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Daily Log: Friday, July 17th

0630 hours

Starting Position: Docked at Goodwin College Riverside Campus in East Hartford, CT.
Latitude: 41˚ 44.6' N
Longitude: 072˚ 38.7' W
Port Watch Leader: Alex.

Day One of the Half Moon's voyage from East Hartford, CT to Hudson, NY.

We rise soon after dawn, planning to depart East Hartford at 0800, but it appears that East Hartford -- and indeed, everything beyond the ship -- has already slipped away in the night!

In reality, a thick fog has settled over Hartford in the wake of a violent storm that roared through the greater northeast region last night. We're hearing that Albany, NY -- home town for a goodly portion of the crew -- was hit by hail!

A look back at last night's storm.
Lightning + flash photography = entertainment!

Our experience on the ship consisted of frequent flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder punctuating the driving rains, making for an exciting hour or so. Goodwin College President Mark Scheinberg even called down to the ship to ask if we needed any help, but in fact we were battened down and quite secure.

0715 hours

The rising sun starts to burn off the fog as Captain Reynolds gathers our new crew for an introductory briefing. We can now see across the river, though the skyline of Hartford remains completely opaque.

0730 hours

We hold our crew briefing over breakfast. By the time we wrap up, visitors have started to arrive to see us off.

Among the select few who've braved the early morning hours, we count Voyage of Discovery alumni family members, some our friends in the Goodwin College staff, Half Moon shore supporters Jennifer Reilly and Patrick Noonan, and even a news team from Connecticut NBC 30.

With our scheduled departure time fast approaching, we need to undo the extra work we put into securing the ship last night.

Crewmember Steve Linehan is sent ashore to free our secondary Line One.

0745 hours

Meanwhile, Jennifer Reilly climbs out onto the nearest dolphin to free our secondary Line Four with a boathook.

0800 hours

After we heave in the ship's breastlines, we send ship's bosun Ewout van Grondelle, bosun's mate Rachel Laufer, and alumna Nora Reynolds out in the Zodiac to retrieve our bow and stern lines.

Mouse over to give fire!
Nick fires the port falconet.

When all of the ship's mooring lines are hauled in, alumnus Nick Reynolds fires a parting salute to Goodwin College with the starboard falconet.

Mouse over for the big picture.
The Half Moon leaves the Goodwin pier behind.

0815 hours

As the Half Moon maneuvers away from Goodwin College, we look back for one last glimpse of our friends and supporters.

We also say farewell to the Goodwin College Riverside Campus itself, still emerging from the haze.

0830 hours

As we round the bend in the Connecticut River, first Hartford, the Goodwin's towering campus slip out of view. Our voyage has truly begun.

Any pangs of regret we may be feeling over leaving Goodwin behind are soon obliterated by the revelation that Kara Simmers, Goodwin's Director of Communications, sent us off with a plate of warm, gooey brownies.

Speaking of obliterated, note the look on Mate Hansen's face; you'll find the exact same expression on a hungry hound dog who's just seen a bit of steak fall to the floor.

Mouse over to test the
fore mast's clearance.
The Half Moon's fore mast passes under the Agassi Bridge.

0845 hours

Within a few minutes we reach the Putnam Bridge. As mention in the Voyage of Discovery logs, the low bridges of the Connecticut River present the ship with a few tight squeezes -- particularly after the region's exceptional rainfall has swollen the river's waters.

We've noted that the river's depth has fallen about four feet since we arrived at East Hartford -- still noticably higher than its level last year -- but did last night's thunderstorm pump up the water level yet again? Will our masts clear the bridge?

 

Indeed they do, with a few feet to spare.

0945 hours

As we pass the ferry at Rocky Hill, we catch one last glimpse of Jennifer Reilly and her son, who have raced down from East Hartford to bid us a final farewell.

One good salute deserves another.

1000 hours

As the ship continues downriver, we run our new crew members through harness training. Just like the student crew, anyone who wants to earn an orange shirt must successfully master these safety guidelines.

Actually climbing the rig is not required to become a crew member, but many of our new additions are eager to reach the tops. Before anyone can climb, however, they must pass a hang test.

1030 hours

Alex, Gymm, Peter, and Dave busy themselves by studying navigational charts of the Connecticut River.

The crew is divided into two watches, Port and Starboard. Port Watch is on duty from 6 to 12; Starboard replaces them from 12 to 6. However, from the moment we left the Goodwin pier, we have been operating under a 24-hour watch rotation (our goal is to reach the Hudson River before we set anchor). This means that the watch hours are both AM and PM, so off-duty crew are encouraged to rest and adjust themselves to a radically different schedule.

1130 hours

The ship's idle hands are busy as well. In nautical terms, idle hands are crew members who are not placed on the watch rotation. Idle hands might have to follow a rigid schedule (such as the cook, who works from 0700 hours - 2200 hours each day), or they may need to make themselves potentially available whenever the need arises -- essentially placing them permanently "on call."

