Author: Finja
Date: 10.2.2021
Position: Harbour of Freeport, Grand Bahama
Nautical Position: Too lazy to look it up
Etmal: 0nM
 
Today is Wednesday. Since yesterday we are in the harbour of Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island because we wanted to get fuel. So initially we planned to stay along-side for only a few hours but up to now, we achieved everything, except getting fuel. That’s not only a bad point because we also got new food stores!:) My day started at 6 a.m. with a wake up from Silja: ”Good morning, your time has come! You need to get up cause you’re on galley-duty.”

While washing up the dishes from breakfast, I brainstormed what I could write in this daily report. I looked outside the porthole where Sophia, Elisa, Jo and Simon, so the complete Bosuns-Team have been tuning good old Pelican. And then, I thought it may be interesting to you what things have to be done to keep the Pelican afloat! So welcome to my
 
Tutorial: How to keep the Pelican afloat? / How to be a Bosun ?
 
Step 1. SANDING
This is the favourite task of our deckhands. You could sand basically every single part on this ship because everything is old and made of wood.

• Grab a spot or a thing you would like to sand.
• Sand with sanding paper of force 80.
• Sand again with force 120. Both papers you can find in the Bosun Store 🙂
• Pick up a bucket and the Washing-Up liquid out of the paint locker.
• Wash the object and get the hose to wash away the foam.
• When it´s dry again, get D1 and some brushes and start oiling it.
• Simon will now tell you that it’s a good start for an amateur and that you are a pain in the bottom because you left some holidays (dry spots)
• Do everything again and it will be great
  
  For example: When Max was  deckhand, he chose to keep on being annoying to my watch because every morning, he came to oil the capping rail with D1 (I don’t exactly know what that is. I just picked up the word randomly). Our deckhands at the moment really like to sand the pins from our pinrails, and Hannes, Julius P. and me sanded the picnic tables on the well deck and I can tell you that this work is actually pretty fun. We listened to music and had a little foam party.
   
  Step 2. SPLICING
  A splice is when you open up a rope, so you get three smaller ones. Next, you make a loop and then you start tying the three smaller ropes in the original rope. This way, you get a strong holding loop which can be used for example for gaskets (those are ropes you use to tie a sail on the yard or to tie mooring lines together). This is also something we do a lot in Seamanship lessons.
   
  Step 3. BLACKING
  When you got to do Blacking, you grab your harness and Simon will put you a tin on your harness. Then you climb up the main mast. Simon will call you a racing sloth and then you start to paint the shrauds black. STOP! Don’t ask me why, because I have no idea why they are doing this. Thank you 🙂
   
  Step 4. BILGE -DIVING
  So currently I am on 0 a.m.-4 a.m. watch. That’s why I always sleep till 10 a.m. . Outside of my cabin door is the Bosuns Bilge and again, I really don’t know the reason for that, but every time when I try to sleep, the Bosuns team is making unofficial bilge diving contests.
   
  Step 5. FAFFING AROUND
  Well, faffing around is a very common term on the Peli because most of us are doing that very often.  If there’s work to do and you just sneak out (skyve) or if Mizzen A would say (“rausschlumpfen” or in english “to smurf out”) or you are doing jokes, annoy other people or things like that.
   
  Step 6. TESTING GEAR
  Because we are a good and old Tall Ship, there are many things which have to be tested because they will or already don’t work anymore. So once Caspar and me sat at the picnic tables and Simon tested the Emergency Fire Pump. It was loud and smoky and when we asked Simon if it’s working, he just said ironically:”Yaeh, its doing great! It´s working!” Of course he later had to fix it. And I think that describes well, how our life on the Pelican is. You have to be creative when some machines are not working any more and find solutions to fix it. This is part of life on the ship.
   
  That´s how it is ! 🙂
   
  Greetings to my family and friends, I hope you had a good day and you are enjoying to be at home and have each other. Hab euch lieb! Eure Finja
   
  PS:
  Greetings from Clara to Philipp! Dear Rumpelchen, happy Birthday! I hope you had a great day and I wish you all the best for your new year!! 🙂