The wind doth blow

The wind doth blowed this Monday past,

as noted by our flapping hats.

The dock rolled this way and then back,

our arms were flapping just like bats!

 

Crone wisdom ruled the day,

so we just sat,

out of the way,

in between the boats,

no, there was no smoke,

and had the most marvelous of days.

 

Happy Samhain!

 

 

To Thor and Back

The three sisters:

Nancy, Kathleen, and Terese

coxed

to Thor and back.

 

Thor, is a bulk container ship is from Majuro.

Majuro is the largest of the coral atolls that make up the Marshall Islands.

I am sure it is sunny there.

 

 

Not grey and misty like here.

 

 But the weather doesn't bother us!

We're happy!

and warmed up after putting her canvas cover on.

High Tide

Each week we gather at 2:30 pm on the dot. It's a bit like watching bees come back to the hive. Every new arrival is welcomed with a mix and a mingle, the volume of the hum naturally increasing.  We seldom know who will show up or what the weather will really be like (so often it is miserable at home).  It is best to not have any preconceived notions, to be open, to be willing to 'wait' to see what will happen.

This week:
Nine showed up on a gorgeous autumn day. A fireboat and harbor watcher (tiny head in our wake) provided moments of observation but no rest  - the tide was pushing us back at every stroke. The ship in the bay our goal. A man in an orange suit with a small paint brush and a can of paint watches from above. We look back at our position and think yes, this is far enough out to leave 'it all' behind. Famous last words; Traffic, everywhere you go! We search for a calm patch, nose toward the Thea  and call for tea. The day ends with calm reflections of what it is like to "just be".

Bantry Bay Gig/Longboat

I recently had an opportunity to see the original Bantry Bay longboat after which our beloved

Vérité was copied. The Bantry is currently housed in the Collins Barracks, a branch of the National Irish Museum in Dublin, Ireland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 22 December 1796, La Resolue collided with Redoutable in Bantry Bay, dismasting her. A boat was sent to seek help from Immortalité, but it was washed up on the shore on Clough Beach and its crew taken prisoner. The boat is now a local attraction. Résolue managed to return to Brest under emergency rigging and in tow from Pégase.

In the days of sailing ships, a vessel would carry several ship's boats for various uses. One would be a longboat, an open boat to be rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, two per thwart. The longboat was double banked; its rowing benches were designed to accommodate two men each pulling an oar on opposite sides. Other boats sometimes embarked on a sailing ship included the cutter, whaleboat, gig, jolly boat, launch, dinghy, and punt.
Unlike the dinghy or the cutter, the longboat would have fairly fine lines aft to permit its use in steep waves such as surf or wind against tide where need be. Like other ships' boats, the longboat could be rigged for sailing but was primarily a pulling boat. It had the double-banked arrangement in common with the cutter. This was possible as it had a beam similar to a cutter's but broader than that of a gig, which was single banked.
The longboat was generally more seaworthy than the cutter, which had a fuller stern for such load-carrying work as laying out an anchor and cable. In a seaway or surf therefore, the cutter was more prone to broaching.

Here's a link to  additional information concerning the Bantry Bay boat. Provided by the Atlantic Challenge: http://www.atlanticchallenge.org/gigs.html

The WOWers make every effort to get out on the water every Monday regardless of the weather. Word is that Vérité will be coming out of the water before Thanksgiving. Boy, the season goes fast.