I went aloft again yesterday to furl the topsail.  I hadn’t been aloft in a few weeks, and it was good to get more practice in, but it definitely is not an easy thing to do. The top of the shrouds get very narrow and they swing a little as the boat moves, but now I’m starting to learn where good hand and footholds are near the top so getting up isn’t the problem.  …

Out on the top yard with Gina, Tim and Newman, I felt pretty comfortable until I realized I also needed to help with the sail and not just hold on tight.  Every once in a while a larger wave would come and we would get a slow, gradual motion then a large jerk which always made me feel as though I was about to slip even when I wasn’t.  It was hard to lean out using the footropes and the yard so that at least one of my hands was free to work with the sail, which at some points ended up flapping me in the face or coming under my feet to flap up behind me.  I definitely had my fill of aloft activity for one day.
Class discussion and our watch meeting went well.  I had some time to talk to Tim about the sails too, and I have a better idea of all the parts of each sail now.  Watch this morning went well and although both the water and air are getting colder, the sun and the stove have been keeping things adequately warm.
Just before and after class each day there is usually time to chat with a few people since everyone is getting up on deck together.  Sometimes I feel like there is so much going on on the boat that I might just get off in England and still barely know all the people I’ve been sailing with for all these weeks, so I’m treasuring all the little moments of non-ship conversation that we have on board.  Even taking the time during class to have discussions about what we’re learning and how it relates to today’s world has been great—there are so many different viewpoints among the crew and the students that most of the conversations could probably continue for hours if we didn’t need to move back to watch or get ready for dinner. Essay time

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