So I never talked about this on my blog, but back in January I went up to Baltimore to volunteer on the Pride of Baltimore II. I had the most amazing time, getting some experience living on a ship and making friendships with the crew members. I learned SO much during my time in Baltimore. I learned how to splice, helped remove the martingale for some touching up, did some rust busting of the sheaves while others applied coats of ospho and worked on varnishing the blocks. Their blocks are maintained on a three year cycle, with one third of the blocks being fixed every maintenance season. I helped to move around some of the spars in preparation for the winter cover they call "Sparlandia". I went out on the headrig one morning to help secure the cargo net. If only I had stayed longer so I could have done some work aloft... I regret not writing about my experiences sooner because you'd probably get a lot more insight into what it was like.
This gangway proved to be particularly dangerous at 2 am, during low tide, with a lack of hand rails, and covered in a sheet of ice. Luckily there was a line attached to use for stability...
The mug I used during my stay on the ship. 2 months later and I still find it hilarious.
On a whim, I decided to email the President of the Board of Directors for Schooner Virginia. If you aren't familiar, she is a recreation of the Chesapeake Bay Pilot Schooner. Last summer they had to end all educational programs and let go of the live aboard crew members due to financial instability, so she is now docked out on the Norfolk waterfront and currently up for sale. Since they cannot afford paid workers, they rely on most of the maintenance to be done by volunteers, hence my decision to volunteer. During my free time I go over and do boat checks, pump the bilges, do some rust busting and repainting, make chafe gear for docklines, fix faulty hatch-tops. Its been overcast and the threat of rain has been pretty constant this week so unfortunately we haven't been able to varnish some areas in desperate need of attention. Hopefully we'll be able to accomplish some of the varnish work next week.
As I said earlier and mentioned in a previous blog post, I've also been busy preparing for my move to the S/V Denis Sullivan in Milwaukee. I am a mix of so many emotions. There is the excitement of having my first live aboard position. And of course the anxiety of meeting new people that will become my crew mates. There are so many things I fear. My biggest fear is not meeting everyone's expectations. I have continually growing experience with tall ships, but I wouldn't call myself experienced. I was a deckhand on the American Rover, a three masted topsail schooner, but I'm still pretty green. The more I think about it the more nervous I get. Thank god for my years of camp experience. I think I'd be a wreck if I didn't have experience with limited personal space. I can't wait to just be in Milwaukee already. I found out I was going to Baltimore less than 12 hours before I left, so while the past two months have provided me with more time to prepare for this journey, I also have more time to worry about it at the same time.
Every time I tell people that I plan on taking time off college to pursue a sailing career, I get the usual questions: "Why?", "When are you going back to school?", "Are you sure you can handle living on a ship with so many people?". They kinda grind my gears a little because I'm doing this because I want an adventure. I don't find living a normal lifestyle to be fun or exhilarating... I want to be able to fit all of my belongings in a duffel bag and travel the world and have new experiences. I see the start of my sailing career as the start of all of this. There are so many directions my life can go because of this, and I can't wait for it. All I know for sure is that life is truly what you make it. If you tell yourself "I can't live here because I don't like such and such", how will you grow as a person? You are closing yourself off to so many possibilities just thinking like that.
xoxo,
Brandi
