Notes from the Ship - Spring 2023
By Captain Tony AndersonSpring began with a flurry for both boats and crews this year. The vessels were hauled out in Port Townsend, crew training courses were completed, final adjustments were made to Pacific Swift's new foremast, and adjustments were made to both boats' electronic systems; these made up a few of the many tasks related to this spring season's preparations. Plenty of formal training occurred this spring also, in part, due to many new crew members added to our roster, but also around first mate training for our two acting mates, Brock and Taylor. Everything from lifeguard recertifications to radar plotting, first aid to chartwork and rules of the road exams; even learning a new maintenance software package was on the schedule this year just to keep us all on our toes.
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| As always, once our first few trips began, all seemed to slow down to a manageable pace, loading the boats each week with twenty-eight new faces filled with wonder and excitement. Both boats enjoyed a variety of sailing conditions this spring, from flat calms with and without rain, to gales with enough wind for us crew to look enviously ashore at the “armchair sailors” warm and snug at home by the fire. During one five-day trip we were treated to four gales in five days, with three of the gales blowing over 50kts. It's never a dull moment! As well, both boats again enjoyed a variety of trips this year including many of our familiar schools, some of which have been with us for thirty years, and also some new groups that have set up valuable programs with youth at risk. |  |
All in all, our best times have been when we “make time” for one of the trainees we have on board, to take a moment to find out what their life is like and what they may be thinking about, their aspirations, their fears. When we do this, all the work and sometimes frustration of prepping the boats and crew for the new season moves to the background of our memory and we see the real person in front of us. This is where community begins.
With summer trips next on the agenda, all are keen for longer voyages and more time to share life with the trainees who sail with us.
With summer trips next on the agenda, all are keen for longer voyages and more time to share life with the trainees who sail with us.
Photos by KS and anonymous spring 2023 participants