August 1999 Lautoka, Fiji
Under Way Again
Now anchored in the city of Lautoka on the west side of Viti Levu in Fiji, Alvei has sailed over 2000 miles in the past 9 weeks. Behind us i s a year-long refit, and a return to tropical sailing. Picking up the story from the April ‘98 newsletter, here’s what’s been happening.
The Refit In Nelson
For 13 months, we were tied up to an old wooden jetty, working on the ship. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. "He’s going to give us a long, boring work list full of incomprehensible terms like parbuckle, poopdeck, and mizzen clinkerplank clewgarnets. Just what is he talking about?"Okay, let’s face it. The following paragraph is perhaps more for the benefit of you serious sailor types. The "Pina-Colada-On-The-Beach"crowd might prefer to skip down the page. Any experienced sailor knows that a long refit is simply the other side of sailing into the sunset.
A refit gives the long-distance sailor a chance to settle in for awhile and enjoy the distractions of life ashore, and to experience in-depth whatever part of the world he or she is visiting. Those who know sailing boats in general, or old square-riggers in particular, will be familiar with "work lists", as jobs are finished and crossed off, more are added, so that while the list gets shorter, it rarely ever ends.
Without belaboring the details, here’s what we accomplished: We sent down the yards and topmasts for paint and slush, overhauled 86 blocks and a bucket of shackles, unbent and repaired 8 sails, finished sewing all sail and mattress covers, caulked the main deck, tarred the rig, built a new ships’ wheel, cemented the water tanks, and overhauled the Sabb and Hobart generators. We also installed one new anchor with 6 shots of new chain, 9 new batteries, a new SSB radio, a new main saloon stereo, new bilge plumbing with non-return valves, new Lexan for the portholes, and acquired 4 kilometers of new running rigging, weighing nearly half a ton. We painted, stained, and varnished the galley, and added a new kerosene oven (you’ve got to try Dave’s cornbread). We painted the main engine, engine room, chain locker, bulwarks, and anything else in need. Our new shore boat Morning Star was fitted out and put on the aft davits. And finally, we took on several tonnes of diesel and lube oil, and stowed 4 months of hard tack and bully beef in the hold (because a well-fed crew is a happy crew). Speaking of whichÖ…
The Crew
A warm "thank you"to everyone who came to help, and to those who stayed on to crew. From Denmark, Sweden, Germany, England, Canada, the U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, and yes, even Antarctica, came Mistie, Jolyon, Pierette, Greg, Glen, John & Adam, Art, Sven, Josephine, Darlene, Shawn, Suzan, Rob, Kiwi Rob, Kiwi John, Big Kiwi Dave, Daniel, Rebel, Francis, Ulla, Cory, Laurie, and Silly Willy Fairie. Of particular note are our two AB’s, Dave and Mike, who worked the long refit and, remarkably enough, are still with us; and our two deck officers, Jory and Jo. Jory is a Canadian Merchant Marine Captain with tallship experience, and Jo is a British Yacht Master and Diesel Trawler Engineer. Debi, one of our shareholders, has bravely accepted the role of Ships’ Steward. Finally, a special thanks to Kiwi Marge, Ross, and to German Ulla, who came half-way around the world to spend her Spring Break with us.
Sail Training
Of course, training is a big part of life aboard Alvei, so while in port, most mornings involved an hour covering topics like sail and line handling, knots, splices, working aloft, and rowing. We also used this time to develop as a team, knowing that many of us would soon be doing these things together, for real, on the open seas.
Paying The Bills
In an effort to keep up with operating costs, we have been forced to restructure fees. We now have a "User Pays" fee that applies to all who sail with us. For new crew, the cost is US$700 a month. The time these people spend aboard may be accumulated, either in one block, or in a series of visits. Once they have accumulated one year of time, they may be invited to join the co-operative as regular crew. For volunteers who helped during the refit in Portugal, and for non-shareholders using shareholder time, the fee is now US$350 a month. For shareholders the fee is now US$250 a month. Of course, since Alvei has never been structured as a money-making venture, cash is, as usual, a bit tight, and desired items such as new sails, new galley sinks, and an on-board computer will have to wait.
