Average temp. 4ºC
20 minutes before going to bed I discovered I was on galley duty, having no idea what this entailed I went to bed having set my alarm for 30 mins before we should get up (6am),.. this however was not required as someone in the room had intelligently pre-empted everyone’s morning procedures and set their alarm for 4am (obviously in error),.. this was then followed by my next door bunkmate who decided that he was getting up at 5am,.. in the end I gave up trying to sleep and went for my second shower of the journey at about 5.30am…
20 minutes before going to bed I discovered I was on galley duty, having no idea what this entailed I went to bed having set my alarm for 30 mins before we should get up (6am),.. this however was not required as someone in the room had intelligently pre-empted everyone’s morning procedures and set their alarm for 4am (obviously in error),.. this was then followed by my next door bunkmate who decided that he was getting up at 5am,.. in the end I gave up trying to sleep and went for my second shower of the journey at about 5.30am…
Galley Duty is interesting while living on separate ships, Cherie and I had no idea what this entailed, however, we made sure we were on time and helping Donald to organise breakfast (bacon, boiled eggs and bagels) on the trainee’s other temporary home, the ship the Cape Chidley moored on an adjacent dock. Breakfast was a great success, after ensuring there was coffee for everyone and everyone had had coffee, we set about washing up,.. a little more complicated than previously envisioned,.. as it turns out, Zebroid has hot water, but the sinks are blocked; whereas Cape Chidley has working sinks, but no hot water,.. we applied the standard one sink of suds, one of water with a little bleach (to kill bacteria etc) and washed up,.. the dishcloths rapidly became sodden and we realised we were essentially just pushing water around the plates we were attempting to dry,… issue 1; Chidley is freezing, nothing dries there whereas Zebroid is boiling and things can dry there…. Solution, after every meal, all dishcloths are to be transferred to Zebroid where they can dry to be returned to Chidley in time for the next meal’s washing up.
Everyone was up early to see The Picton Castle moved to dry dock and to be honest, despite the 3 hours preparation and waiting around, it was quite a spectacular sight to see this 285 tonne behemoth slide slowly out of the water, gradually laying bare her underbelly for all to see…. She wasn’t quite as sleek as I expected her to be, from her sleek lines above water I was expecting a tuniform (marine biologists will know what I mean)–like hull,.. but no, I am sure she would be diplomatically described as “curvy” or “voluptuous” if she was human! The hull is quite stout and I have been reliably informed is exactly how it would have been shaped if she was an original tall ship, no real keel to speak of!
The XXXX was swiftly followed by lunch, which as “Galley Bitches”, meant that myself and Cherie had to organise the food for 60+ people (not the cooking thank god!),.. however, with 5 mins to go, we were informed that everyone was eating on the dock Next to Zebroid. So instead of eating on Chidley as normal we had to orchestrate the transfer of all condiments from Chidley to the quay of Zebroid,… thanks to the enthusiastic recruitment of many of the other trainees we managed to get everything out and ready,.. Donald as always, was way ahead of us and the pasta bake was piping hot and just the right amount,.. again!
Conversation over lunch focussed around The Picton Castle and whether or not she would be ready by the 1st may, despite the clear blue skies and good humour of everyone, the focus is very much on how soon we will be turning south and heading towards the warmer waters.
After lunch the normal confusion ensued over where we were washing up, who was washing up and after another 20-odd journeys between ships, we were informed that we were late for muster and we had to go over the crew handook and practise knots with the Able Seamen!... this turned out to be great fun, and we learnt a lot about the way in which the ship was managed and many doubts were answered, “how often do you shower?” generated an interesting response from Meredith,..”Well,.. that depends, but no more than once every few days!”, for someone like me that normally showered probably twice a day, this was going to be interesting, but I had already got used to the communal living and I’m sure I would be too tired to soon to be worried about smelling a bit ripe! All too fast/Before long, Cherie and I were whisked away from this cornucopia of nautical knowledge to ensure that dinner was prepared for everyone!...By this time we knew where the dry dishcloths were, and, although the fabled “hot” water on Chidley never materialised Cherie was able to recruit a number of “volunteers” to help (she should work for the Navy,.. I’ve never seen so many people recruited so quickly and calmly!) and we were fortunate enough to finish the washing up in time for a quick game of Ultimate Frisbee in the local park before heading to the pub for a nightcap… we have been informed that we are going to be put to work tomorrow,.. in some ways I am looking forward to it, but I would also quite like a lie-in,.. oh, and a bunkmate who snores slightly below the decibel level of a 747!!!
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