A delayed penultimate post

A view of the filming barge from aloft.

Canada was pretty well awesome!

We had a great showing for the Richmond Maritime festival. 

Oddly enough we were docked next to the mock up of the Lady Washington used to film episodes of the TV show, Once Upon a Time. Some filming had been done on the actual Lady a few months prior.

Jett and I onset.

Shipmate Jett(who had been aboard for the filming) and I wandered ashore to find the shoot taking place in the town proper. Steveston being the full time stand in for the “New England” town of Storybrooke. Multiple groups of Lady Crew attempted to get a drinks at the very fine looking Hole in the Wall pub which ended up being no more then a fake business set up as dressing for the street filming.
Dang!

 

The filming

The festival was  blast, recently restored bunk houses, shipyard, and canneries from Steveston’s rich maritime history. The area was full of walking street performers, music, art installations, crafts, and model ships.  We receive over 1,500 walk aboard tourist each day! Whew, it was tiring.

Costumed reenactors meet...costumed sailor.

Coooooooool.

Our Bo’sun, Sabrina, lead the crew on an outing to the Asian Night Market in Vancouver, where we were all dazzled with strange foods, feats of stamina, and some fine head-wear. 

There are tentacles in those tentacles.

Hat swap!

Shipmate Katie conquers her fears!

Victoria native and Bo’sun’s Mate, Ryan, was happy to be in his home country, but it was not long lived as we cast off lines and made our way out of the Fraser back to Point Roberts and through US customs, returning southward & towards the sun.

  

This post is a little delayed, as I am being plunged back into life ashore. I’ll soon finish up with another post about the last days of my recent tour on the Lady. Hopefully more adventures to follow.

Ryan, atop the fore.

Too close to call

Since departing from the Quinault Paddle, we have turned north. A few days transit brought us to Blaine, WA. Just on the very northern edge of the US. So close to Canada, in fact, that our cellular modem was registering in British Columbia, and we had to shut it down to avoid roaming charges. We have since setup an temporary international plan, just in time for us to actually cast off dock lines and make way on up to the Common wealth in earnest early early tomorrow morning.

We've had an exciting few days. Seasoned crew Calen and Patty have taken off, as well as our wonderful Two-week trainee, Johnathan. Their bunks have been turned over, though not the place in our hearts, and we are graced with three brand new Two week-ers. A trio of wonderful individuals, Freeman, Bailey, and Katie are learning well, and working hard.

We had a light wind, but very entertaining battle sail. Lady won handedly, raking Chieftains stern several times with full broadsides, cries of their anguished defeat wafting across the waves for hours...to be replaced with raucous dockside revelries as crews from both boats came out, had a few, and gave the royal send off for our departing shipmates. Instruments were broken out and a great number of sea shanties were sung. I very much enjoyed my first go at leading the call and response for Paddy, Lay Back as well as introducing some people to Blue Nose. I heard some new ones as well, that I am hoping I can tuck into my repertoire for later.

Great big Flags'le

After a day of maintenance and crew training, we had a very full sailing for a film shoot. A small camera crew came on board, dressed us in wardrobe and gathered stock footage for a particular show...that I'm not supposed to name.

We spent the day setting, dousing, and maneuvering as well as monkeying around in the rig (my personal favorite) to "look busy" and "do sailor-y stuff". Shooting from Lady, another small vessel, and from a small RC octo-copter they got some pretty neat footage of us climbing in places we're normally not allowed to climb. Yay!

Mom, don't read the last paragraph...oops

Today was a day for tours and maintenance. Plenty of lookers on. Some paint was touched up, crowjack lifts were end-for-ended, and Sabrina made up a new Main-Topsail-Halyard-Tie.


It's been a good week. I am looking forward to a shower, some cards, and sleep.
Then, off to Richmond, BC and the maritime history festival!

Our Canadian Boatswain's mate is called home.

These neat little guys have been puttering around Blaine Harbor.

Rare view of some of our 20th century technology.

The film crew

Boatswain Sabrina and Engineer Robert, having some fum aloft.

Kissing the main truck.

Pulling a Jack Aubrey, Standing on the T'gallant yard

No photos, just words.

An experience of a lifetime.

Lady anchored near Quinault, crew stood easy. We had just finished a quite night all together in the aft cabin, enjoying a respite from the days adventures.  Bleary eyed we ascend to the deck to find the ripples around our anchorage aglow.

The surface cascades with light as we toss deck buckets into an ocean of magic. Specks of green shimmer in our hands with each dip or cupped sample. Iridescence flows through the scuppers and arcs of brilliance flash with each cast of a line, or swish of a boat hook, or a plunge of a frolicking, shivering sailor.

We are surrounded in luminescence, bright enough to outline the fish swimming in the murky depths, but too dim to be captured by the camera's skeptical eye.


With each and every disturbance the water turns the color and brightness of a Fourth of July glow stick. Splashes send waves of light across the surface, and anything wetted sparkles with flecks of light. The echo of a constant surf tears across the bay like Minnesotan pines roaring in a December storm. My shipmates laugh and play for hours before one by one slipping off to bed or standing reflective watch on the quarterdeck.

This is what we are living for. This is why we sail the reclusive and spiteful sea.
I wish I could better share this moment of magic, but at least I'm lucky enough to have it tucked away, for myself.