Wake. Run. Dip. The morning of Monhegan was not the best for our crew. It was one of those "brains not fully operational" times. It began with Rip Hudner ending up on a rock because the tide went out farther than we had adjusted for on the anchor lines. Totally avoidable. Then we didn't put out enough scope to hold two boats on one anchor and our anchor began to drag, almost running Rip Hudner along some large rocks. And finally, when Rip Hudner cast off and set sails they didn't fall behind Ritt and almost sailed back into her.
Our route had us circumnavigating the island so we could get a better view of the cliffs. While sailing we got a glimpse of a finback whale. The day before we had a minke get within a few hundred yards of the boat. And during the whole training we saw lots of seals popping their heads out to say hello.
Our next destination was Burnt Island. This was another short sailing day, but it was an anticipated destination. Today we were going to have an overnight solo. We were out at our solo sights by around 5pm. I quickly put up my tarp, did the little bit of homework they gave us, and went to bed. I believe I got about 12 hours of sleep that night. I went to bed before it was dark and was back up after sunrise.
Once we were all back together in the morning we dipped down by the pier. A lobster fishing family was at the pier that day getting ready for a bbq. They found great amusement in watching us all run into the cold water. Oddly enough none of them took us up on the offer to join in on our fun. After dip we made breakfast and debriefed our solo experiences. Then we were put on a scavenger hunt of the island. Burnt Island is the current solo and rock climbing site for OB. The scavenger hunt took us all around the island and ended with us being placed on Final Expedition.
Day 12
Since we had to be back at Wheeler Bay by 6am, we woke up in Tennet's Harbor around 4:30 and began our three mile journey to base. We were greeted with chocolate chip pancakes and eggs. After removing some of our gear we were given our last water challenge. The tri-fecta of capsizes; it was time to tip over a Sharpie! Redwing was gracious enough to let us tip her over. Since capsizing a Sharpie requires jumping on the masts to get them to turtle, we just laid her on her side and righted her again. With 11 people on a boat meant for 8, it was fairly easy to tip. Staying trimmed while bailing was a bit harder to do.
After finishing our last water challenge we divided and conquered cleaning the boats and gear. Training officially ended by lunch time and we all went back to the staff house for much needed showers.
No comments:
Post a Comment