Whirlwind Week

Good morning everyone. Well it has been another very busy week here. After a whirlwind 24 hour shipyard event we rolled straight into school vacation week and painting topsides. The weather here the last few weeks has been just extraordinary. Sunny dry days with temperatures up into the 70s... is this really spring in Maine???

The crew spent 3 days massaging the topside planking and the results really show. They pushed really hard on Wednesday working late painting the beige and white on the bulwarks. Thursday was a very full day painting the topsides. On Friday the crew prepped and painted the bowsprit, and the yawl boat "gallows" along with its beige strong back. But wait there's more!

Training is a huge part of what we do this time of year. The crew will know this boat inside and out by the time they are done getting her ready to sail. This weekend, for the first time, we taught a first-aid course specifically geared for windjammers. The crews from the windjammers at the head of Camden Harbor spent the weekend reviewing techniques for dealing with medical and injury emergencies when we are just beyond the reach of 911. While much of the course involved American Heart Association first aid and CPR & AED curriculum the scenarios we practiced all involved what happens when the ambulance just can't get to where we are. Much time and discussion was dedicated to simple but very important concepts in providing extended care for injuries. We practiced scene size-up, initial assessments, and how to perform a more focused history and physical exam so that we can communicate the condition and nature of the situation. In our scenarios we provided care for injured crew members with multiple issues and passengers having "the big one" in the top bunk of their cabins (try doing CPR in those confined quarters!) complete with hysterical bystanders. Those scenarios, while just pretend at the dock, brought home the difficult nature of what we are confronted with when the 911 system will not arrive in 15 minutes. The response from the crew members was tremendous and demonstrated their commitment to passenger safety.

What's next you ask? Stand by...we're all having a day off!

Have a great day. Be well. Do good. Stay safe!

Happy Mardi Gras

Good Morning Everyone and a happy Shrove Tuesday to you all. We will be celebrating Mardi Gras ala Maine today. We’ll be out dancing in the snowdrifts in our long underwear and eating the last of the venison before we have to give up something for lent. While I don’t have any confessions (to shrive) to make I do have reason to celebrate. According to weather reports from across the country we have warmer temperatures headed this way and thoughts of spring are not far off. The kids were talking the other day about putting out the maple taps. Sunrise is at 0633 and sunset is at 1718 (5:18 PM). That is 10 hours and 49 minutes of daylight and we’ll take it, a full hour and a half more than we had at the winter solstice. Remember I told you that the cold is my friend and how much I do love the snow? Well Oscar, our propane delivery man, came yesterday and the bill for just keeping the barn from freezing was sobering. I may give up propane for lent. The sledding has been awesome as seen in the accompanying picture. The Appleton luge run down the driveway is about 600 feet and the real trick is stopping at the bottom before crashing in to the snow bank. So this has nothing to do with windjammers today except that Fat Tuesday reminds me that every week on a schooner gives me reason to celebrate. If you can't wait that long to celebrate I recommend grabbing your sled.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.