Another full day on Ernestina: We hosted
65 3rd graders and chaperones from the Bentley
School from 9am-10am, then 43 5th graders and
adults from the Marblehead Middle School from
10am-noon for Working on the Water programming at
the dockside. Just before
the crew ate lunch, we boarded 25 students and
chaperones from the St. Joseph's School for an
introductory deck tour. There was about 15
minutes to prepare the ship for our member
transit to Gloucester.
We boarded 30 members and left
the dock at about 1325. It's a gorgeous day,
clear skies, northwest breezes, perfect for
sailing. Salem Sound and channel are packed with
sailboats, power boats, tour boats, lobster boats
and lobster pots, and we've hoisted our four
lower sails.
Captain Amanda has decided to
use the opportunity to sharpen our emergency
skills, so we've prepared our member passengers
for a man overboard drill. We'll test our safety
skills and response by dropping a buoy over the
rail and retrieving it. To do this, we heave to,
with the headsails backed, to allow the rescue
boat to launch in our lee and without making
headway through the water. In about 3 minutes 39
seconds the buoy is safely on the small boat and
the life ring and vest that were cast overboard
are being retrieved.
We take a few minutes to answer
questions from passengers, then the crew debriefs
back aft, sharing notes and thoughts on how
things went and how they could go better next
time.
Pretty soon we sailed deep into
the harbor up the north channel before we struck
our mainsail-would've made the old fishing
schooner captains proud. Now we're tied up
alongside the Gloucester State Fish Pier,
complete with eau du pesce (aka eau de
Gloucester), and the dinner bell has just rung.
Lezz go eat!
Program Coordinator: Steve Kirk
Captain: Amanda Madeira
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