Underway & Bound For Tonga
With an enthusiastic crew of 14, we bid farewell to a large crowd of friends on the dock in Nelson, and motored out onto a calm, sunny Tasman Bay. We anchored that night at Croiselles Harbour to await a slack tide through French Pass. Next afternoon we anchored in Guards Bay to wait for a fair tide at Cape Jackson and Cook Straight. Once through the Straight, we took our departure from the lighthouse at Cape Palliser on the North Island, and sailed out into the Pacific. Those of the crew new to offshore passagemaking would remark at the end of the journey about what a great spectrum of conditions they experienced on this trip. And in the 34 days it took to get to Tonga, we really did have it all. There were 4 gales and one full-on storm. There were days and days of glassy calms. There were fresh winds that pushed us towards the Tropics, and northerlies determined to force us back to the Southern Ocean. There were dark tropical squalls that would come and go in a matter of minutes. And with every change in the weather came a change of sails, so it wasn’t long before the crew was familiar with every possible combination of sails.
When we left New Zealand, we were often clad in our warmest clothes and full foul-weather gear, but as the weeks passed, the layers came off, and we soon found ourselves standing night watches in shorts and t-shirts. We stood watch, we read, we played chess, we got tan, we goofed around and had a ball. Amazing creations were baked in the oven until the oven broke, and then the crew learned to make breads and cakes in a pressure cooker on the stove. Spontaneous water fights were initiated by Ulla, whose love of a good brawl (along with her Scandinavian background) earned her the nickname "The Viking Warrior." We all learned fast: never mess with a Dane in the heat of battle, particularly when she’s got a bucket of seawater close at hand. We were visited by flocks of albatross, and pods of dolphins and pilot whales, and on one calm day, a minkie whale and her young calf swam alongside Alvei for over an
Now anchored in the city of Lautoka on the west side of Viti Levu in Fiji, Alvei has sailed over 2000 miles in the past 9 weeks. Behind us i s a year-long refit, and a return to tropical sailing. Picking up the story from the April ‘98 newsletter, here’s what’s been happening.
The Refit In Nelson
For 13 months, we were tied up to an old wooden jetty, working on the ship. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. "He’s going to give us a long, boring work list full of incomprehensible terms like parbuckle, poopdeck, and mizzen clinkerplank clewgarnets. Just what is he talking about?"Okay, let’s face it. The following paragraph is perhaps more for the benefit of you serious sailor types. The "Pina-Colada-On-The-Beach"crowd might prefer to skip down the page. Any experienced sailor knows that a long refit is simply the other side of sailing into the sunset.
A refit gives the long-distance sailor a chance to settle in for awhile and enjoy the distractions of life ashore, and to experience in-depth whatever part of the world he or she is visiting. Those who know sailing boats in general, or old square-riggers in particular, will be familiar with "work lists", as jobs are finished and crossed off, more are added, so that while the list gets shorter, it rarely ever ends.