For now, Bosun Ewout and Bosun's Mate Rachel are repainting the standing rig. This black outdoor paint serves the same purpose as tarring the rig did in Hudson's Day -- protecting the lines from chafing and the elements -- but produces far less mess.

On this leg of the voyage, our crew is large enough that even watch members who are technically on duty can count on an hour off to rest -- or to just catch up on their reading.

1200 hours

Current Position: Under way on the Connecticut River, passing Pratt & Whitney.
Latitude: 41˚ 30.8' N
Longitude: 072˚ 33.4' W
Starboard Watch Leader: Sanne.

The Half Moon just happens to be passing the shipping pier for one of voyage sponsor Pratt & Whitney's manufacturing plants as Port Watch hands its duties over to Starboard Watch.

Moments later, Mr. Wolfe serves sandwiches and macaroni salad for lunch.

1230 hours

We are once again passing the home of Goodwin President Mark Scheinberg, so this time Assistant Gunner Sanne receives the honor of firing a falconet salute.

1330 hours

We continue to revisit familiar sights as we head downriver. The East Haddam Bridge opens to admit as...

...and a few minutes later, we get our last look at Goodspeed Opera House for the year.

1400 hours

Now that he's off duty, today's Port Watch leader, Alex, relaxes on the fore deck by exercising his extensive skills in marlinspike.

The watches are encouraged to rest -- and even sleep, if they can -- whenever they're off duty. After all, they'll be heading right back to work just six hours after they stand down. A 24-hour watch rotation still allows for plenty of sleep -- crew members are still off-duty for 12 hours a day -- but it often takes a shift or two to adjust to this unusual schedule.

Down on the orlop deck, Howland takes his break by curling up with a good book.

1500 hours

We are now approaching Old Lyme and the mouth of the Connecticut River. We encounter heavier recreational water traffic here on the lower river, including a few notable vessels. The yacht on the right is the Blue Guitar, owned by Eric Clapton, while the sloop on the right is the Historic Schooner Mary E (external link), which at the time of this photo has just greeted us with a cannon salute.

1515 hours

We're still circulating a final few crew members through harness training during their off-duty hours. Under Rachel's instruction, Brian climbs up to take his hang test.

1530 hours

What would a Half Moon voyage be without a student presentation?

Alumnae Evi and Nora have prepared a presentation to test their hypothesis, "We Should Have Many Swim Calls." To support their theory, they've polled the crew and conducted a statistical analysis comparing "Number of swim calls/day" vs. "feelings of mutiny."

They present their results to the captain. According to their findings, two swim calls per day is the ideal number to minimize mutinous sentiments among the crew.

Captain Reynolds considers their data, then reaches a conclusion of his own: we are to secure a line of 30 fathoms' length, marked by half-hitch loops at each half-fathom, and keel haul the mutinous dogs!

This is not precisely the result our researchers had been looking for.

The Half Moon passes under the I-95 Bridge at the mouth of the river. You can always spot the new crew members when the ship passes under a precariously low bridge; they're the ones who look up!

1545 hours

One last obstacle before we reach open waters. Captain Reynolds looks on as we pass through the open railroad drawbridge.

1615 hours

Beyond the bridges, a final channel bypasses the sandbars which line the mouth of the Connecticut River. As we pass the Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, we enter Long Island Sound. For a time this afternoon, we had hoped to head east, swing around Montauk Point, and enjoy a day of ocean sailing for our return voyage to the Hudson River, but the current weather reports indicate that the wind is against us. Sadly, taking the open ocean route would simply add about ten hours of motoring against the waves -- a choppy endeavor -- to our journey. We'll stick to the Sound this year.

1630 hours

Below decks, Swantje is hard at work painting miniature portraits of the entire crew. We'll post a gallery of her artwork after we reach Hudson, NY.

Mouse over for the big picture.
Nick sits atop the very end of the main yard.

1700 hours

During the 2007 Schenectady-NijKirk Voyage of Discovery, two years ago nearly to the day, Nick's mother had been following these logs and had to write in to inform the inobservant crew that young Nick had not changed his shirt in nearly a week.

Well, rest assured, Mom, we're keeping a close eye on his fashions this time! Write in and let us know if anything else escapes our attention.

1800 hours

Current Position: Under way through Long Island Sound, approaching Faulkner Island.
Latitude: 41˚ 13.4' N
Longitude: 072˚ 34.4' W
Port Watch Leader: Alex.

Dinner is served during the change of watches.

1930 hours

With the silvery expanse of Long Island Sound all around us, our helmsmen switch to steering by compass bearing.

2000 hours

As the sun sets, we continue into the night on a westerly course, confident that the 24-hour watch will not provoke unusual psychological effects in our crew.

2400 hours

Current Position: Under way through Long Island Sound.
Latitude: 41˚ 03.5' N
Longitude: 073˚ 12.8' W
Starboard Watch Leader: Sanne.

A dense, damp fog has descended on the moonless night, rendering the weather deck pitch black. We steer through the night solely by compass heading and our navigational instruments. If you'd like to experience what the overnight journey is like for yourself, just stand next to a humidifier and close your eyes!

Next Time: Hudson Bound!

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