Day 22 (of the blog - day 30 at the ship): We are starting to look like a sail ship...

4 Sails!  Read...errr...count 'em and weep.

We put both of the bottom two yards up today in continuous rain (thanks, Erie).  Which means I missed getting to go to the SeaWolves Education Day today - so no story there.  I may go to the game tomorrow though so don't get too distraught.  More on that tomorrow.

So on Saturday we had training and one of the things we did we do a test run of putting on immersion/exposure suits for an "abandon ship" scenario - not the most optimistic deal but necessary non the less.  Check it out...

No, I am not choking myself - although I would have claimed self defense.  What? - this is the position you assume when going into the water from the ship so the PFD doesn't slip up over your head.

My family came up to visit and my grandson got to try on the PFD also - you can see he had a great time.

"So what about the immersion suit Kwiatek?"

Here I am starting the process of putting the suit on - it is tight and made of a material that wants to stick to your shoes and other things you are wearing.  We put plastic shopping bags on our feet to get them to slide in more efficiently.

Me in the complete immersion suit.  Notice the reflective tape on the parts that tend to face up in the water.  The orange thing on the breast is a whistle and rescue light.  The black hose hanging under the light is for inflating part of the suit for buoyancy.

It was a good day.  Lot's of safety and videos and learning.  I wasn't thinking about the dangers of sailing - but now I am!  

Believe it or not I am starting to run a little thin of words of the day but how about this:  Son of a Gun.  I won't swear it's true but the sailor's say the origin of the term is from the Age of Sail when women were allowed to accompany their husbands aboard ship.  If they had to give birth on the ship the area relegated to births was the gun deck (I don't know why) so instead of the father at the wife's side (he would be off working on the ship presumably) there was a gun (cannon).  Ta-dah!  And now you know....the rest of the story.

*insert cool jazzy music*

Welcome back.  Let's meet Susanne Karsiotis.

How old are you Susanne?  Well she's not actually in the room right now but I think she is around 24 because she worked as a biologist after college at some fish lab over in Toledo, Ohio.

How long have you been a sailor?  "I joined the Niagara in 2012 as part of the science consortium (a college class)."

The other crew say you are great to work with, what do you think about that?  "Yes." (this is speculation because like I said she is not here right now).

What do you like to do with your free time?  "I like to write."

Is there anything you would like the readers to know?  "I've killed many many fish in my day."  (she did not say this proudly - remember she was a biologist).

Can I quote you?  "Go for it."

Thanks fellow apprentice.

Well catch you all tomorrow.

Ahoy!

Day 21: The Double Whirlwind...

Not only did we bust our butts today and get a bunch of odds and ends done but the wind was blowing like crazy - our anemometer registered a 49MPH gust!  It made it "exciting" when aloft.

I spent much of my day aloft.  I learned a new lashing - the round lashing or block lashing.  The purpose is to lash a block (i.e. block and tackle) to something else - in my case a I-bolts.  Here is what it looks like...

The white line is the hitch I made.  It holds the block (on the left) - and hey, my toe!

I also helped put the rolling tackle on top of the main mast - in the crazy wind.  That was a little intense.  

All in all a good day because we are set up to put two more yards on tomorrow.  We are starting to look like a ship.  I can't wait to send a few photos of the ship when it's a full ship.

Let's switch gears and meet James Turner. 

James is a 28 year old from northern California who likes mint tea and...wait, wait, wrong website...

James is an able seaman (professional crew member)

How old are you James?  28

From where do you hail?  Northern California

How long before the mast?  pretty much two years

What did you do before sailing sailing?  I was a machinist - CNC operator.

James is most well known for his response to times when people point out mistakes he has made.  James will say, "Oh me." (in a Winnie the Poo-esque voice)

Thanks James and keep on sailoring on!

Here is a shot by me from the fighting top of a group of school kids on a tour of the ship...

We have tours often.  Many schools bring their classes to tour the ship.