Without belaboring the details, here’s what we accomplished: We sent down the yards and topmasts for paint and slush, overhauled 86 blocks and a bucket of shackles, unbent and repaired 8 sails, finished sewing all sail and mattress covers, caulked the main deck, tarred the rig, built a new ships’ wheel, cemented the water tanks, and overhauled the Sabb and Hobart generators. We also installed one new anchor with 6 shots of new chain, 9 new batteries, a new SSB radio, a new main saloon stereo, new bilge plumbing with non-return valves, new Lexan for the portholes, and acquired 4 kilometers of new running rigging, weighing nearly half a ton. We painted, stained, and varnished the galley, and added a new kerosene oven (you’ve got to try Dave’s cornbread). We painted the main engine, engine room, chain locker, bulwarks, and anything else in need. Our new shore boat Morning Star was fitted out and put on the aft davits. And finally, we took on several tonnes of diesel and lube oil, and stowed 4 months of hard tack and bully beef in the hold (because a well-fed crew is a happy crew). Speaking of whichÖ…
The Crew
A warm "thank you"to everyone who came to help, and to those who stayed on to crew. From Denmark, Sweden, Germany, England, Canada, the U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, and yes, even Antarctica, came Mistie, Jolyon, Pierette, Greg, Glen, John & Adam, Art, Sven, Josephine, Darlene, Shawn, Suzan, Rob, Kiwi Rob, Kiwi John, Big Kiwi Dave, Daniel, Rebel, Francis, Ulla, Cory, Laurie, and Silly Willy Fairie. Of particular note are our two AB’s, Dave and Mike, who worked the long refit and, remarkably enough, are still with us; and our two deck officers, Jory and Jo. Jory is a Canadian Merchant Marine Captain with tallship experience, and Jo is a British Yacht Master and Diesel Trawler Engineer. Debi, one of our shareholders, has bravely accepted the role of Ships’ Steward. Finally, a special thanks to Kiwi Marge, Ross, and to German Ulla, who came half-way around the world to spend her Spring Break with us.
Sail Training
Of course, training is a big part of life aboard Alvei, so while in port, most mornings involved an hour covering topics like sail and line handling, knots, splices, working aloft, and rowing. We also used this time to develop as a team, knowing that many of us would soon be doing these things together, for real, on the open seas.
Paying The Bills
In an effort to keep up with operating costs, we have been forced to restructure fees. We now have a "User Pays" fee that applies to all who sail with us. For new crew, the cost is US$700 a month. The time these people spend aboard may be accumulated, either in one block, or in a series of visits. Once they have accumulated one year of time, they may be invited to join the co-operative as regular crew. For volunteers who helped during the refit in Portugal, and for non-shareholders using shareholder time, the fee is now US$350 a month. For shareholders the fee is now US$250 a month. Of course, since Alvei has never been structured as a money-making venture, cash is, as usual, a bit tight, and desired items such as new sails, new galley sinks, and an on-board computer will have to wait.
Underway & Bound For Tonga
With an enthusiastic crew of 14, we bid farewell to a large crowd of friends on the dock in Nelson, and motored out onto a calm, sunny Tasman Bay. We anchored that night at Croiselles Harbour to await a slack tide through French Pass. Next afternoon we anchored in Guards Bay to wait for a fair tide at Cape Jackson and Cook Straight. Once through the Straight, we took our departure from the lighthouse at Cape Palliser on the North Island, and sailed out into the Pacific. Those of the crew new to offshore passagemaking would remark at the end of the journey about what a great spectrum of conditions they experienced on this trip. And in the 34 days it took to get to Tonga, we really did have it all. There were 4 gales and one full-on storm. There were days and days of glassy calms. There were fresh winds that pushed us towards the Tropics, and northerlies determined to force us back to the Southern Ocean. There were dark tropical squalls that would come and go in a matter of minutes. And with every change in the weather came a change of sails, so it wasn’t long before the crew was familiar with every possible combination of sails.
When we left New Zealand, we were often clad in our warmest clothes and full foul-weather gear, but as the weeks passed, the layers came off, and we soon found ourselves standing night watches in shorts and t-shirts. We stood watch, we read, we played chess, we got tan, we goofed around and had a ball. Amazing creations were baked in the oven until the oven broke, and then the crew learned to make breads and cakes in a pressure cooker on the stove. Spontaneous water fights were initiated by Ulla, whose love of a good brawl (along with her Scandinavian background) earned her the nickname "The Viking Warrior." We all learned fast: never mess with a Dane in the heat of battle, particularly when she’s got a bucket of seawater close at hand. We were visited by flocks of albatross, and pods of dolphins and pilot whales, and on one calm day, a minkie whale and her young calf swam alongside Alvei for over an
