Maintenance: The student helps with whatever regular maintenance tasks that may come up. The primary chore is to clean the head, which we do every hour. As one might well imagine, with two dozen people using a single bathroom, it's crucial to keep the head spotless. This duty continues whether or not the ship is underway.

Maintenance can also include assisting the senior crew with special projects, such as helping to apply whipping to lines. ("Whipping" is using a needle and heavy thread to tightly bind together the end of a line, preventing it from gradually unraveling.)

Fire and Bilge: The student regularly patrols the lower decks of the ship, searching for potential hazards such as smoldering fires and/or rapidly rising bilge water. We've never had a fire or flooded deck on the Half Moon, and these constant, preventative patrols help ensure that we never do. This duty continues whether or not the ship is underway, and is handled by anchor watch at night.