And now the word for the day:  Belaying Pin

Here is a belaying pin (it is sitting on the fife rail).  The belaying pin is used to work with lines.  This one, when in use, would be in the hole just under its tip.  In the background you can see one in use - with a line "made fast" and the excess line "coiled and hung".

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 30th,  I will be going to some sort of Education Days with the Erie SeaWolves (the local baseball team) to talk about the ship.  The captain thought it would be a good idea to have my perspective - new guy, sabbatical, teacher, older than the others, etc. - sweet, I am all for it.  I will let you know how it goes...

I know I still have to show you a photo or two of the exposure suit drill we did but I will have to get to that on the morrow.  

Ahoy!

Day 20: 4 weeks in the bag and some more training - after all it is a Monday...

I got lots of sweet stuff to talk about today and I won't try and cram it in all today and rot your brain.  I will save some for the days to come.  I will start with the word for the day...

Galley

The galley is basically the kitchen area on the ship.  *Note if it's not on the ship - like the kitchen we are eating out of during uprig - it is a kitchen NOT a galley.  Our galley is run by the Steward - you met her last week (Gail).  It used to have a cool butcher block counter but the coast guard (I think) made us take it out for safety/health reasons.  We still do however use a wood-fired stove.  *beep*  *beep* back the truck up.  You said what?  Yeah.  There are basically three kinds of stoves for the ship - diesel, propane, or wood.  The two advantages of wood are 1) the wood will burn out unattended (in other words you can't accidentally leave it on.  2) the flame of the wood stove is contained INSIDE the structure of the stove itself - not true of the other two kinds.  I have a photo of the old one from the ship to give you an idea...

At least you get the idea.  Its small but it has to fit below deck and it's a small space.

So today we learned the traditional method of lifting heavy things on the ship with the capstan (the big human-powered winch we talked about before).  We have used it before, as you know, but today the captain took his time to explain to the inexperienced people the process and the forces at work, how to move it safely and how to look for unsafe conditions.

Here is the captain (red hat), the chief mate (blue hoody), and the second mate (green sweater) using some belaying pins and a slow match (the fuse for the cannon) as a model to explain the process.

So then we actually put the fore t'gallant yard up putting the theory into practice...

Here is the yard as it is coming up off the gallows ...

The yard as it approaches the cross trees - near it final destination...

And here it is in place and secured.  As you can see we now have two sails on the ship - the fore and main t'gallant yards that carry the royal sails.

So as a I have been promising here are a couple of me aloft...

This is me taken through the "lubber hole" on the cross trees (thanks to Matt for taking the photos.  You will meet him soon)

If you were on the ground watching me climb to the lubber hole (like above) this is what you would see...

So here is a shot from the plaza of me on the cross trees (note the arrow)

This is essentially the same perspective as the last shot but zoomed in (to prove that it was actually me all you non-believers).  That's about 90' to the water (not sure if it's to the deck or the water level - either way the air is rare up there)

Let's meet Jordan Hankison a new ordinary seaman from Madison, Wisconsin.  Last year he worked on the Lady Washington.  Which many of you probably didn't know you knew about.  If you have seen the Macklemore/Ryan Lewis video for Can't Hold Us - that ship is the Lady Washington.  If you have never seen it you can check it out here... Lady Washington in Macklemore video. 

How old are you Jordan?     22

What do you want to do when you grow up?  "Retire on a deserted island and drink margaritas till I die."

What should I tell Kiski (and my millions of other fans)?  "I like long walks on the beach, and...I dont know."

Well then how how about a quote?  "Spring break forever!"

Thanks for your help, Jordan!

Saturday we had safety training and I had to put on an immersion/exposure suit.  Maybe if it's a slow day I can show you that - if your in the mood for a good laugh.

Ahoy!

Day 19: Just a teaser...

Only have a few minutes before work but guess what I got?

You guessed it, some photos of me aloft, finally.

Here is a teaser...

This is me on the fighting top (about 50' up).  Matt, another crew and now friend, took this for me.  The background is the slip off Presque Isle Bay, basically a marine maintenance area.  In the upper right you can see the water exit from the slip to the Bay itself.

