenburg Bay; my can she sail some good!
8. Sail in schooner Bluenose II; The Captain and crew of Lunenburg’s own magnificent schooner Bluenose II showed our gang a glimpse of the challenges of sailing a big fore and aft sailer on an afternoon daysail.
9. Help build a Dory: A couple of our gang got to help build a dory at the Dory Shop; building dories here since 1917; see www.doryshop.com
10. Sail in a banks dory around the harbour: evenings and weekends were often spent in sailing our own banks dory around the harbour.
11. Liverpool wire splicing; Sailmakers splicing, seizing, sail patching and construction techniques: lots of hand seamanship and good progress made by all.

carrying sails into the warehouse

roping a sail

rowing the dory

sending down the main royal yard

setting sail on Pride II

wire seizing on the fore shrouds

wire splicing

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The next morning everyone was up unusually early (before their third wakeup), seabags packed and ready to go.

We trooped down the street, hopped the fence at the Fisheries Museum, scampered down the ladder on the dock, and threw our gear aboard Pride of Baltimore II. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I was overcome by a very strange feeling after a few seconds of standing on deck. I had no idea what to do next. As the crew, we are used to being the ones who know where everything is, how it works, why, and so on. The unsettling feeling of being the useless new guy wore off quickly though, as I realized that I had absolutely no responsibility! I didn’t have to know the answers to any questions, and nobody would come to me when the head clogged, the cat threw up, or so-and-so was being a pain in the butt. How refreshing!

The second mate, Mike, gave us all an orientation to general ship’s life, as well as a safety gear and procedures overview, and got us settled in our bunks. We helped out as best we could with ship’s work while Captain Miles reviewed the weather and finished up the ship’s paperwork.

We got underway just before lunch, and sailed out of Lunenburg harbour. I love seeing Pride sail in and out of Lunenburg, but I think we all agree the view from on deck is better. As soon as we got around Cross Island we picked up a fresh breeze in fairly calm seas, and we smoked down the coast. I mean smoked! We were making 11 knots like it was nothing. The deck was covered in ear-to-ear grins. We tried to act casual, but I don’t think it worked.

We broke into watches in the early evening, and the ship settled into her routine. I keep saying ’ship’ – actually the crew refer to Pride as a ‘boat’, but after 7 years of having ‘boat’ beaten out of me, I can’t bring myself to say it.

We made Bar Harbour on Saturday, and were greeted by one of our former crew, Chelsie, who had organized transportation for all 8 of us to come and spend the weekend at her camp.

One of the wonderful things about sailing in Picton Castle is that just about anywhere in the world you can conceivably end up, you will more than likely know someone. And they will always go out of their way to show you a good time. Chelsie and her family were great hosts, and our big adventure continued in style until we met the ferry for Yarmouth on Monday. All in all, our outing proved to be one of the most seamless, spontaneous adventures I’ve ever had.

It seemed as though the rest of the month would pale in comparison to this, but we still had a few adventures ahead of us…

Big grins

Setting the main

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