My Mate - MasterMike
Please let me introduce the crew member formerly known as Mike Mate and his fabulous new blog "MasterMike". My mate Mike is on the Rainbow Warrior and although he has sailed with Greenpeace many times as First Mate this is his first time as captain. He hasn't been at sea long but already his ship has come to the rescue of 3 damsels in distress as their yacht was sinking and it has been surrounded by angry Frensh Fisherman in a dramatic stand off. It's all very exciting.
Mike writes eloquently, with wit and humour and I just wanted to give him a plug on here since he truly deserves a wider audience. I love following his regular updates.
Here's one my favourite bits from Master Mike's blog:
I find the boatswain and the rest of the crew down in the hold, they’re doing rope work. “Old man wants the sails up” I call down to them. Crew come up the ladder and, with hardly a word, they go about preparing the ship to sail. The booms are swung out and secured with the preventer rope such that the jib is furthest out, followed by the main sail, then the others - each successively more inboard than the one in front. Phil, the boatswain, stands on the forecastle with me. He has a yellow remote control unit with four buttons in his hands with which to operate two electric winches. I look down on the deck and there is a crew member standing by each mast with a similar remote control. In perfect synchronicity each crew electrically unfurls the sails whilst, at the same time, hauling on the outhaul - we are now motor sailing.
Comments
I met Mike last summer in Stockholm, he was kind enough to show me his control panels and the engine room on the Esperanza.
He sometimes e-mails with me encoraging letters to stop bottom trawling.
Unfortunately, I have been very busy right now so I have not been able to follow all adventures but I'm trying to catch up...
Posted by: Ann Novek | August 27, 2006 01:26 AM