This is a photo I took from the cross trees (way up there - another 30' or so up from the photo above) of the bow of the ship.  Look at all of the gear we have been adding to the ship in the last four weeks!

More pics coming on Monday.  See you then...

Ahoy!

Day 18: Sunny and a chance of yards...

Both a totally sweet day today - got the first sail on the ship
And a bad day - had something fall from aloft - yikes!

Bad news first.

Three of us were on the fighting top tensioning (huh, computer says that's not a word but you know what I mean...) the Bentinck shrouds with come-alongs...

 

a come-along...

Here is how the concept works.  You can see the come-along at the top in the middle.  Each end is secured to the two ends of the rope reaved through the round wooden things (hearts/deadeyes).  When you get it tight you seize (gah, been spelling this wrong - why didn't anybody tell me?) it so it can't slide back and you can then remove the come longs (so you can look like an old timey sail ship *wink*  *wink*)

...when the pin securing the cable guide sheared off (we still aren't sure how but it may have been an errant lanyard line that nobody noticed) causing the guide to slide and making the use of the come-along dangerous, so we had to swap it out for a new one.  That is when the problem occurred - when we took tension off the cable the guide slid free and fell all the way to the deck.  Honestly it was a little scary but luckily nobody was on the fore part of the ship.  Safety is big around here and this event obviously compromised the Niagara's great track record.

The good news.

We got the first sail on the ship.

(*pardon the poorly and quickly edited 2 photos into 1 - could fit the whole ship in one good photo)

Look near the top of the main mast - the one on the right.  That is the main t'gallant yard with the sail bent on and furled so you can't really see it. (the black platform on the left mast is where we dropped the piece from the come-along FYI)

It was really cool to put this on.  It seems like a ship now.  My job in the whole thing was to walk the capstan (remember the big man-powered winch from the earlier post?).  I have not been that high up on the ship yet but it can't be too far away!

How about a word of the day?

We need to be a little mature about this one but Three Sheets to the Wind.  I had some trouble figuring out a way to explain this so I went to the interwebs and found this sweet explanation on www.phrases.org:

"To understand this phrase we need to enter the arcane world of nautical terminology. Sailors' language is, unsurprisingly, all at sea and many supposed derivations have to go by the board.  Don't be taken aback to hear that sheets aren't sails, as landlubbers might expect, but ropes (*editorial note:  i got confused by this for several days before I asked someone.  There are also leeches, braces, clews, halyards, and more...). These are fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor."

And for the finale of the show a new bio - Gail Issacs.  She is the ship's Steward.  In short she is responsible for the food and following all the FDA rules and regulations.

Gail, Everyone.  Everyone, Gail.

Gail is super interesting.  She basically realized the run-around of  "normal" life was not for her.  She sold everything she owns and got a job as the cook on a private yacht.  She has since moved on to tall ships and has seen cool and new places.  She save much of her money so she can spend the winters in Mexico.

Gail's quote:  Well she just drove off with another crew member so I can't ask but it would probably sound something like this..."Clowns get a bad rap."  (Gail has also been a clown for the past 14 years - I think but I can't ask cause she left, but its something close to that)

Don't think I will blog again until at least Saturday.  Tomorrow we work from 1pm-9pm and the internet shuts off at 6:00 here at the library.  I may be able to send out a quick blog Saturday.  If not see you Monday!

Ahoy!

Day 17: One step closer to actual sails!

1000+ views!

(Couldn't find a ship so how about this duck?)

Thanks for all the attention you've been paying toward the blog.  I miss the Kiski community and it is keeping my spirits up.

I helped carry out the main t'gallant and fore t'gallant yards at the end of the day today.  They are already dressed (they got all the stuff on them they need to be put in place - blocks, the sail, foot ropes, etc.).  In the past 3 weeks when we put something on the plaza the next day we put it on the ship.  So if the trend continues, tomorrow we will have actual sails on the ship!  Stand by...

