Elise and I have just returned from 7 days of sailing on the Tenacious, a Barque, (three masted), tall ship.
Tenacious in the evening
We were part of the crew so pitched in with all the work. Hauling ropes, keeping logs of the weather and compass bearing, cleaning etc. Most of our time was spent on deck. It was a busy time.
Elise receiving instruction in steering at the helm
The weather was unseasonably warm with light wind, this made it a bit tricky as there was little wind to fill the sails some days. Added to that the generator registered a fault so the Captain decided not to exit the Bay for safety. Despite these little disappointments, the crew managed to have immense fun ... Elise won the murder game which lasted a couple of days. Being the youngest on the ship had it's advantages, she was often the centre of attention. We sailed around Port Phillip Bay stopping on places like Portarlington and Portsea, visited smelly seals, explored the Quarantine station, observed two illegal fishing vessels, watched dolphins leap around the ship, watched the thundering skies, learnt how to steer the ship, spent hours on night watches chatting to new friends while recording weather details.
Having some assistance climbing the rigging
We both had a wonderful time with the permanent crew and the others, being so kind and helpful to Elise and the few other passengers with disabilities. Elise was quite overwhelmed with the kindness shown. Surprisingly, on this trip there were less disabled people than expected, although quite a few had hidden disabilities.
Those that were able climbed the mast and went out onto the Yards. Others were assisted by the permanent crew. We had safety lines on at all times when going aloft so felt very safe. The view was beautiful up the top and so worth the effort. It was certainly an experience that I will not forget in a hurry. It would be quite interesting to do this trip again at a different place in completely different weather conditions - I imagine the experience would be dramatically different. One of the safety items was locking Elise's wheelchair down to the deck - necessary when the ship is on a steep angle when all sails are full. Our anti-nausea tablets were left untouched ... probably wouldn't have been the case if the wind was high. The sea was calm and beautiful.
Elise starting to be hauled up the mast
Touching down on the platform up very high.
Elise is just visible on the first platform
Starting my climb with the safety line at my side
Making my way out onto the Yard
I'm up on the second level of the mast
The sails are set
Getting ready to haul on rope to adjust the sails. Elise is behind a blind girl
Each rope has a strange name and a specific task. Confusing to newcomers
Chatting with fellow crew
Our captain explains setting sails on a small model ship
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