Life in the Merchant Marine: From the Log of Leslie Lincoln, Master Radio Electronics Officer

Currently, Leslie aka "Sparky" is on a 900' car carrier in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of South Africa. Leslie's homeport is Port Townsend, WA. She owns an H28 classic wooden boat that she sails in the NW, when not out on ships. So, what is life like aboard a 900' vessel in the infamous waves off South Africa? How do you stay in shape, adjust to the motions, relate to the sea from a tanker vs. sailboat? Here's the latest from Leslie: 05/19/09 "Though today it was REAAAAAAALY rolly. 30 degree rolls, 15 degrees side to side I saw on the inclinometer in the ship's office. It's quite an effort to just walk around. It's easier to lower one's gravity and just SIT!! I've taken to walking the ramps inside this big ship's belly, the hold. We're almost 900' long. There are ramps open now as we are totally empty. There are 12 car decks, but every other one of the top half lift up to make height of double decks. So I walk around by myself on break, through the center of the huge hold...down the elevator to 6 deck, up the ramp in the cavernous space to 9 deck up to 11-12 deck and so it's pretty good excercise, balancing and walking. I've taken to carrying weights for excercise, too." "There is something so ageless about the wide open sea. I also picture the dhows of earlier epochs, sailing to and fro to India with their spices and silks."

Women's Leadership Panel, USCG

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PANEL

When: Friday, March 20th, 2009

Time: 10 AM

Where: Bldg. 4, 2^nd deck, Rainier Room Seattle, Washington

CAPT Suzanne Englebert, Sector Seattle

CAPT Michèle Bullock, NOAA Marine Ops Center Pacific LT Kim Anderson, MSST Seattle

LT Melanie Burnham, Station Seattle

DCC Laura Freeman, Polar Star

MSTC Tanya Huneycutt, Sector Seattle

AUX Maryanne Chapman, Sector Seattle

Ms. Kristen Cox, ISC Seattle

The public is invited to an informal breakfast to discuss women’s personal leadership experiences and challenges.  A panelist of senior enlisted, officer, civilian and auxiliarist women will be present for discussion and questions.  This is a great opportunity to learn from others, build relationships and network among Coast Guard men and women.

The breakfast refreshments will be at no cost to those attending due to the generous donations of the Pacific Northwest Officers Association.

Please RSVP to LTJG Kristen Kraemer by Wednesday, March 18^th

206/217-6254

Kristen.M.Kraemer@uscg.mil

Please include particular topics you would like discussed.

Take time with your elders

Wooden boat builder, Mordialloc River advocate, fisherman and community legend, Jack Pompei passed away December 30 in Australia. Here's a letter sent worldwide by people close to him in Port Philip Bay, near Melbourne. 

I had the chance to visit Jack while on a trip to Melbourne in 2008. Due to a schedule, I couldn't take the time to travel to his shop... described to me by the eldest Blunt Boatworks descendant as "one of the last of its kind in Australia." 

Take time this year to meet, in person, the elders of our wooden boat world. Their skill, their values, the work ethic, their blend of hand and heart is important to carry forward into the next generation.  We will remember Jack among other wooden boat people who pass on this year at the Memorial Bell Toll on Sunday morning during Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival September 11, 2009.

Here's a video of Jack Pompei and his boats.

Click to read more ...

Tallship sailing in northwest

A man from Vancouver wrote this week inquiring about Tallship sailing near his home waters.  He has lots of small boat sailing experience, but wanted to experience the historic boat experience on a tallship.  Here's my response:

Hi Eric.

You're in wonderful territory for tallship sailing!  In Victoria, there are both Pacific Grace and Pacific Swift.  I've met the folks on Pacific Grace and really enjoyed them.  They just returned this fall from a trans Pacific tour and are preparing to build a new tallship on VI. In Port Townsend, there's a wonderful tallship called Adventuress that sails out of Port Townsend and up into the San Juans in the summers.  Like the two boats in Canada, Adventuress is owned and maintained by a non profit and provides sail training experiences.  Their website is www.soundexp.org.   A few other boats come to mind depending on the specifics you are most interested in.  Schooner Martha, SSS Odyssey, Schooner Zodiac and Lady Washington or Hawaiian Chieftain.  Google around for their websites and if you have other questions, I'm happy to help again.

Raising daughters on a boat

You can be a parent, even of very young children and go cruising.  Mothers and fathers and those who dream of having children but also want to live aboard, take a look at this video of Sugar Flannigan and Leslie McNish.  Sugar and Leslie are very experienced ocean sailors and very dedicated parents.  Aboard their Schooner Alcyone, they've raised two daughters, sailed the oceans and teach sail training aboard the boat.  To reach them, check out their website or visit them onboard at the Wooden Boat Festival.  Both their daughters are good students, excellent sailors and soon, on their way to college.