Lift with your deckhands, not with your back.

Working on a sailboat is hard work. My entire body is covered in bruises (People keep asking if I'm half Dalmatian) and amazingly awkward sun-burns from spending too much time aloft. We've been tarring all the shrouds, structural support for the rigging that have a tendency to wear away with use, and servicing some of the most important blocks (that hold up the sail lines). The most awkward part was taking down the foot ropes on the yards (which enable people to walk out on the yards- perpendicular to the mast- see picture) and then realizing we were stuck out on the yards and had to shimmy back to the mast.

Anyway, that is a lot of boat talk. I've been moved into a cabin with the engineer and have discovered that being ornery and grumpy is an engineer trait. He has already warned me that he snores, hates sharing space and will punch me if I ever touch him. I mean, that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Something tells me that he is really just a big teddy bear and I will force him to fall in love me with. He will be my surrogate father. I've decided. He's also in his late 50s and listens to Nine Inch Nails to fall asleep. Soul mate.

Enough for now.

I'm covered in tar...

So the first official day of work was today, and while the deckhands were up at 7 ready to fight the day, the rest of the crew moved around sluggishly all suffering from hangovers. It was the funniest day. We were sent off to tar the headrig and re-paint various corners of the boat while the second mate glared at us and sat spooning with a winch. Everyone went out last night, the off-going crew just coming in from 6 weeks at sea, and things got pretty silly. All I know is that a cell phone was thrust in my bunk at 4 am to see if there was indeed a body in there. I'm pretty sure a couple of random people from the bar crashed in open bunks and managed to knock over all the empty beer bottles still left onboard. Somehow I managed to wake up feeling like I too had been out all night.

Everyone is hilarious. I saw my old captain and chief mate, who I managed to insult by congratulating him on his recent marriage by saying "congrats on your husbandry"...oh, wait. Doesn't that have something to do with animal breeding? I shouldn't speak.

Went for a run with the other deckhand, whom I managed to call Ashley all day, which is not her name. Finally I figured it out and apologized. Awkward because today is her 21st birthday. Ha, ha, again the first impression thing is really working out. Also, I managed to cover myself in tar and epoxy "fire engine" red paint today, which I then discovered is toxic. The engineer squinted at me and asked if I had a headache or was feeling queasy..."well, now I am. shit."

Not too much exciting stuff, just general re-acquaintance with the boat and her way of life. Oh and by the way, I already have a farmer's tan. Score.

Casting off...

Oh, here it goes.










These pictures are from last time I deckhanded on the Cramer.

Tomorrow is the day. Getting on the boat again. Today was spend camped out in patagonia surrounded by fleeces and hiking hippies. I went running today and clotheslined myself on a low-lying branch. I think it is a bad sign that I can injure myself on an inanimate object. I'm so set for the boat. I think i should pack a helmet.

This is the program schedule; omitted dates mean I'm in Woods Hole.
June 22-July 1 WHOI/MIT program
July 5-July 24 two back to back high school programs, Woods Hole to Woods Hole, with a stop in the middle at Isles of Shoals to switch out groups of students
July 27-Aug 4, high school program
Aug 8-Aug 16, high school program
Aug 20-Aug 29 a bunch of development stuff, WH to Boston to Maine to Gloucester

I am excited to be a joke, drop tools from aloft and become a walking bruise that says inappropriate things to disgruntle the high school students.


In about a month...this will be me. Standby for updates.