I spent most of my day aloft on the main fighting top.  I had to put siezings on the benticks shrouds and the main t'gallant back stays.  Then we had to down rig all the stuff we used for that job: come-a-longs, salvages, etc. (don't worry I didn't know what much of this was either 3 weeks ago but I thought I would throw it out there to make it seem like I'm learning something).  In order to do my job I had to go the highest on the ship I have been yet - the mast cap!  I was literally sitting on top of the main mast pretty BA.

The arrow points to where I climbed/was sitting today. Totally sweet, right?  Also this photo shows the progress we have made to this point.  You can see many more lines and big pieces of wood (if you don't remember what it looked like, ahhhh...check back to like day 2 or something).  Also, the small long white thing in the lower left hand corner is the t'gallant yard w/sail I was talking about earlier.

So how about a word of the day...the head.  Many of you may know that the bathroom on a ship is called the head.  But why you ask?  Well what would be the best place to put the toilet?  The front - or "head" - of the ship.  Why?  It's a sailing ship so the wind will blow the smell away from the rest of the crew.  Wallah!  The head.  And now you know...the rest of the story.

The great Niagara bio project continues with another apprentice like me:  Cyrus Economides. (sweet 300 name, eh?)

Cuyrus, how old are you?  15 (I still don't believe him about this)

Where are you from?  Marquette, Michigan - Yooper for life!

How long have you been sailing?  8 years (what - do the math dudes!)

Interesting fact?  Cyrus is home schooled and his family has a sailing business - hence he is here.

Can I quote you for my peeps?  "Patience comes with waiting."

*Cyrus is one of the hardest working people I know - he tells me he struggles to find the motivation to do his school work though.  Sound familiar, anyone?

I am really trying to get some photos of me aloft but it hasn't been working out.  Remember, patience is a virtue.

Ahoy!

Day 16: Duty again and the weather stinks

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend.  I know I managed to get back to the mother ship and have the families and friends over Easter Day for a great meal and some awesome company.  Hope we can do it again soon.

Back in Erie the weather maintains its normal Erie nonsense.  Had to go aloft to tune the t'gallant shrouds with some of the other crew.  I am starting to get the hang of going aloft but it was really windy, cold and raining today.  This was the slip for much of the morning...

Can you make anything out?  No?  Us neither. (Not an actual image of the slip - for the purpose of example only)

So on duty days the dood on duty doesn't get out as much as everyone else cause they gotta do dishes and prep for meals.  As a result I didn't have a ton to do today.  Here is a quick list...

1. dishes
2. render the t'gallant shrouds
3. dishes
4. watch to make sure stuff didn't get bound up while others lifted the fore t'gallant mast
5. dishes
6. make siezings for the main t'gallant backstays
7. cut the siezings for the main t'gallant backstays (yep you heard me right - put them on and minutes later had to cut them off.  I am totally OK with it but it takes me longer than everyone else to put them on and....let's just say I bet they're glad they aren't paying me...)
8. clean up

That pretty much sums up the day but I will have to do more dishes and then make a boat check - to make sure she isn't sinking - no really!

Bosun's Chair.  No clue why they call it this but the bosun's chair is a seat that is rigged in an area - like the middle of a line - where you cannot find purchase with your feet yet still need to work.  It is really just a swing without the...ahhhh...swing set part....it's just the seat part, sheesh!  Here is one of ours...

Not super easy to see but it is hanging from a takle in our rig shop.  How about one in action...

I have not yet got to do this but looks pretty intense.  You generally tie your own knot to hold the chair - you can probably guess why.

Thought I would introduce you to some of the other crew I am working with.  I won't get carried away but I will give you a couple choice quotes from each crew member...

This is Nicholas Brown...

When I asked if he would be my first victim he said, "Can it be subpoenaed?"  That about sums up Nick.  It is his third year on Niagara and he has helped me a lot in my short time here, including making me laugh - regularly.  He is bright and quick witted and sees himself working in sailing at least for a while.

Tomorrow:  Cyrus.

I'll pick up the pace a bit, I promise.  Friday should be very interesting.  A local financial company is having a carnival at the ship and I think I will be helping to police the ship and museum.  I'll keep you in the loop.

Ahoy!