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Daily Log, September 10

Sunday September 10, 2006

0600 hours

Current Position: Anchored off the Pallisades
Latitude: 40˚ 55.655'
Longitude: 073˚ 55.321'

Day Two of the first leg of our Voyage of Discovery.

Mr. Weisse rouses everyone from their bunks with reveille on his trumpet. As we emerge onto the weather deck, we get a clear view of the nearby bluffs of the Pallisades, rising to our west.

The weather today is still cool and sunny.

0730 hours

The tide is with us, so it's time to move on. On the orlop deck, the students clear their gear away from the anchor rode (line) in preparation for weighing anchor.

Weighing anchor is a complex task, requiring the combined efforts of the entire crew. First, Jon and Michael fake (neatly fold and arrange) the anchor rode after it's been wrapped around the lower capstan.

Mouse over to see the capstan at work.
Crew members work the capstan.

We're soon ready to go. With one team of students below decks to ensure the anchor rode can run freely, the rest of the students (assisted by Mr. Beiter) report to the capstan (a large winch) to raise the anchor.

We typically give ourselves twenty minutes to weigh anchor, but this morning, the students have it raised in ten. A remarkably smooth operation!

Once the anchor is back on the fore channel, Mr. Dawson secures it and refits the wooden "carrot" -- the quick-release pin which fastens the anchor to its tackle. With that, the anchor will be ready to deploy again whenever we want.

0745 hours

Now that we're underway, we look southward toward the next leg of our journey. On the southern horizon, past the Tappan Zee Bridge, the towers of Manhattan rise to greet us.

0800 hours

As soon as we're underway, the cooks serve a breakfast of juice, cereal, and warm muffins straight from the oven.

0820 hours

Everyone pauses to watch as we pass under the George Washington Bridge.

The Manhattan skyline.

0900 hours

Current Position: Motoring south past Upper Manhattan
Latitude: 40˚ 48.16'
Longitude: 073˚ 58.96'

With a maximum speed of eight knots (and our current speed closer to a casual six), it takes all morning for the Half Moon to pass the long shorelines ofYonkers and Manhattan. Our goal is to reach Governor's Island by 1100 hours -- at which time the Hudson River will also be host to a cigarette boat race. For us, this would be the equivalent of getting caught in rush hour traffic.

Mr. Terry unfurls the fore course.

Fortunately, we have a steady, northerly wind at our backs, so this is a prime sailing opportunity. Mr. Terry climbs up the rigging to unfurl the sails.

Charles grabs forty winks on the orlop deck.

With the weather deck bustling with activity, life continues below decks as well. The students have split into two duty watches; Port Watch works from 6 to 12 o'clock, and Starboard Watch works from 12 to 6.

Charles, a member of Starboard Watch, is off-duty until noon, so he's decided to catch a few more winks of sleep.

Rebecca B., on the other hand, is a member of Port Watch, so she's on duty from the moment she wakes up until lunchtime.

Here she's experiencing the glories of maintenance duty. This job isn't just glamorous -- it's vital. Scrupulous sanitation is one of the few things that protects a modern ship's crew from the rapid spread of disease so problematic for our 17th-century counterparts.

Meanwhile, Michael and Jon are relaxing and enjoying the view from a port side gunport. (Were it not for the sun's glare, you'd be seeing the Manhattan waterfront outside.) Jon is currently on duty, but this is his hour off, so he's taking it easy. (He'll have plenty of opportunity to work later on.)

0930 hours

Now that all the sails are unfurled and ready for use, Mr. Morel gathers every free hand to put their sail training to use. Here, he directs Rebecca V. and Vora on their role in setting the main course.

Over on the starboard side, Jon works the main course tack -- a line that pulls the corner of the sail forward -- while Mr. Beiter works the fore course sheet -- which pulls the corner of that sail toward the aft (back) of the ship.

These lines help the sails catch the wind.

The students set the sails without a hitch, and we spend the rest of the morning under wind power.

1115 hours

We've cleared the course of the cigarette boat race just in time, and are now sailing around Governor's Island. This island, long used as a center of operations by the US Army and Coast Guard, has played an administrative role since the Dutch first settled it in 1624 as part of the New Netherland Colony.

As Captain Reynolds points out, only a handful of people on the planet have had the opportunity to sail a square-rigged vessel around this historic site.

Before us, we can see the mouth of the Hudson River and the broad (and busy) waterways of New York Harbor.

1200 hours

Current Position:Sailing past Governor's Island
Latitude: 40˚ 37.59'
Longitude: 074˚ 02.615'

As we clear Governor's Island and venture across the harbor, our cooks serve up an appropriately warm lunch for this cool day: sloppy joes. (With some vegetarian alternatives for those who are interested.)

1300 hours

We've now crossed the harbor and passed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, linking Staten Island (pictured to the right) and Brooklyn (to the left).

We've now reached our next destination: Gravesend Bay. Four centuries ago, our current location was near where John Colman was fatally shot with an arrow while exploring the coastline. Today, we're within sight of the amusement part rides of Coney Island.

We set anchor and prepare for an overnight stay.

1415 hours

With a solid grasp of shipcraft under their belts, it's time for the students to turn their focus to the scientific aspects of their Voyage of Discovery. Over the course of the trip, each student will perform environmental experiments, with the goal of offering team-based presentations on the 13th.

For now, the educators break out our scientific gear, familiarizing the students with the equipment they'll be using.

1500 hours

Current Position: Anchored at Gravesend Bay
Latitude: 40˚ 35.336'
Longitude: 074˚ 00.614'

Mr. Terry also leads groups of students through harness training so they can climb aloft. We'll discuss climbing the rig in more detail on our Shipcraft page, so check back for updates.

1630 hours

By now, the students are making solid progress in both aspects of learning. Dr. Jacobs has demonstrated how to operate most of our instruments, and has explained how they'll be used in our experiments.

At the same time, most of the students -- including Kaeli here -- have had the opportunity to complete their harness training and perform their hang tests in the rigging.

1730 hours

With the afternoon winding down, Captain Reynolds gathers everyone together on the weather deck to introduce them to the principles of lines of position.

He explains how the students can locate their current position on a chart using a compass and visible, fixed landmarks. We'll explore lines of position in more detail on our Shipcraft page, so check back for updates.

1845 hours

Once again, the cooks ring the dinner bell. Tonight it's a selection of chicken, cornbread, rice, and green beans. Everyone's worked up an appetite.

1915 hours

As the day ends, the captain calls everyone together for tonight's anchor watch meeting. On anchor watch, two students at a time take turns throughout the night to monitor the shoreline and make sure we don't drag our anchor (and thus drift out of position). The skies have turned increasingly overcast over the course of the afternoon, so we put up tarps just in case of rain. Despite the blustery-looking skies, however, we enjoy fine, cool weather throughout the nice.

2030 hours

Before lights out, we gather around on the orlop deck for a reading of Juet's journal -- the very same journal entries you can read at the end of these daily logs. After reading Juet's journal, it's time for the students to update their own personal logs. Then comes lights out at 2000 hours, and the end of an active day.

On this date in 1609:

The tenth, faire weather, we rode still till twelve of the clocke. Then we weighed and went over, and found it shoald all the middle of the River, for wee could finde but two fathoms and a halfe, and three fathomes for the space of a league; then wee came to three fathomes, and foure fathomes, and so to sueven fathomes, and Anchored, and rode all night in soft Ozie ground. The banke is Sand.

-- Robert Juet's Journal.