Day One

Greetings from breezy bay!  Our little group of adventurers have had quite the full day already, and it is not even dinner yet!  The trip started of with the students getting their first taste of seamanship by pulling fenders over and bringing in the dock lines.  They then helped the pro crew raise sail, and in return the pro crew taught them how to coil down the deck.  “Coiling down the deck” means that all the lines that were used in the process of a maneuver are coiled in their respective manner, whether it be a ballentine, a working coil, a harpoon coil, etc. etc. 

The day then launched into various safety orientations, and a basic explanation of how ship life works.  Some of the students were surprised at how large the ship was, and others were surprised at how “cozy” the living conditions are.  Lunch was also a surprise, and the students were given sandwiches as big as their heads!  Michael, the ship’s cook, is certainly going to treat us very well.  Other surprises included the greenish water of the bay, the weight of the rigging, and the complexity of the heads (the ship’s bathrooms). 

The voyage thus far have brought many smiles and many interesting sites.  We passed Fort McHenry on the way out of Baltimore, and saw the “Star Spangled Buoy” which marked where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner from aboard a British ship.  The students enjoyed name games, including a human knot, to get to know each other better, and to get to know the crew. 

We are all incredibly excited to see what tomorrow brings!  The watch rotation has started, and the students have been split into starboard and port watches, based on where their bunks are located.  Right now the port watch is busily learning about seamanship and how the Lady Maryland sails.  Later the starboard watch will do the same thing, and work on sailing the Lady Maryland into the sunset (all under the watchful eye of Captain Michael) and into another day!