I went up on deck around 6 or so in the morning. Same clothes, no shower, no shave, no coffee (sob)...water is at a premium on board so everyone conserves. It tends to become a sort of an unspoken competition to see how little you can use...I indulged and did brush my teeth. It was a grayish day and a cold wind was blowing. Land was nowhere in sight. As the Lady broke through the swells the sea was coming through the scuppers and across the deck. Now you would think that all this would be somewhat frightening...to have the deck awash, no land in sight and be on an antique sailing ship! The reality was actually quite the opposite! Immediately the thought of coffee is forgotten! Immediately the queasiness in my stomach is forgotten...in fact all my worldly cares are forgotten...The wind, the sea, the wooden deck rolling beneath my feet was invigorating beyond belief and I felt wonderfully alive dammit!

I climbed up to the quarterdeck to get a better view of our situation. The ship's bosun, Rick Sweeney and his watch were playing loud 70's rock and roll singing and dancing as we motored along...and there, in deep concentration, a smile on her face, eyes moving between the horizon and the compass, was our sweet Rebecca at the helm! She proudly announced that she had been up much of the previous night talking with the watch and they had taught her the basics in handling the tiller and now she had been made an "honorary member" of the 1st watch!

I found that the time I spent up on the quarterdeck bracing myself against the binnacle were some of the most enjoyable moments I spent on board the Lady Washington. There are always people coming and going there, lots of conversation and always something going on...and the view! The wind in your face as you watch the ship below you crash though the ocean is an experience that has rarely been matched in my life.

"Main Course!"...ahhh, time for breakfast! Eggs, hash browns, fruit salad, bagels and rolls, doughnuts, juices...delicious but now I don't feel so good again. Ok, I get it, if I eat I get nauseous...if I don't I'm ok. Fine then, I could stand to miss a couple of meals.

So, a long, seemingly endless day of sleeping in the bunk, hanging out on deck, checking out charts (no landmarks to be seen just the ocean, the ship and the sky). Even when the sun is out there is a cold, northwest wind blowing. A routine comes over the ship...have we been sailing for a day, a week, a month? More meals, I pass and munch on a roll...I really hate missing out on Robin's delicious cooking.

Finally it gets dim, then dark...night time at sea. We have been making great time in the mild seas and there is a rumor the captain's planning to run us up a north a ways past Coos Bay and we are going to sail with the wind back down to it! I realize that my wanting to feel this ship under sail doesn't hold a candle to the crew's desire for it!

At 10 o'clock in the evening it's all hands into the rigging and we are setting sail in the dark! It's hard to imagine how incredibly exciting this is...no lights, it's dark, dark, dark, the engine is throttled back and the ship is really rolling now with no forward momentum to steady it, topmen in the rigging setting sail, a string of orders from Rick (the sailmaster) from the deck, "fore and main tops'ls and t'gall'nts!", which brings the response from somewhere further down the deck, "fore and main tops'ls and t'gall'nts, AYE!" Everyone who wants to gets into the act. Robert, Becky and I are all pulling lines and "tailing"...When the wind takes the ship it is truly magical. No more engine noise, no more rolling...the ship is doing what it's designed to do and does very well...this is why every person aboard is there. We are finally under sail...YEEEE-HAW!