Here you can read the latest diaries on the Sea Stallion's voyage to Dublin.

July 2nd, 2007

Published 16th Aug 2007

Fore room:

(Safety, health and atmosphere) One shouldn’t machine-wash one’s Musto rainclothes. They lose their impermeability and let in the rain. We experience one of our mates who get wet and becomes so cold that she can no longer work and has to be transferred to the accompanying ship.

(Damage) The port stringer has loosened itself ½ inch around the clamp on the bowline.

(Setting and lowering sail) The braces both fore and aft are to be placed to each its side when we are running before the wind and not as otherwise both on one side. If this is not done the yard will rock inconveniently to the one side.

 

Midship room:

(Personal equipment) There are some who have used their survival suits as rainwear but the survival suit is also for working in.

(Considerations) Should the buntlines be drawn over the outermost heaving lines or under them? What is best? It is still being discussed.

(Other manoeuvres) Tightened the shrouds.

(Other manoeuvres) We have made new bags for the oars so that they do not fish the ropes that come past during manoeuvres with the sail but the oars are being used all the time for other things than just rowing with them, for example as a bench for those off duty, so is there really any use for these bags?

(Other manoeuvres) The holes in the shrouds in the side of the ship have been proofed with ox tallow. The grease gun was well-suited for pressing the fat into the holes, but the idea of adding blue colouring to the tallow so that it would match the side of the ship inside was a failure. It turned to a peculiar synthetic blue colour so we had to wipe the colour off and used white fat for the rest. So we shall have to put up with the white blotches! The grease gun is also a good way of getting smaller pieces of fat out.

(Other manoeuvres) We are getting gear over from our accompanying ship to fasten a trail rope at the mast. We find a good method by allowing the rope to go underneath the mast partners and around the heel of the mast and back to a gigantic shackle to which the hook is fixed. The rope is long enough for it to go around the central gallows on which the yard rests.

(Reefing) Kjetil introduced a new method of reefing the sail at the top: Instead of as hitherto tying it up under the yard to the uppermost bolt rope, we now fasten it right up to the yard so that it lies tight into it.

 

Halyard room:

(Other manoeuvres) Kattegat / Skagerak. We pumped water out from about 10 p.m. until 2 am the day after the next, a total of 28 hours. We used only one pump, No. 3.

This came to approx. 400 strokes, equivalent to approx 200 litres, per hour. (A total of 5,600 litres).

When it was really raining and the sea was rough, we once pumped approx. 1,400 strokes.

(Information: We have 8 pumps on board and each pump is double-acting, i.e. it can take about ½ litre per stroke).


Created by Claus Laage-Thomsen