29 June, 2010

Departure from Oswego for Sandusky

1200 Pos. 43° 27.9’ N, 078° 06.5’ W

Barometer at 1009Mb and rising

Breeze West at Force 4, gusting 5

Seas: 3-5

Miles run since midnight departure 75

Motoring at 1400 RPM, Pitch 4 making 4.5 knots

Left Oswego in the dead of night. Just after midnight, we bid adieu to Lynx’s first ever great lakes port and tried to make tracks to the East before strong Westerlies developed, and hopefully get to the Welland Canal before Sunset.

We had spent the first day of our transit time to Sandusky involved in a photo shoot and a bit of acting for a National Geographic documentary about Privateers in the Irish Sea during the Revolutionary War. And the day started very Irish Sea like – Grey and windswept, the remnants of a cold front clouding the skies. But as the day passed on, the sun broke out, and the breeze faded until another line of thunderstorms livened things up in the evening. And they promised to stay lively. So as soon as the film crew left, we caught a quick rest and headed out.

Leaving last night bought us some time before Lake Ontario unleashed fury, but not as much as I’d have liked. By the time we reached mid-Lake at noon, the classic Great Lakes “square wave” was stopping us cold. The term “square wave” is a slight exaggeration of the fact that Great Lakes waves are nearly as close together as they are tall. There is no languid ocean swell here. Fresh water packs a punch, and seas as small as three feet can be treacherous to progress. Add to that the tight spacing of a Great Lakes sea and you have a real problem if the wind is against you with strength. Even a local falcon couldn’t keep up and stowed away aboard for a bit. We fed him left over meats and he flew off we neared shore.

Those things have conspired against Lynx, and even using her variable pitch propeller for a better bight on the waves, we couldn’t keep much way on. So we bore away from the rhumbline, put the wind fine on the bow and headed for Canada, extending the mileage slightly but increasing the speed two fold. With luck, we’ll clear the Welland Canal by dawn, be another 336 feet above sea level, into our second Great Lake, and sailing the waters I grew up on.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the seemingly ever upward climbing crew of Lynx

http://stphoto.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/view-131-tall-ship/
Blog by Scott Thomas Photography

28 June, 2010

Oswego, NY

1200 Pos. 43° 27.9’ N, 076° 30.9’ W

Barometer at 1023Mb and falling

Breeze at Force 3, WNW

Seas: 2-4.

Seven daysails in three days. Lynx was a busy boat in her first Great Lakes port, and Oswego was thrilled to have her. The weather held off for the most part, and only a few sprinkles fell on our last sail, a special and late scheduled event to accommodate all the parties who could not get aboard the other sails, as well as the staff of the local Dunkin Doughnuts, a major sponsor of the event.

Most inspiring of all was the Saturday evening sail. We often talk about conflict and action aboard Lynx, as part of our historical education program. But rarely do we have a first-hand reminder of the conflict our country is currently experiencing in Iraq and Afghanistan. With Sergeant First Class Richard Olson Jr aboard, however, the fact we are at war was brought into sharp relief.

Stepping aboard Lynx, Sergeant Olson was a quiet man, unassuming and attentive to the vessel and to his wife and the two of his three children who accompanied him. Civilian clothing and a bit of stubble on his face disguised his status as a soldier, but his brown eyes were keen and hawkish. And for those of us aboard Lynx, his reputation preceded him. We had gotten the word that we had a decorated passenger on our 4-6 sail – Sergeant Olson is a recipient of the Silver Star, the third highest award a United States Military Service person can be awarded.

Quiet through the sail, I think Sergeant Olson was both surprised and moved when I announced him and his awards for valor to the passengers just before disembarking. And as a special tribute, the crew of Lynx retired a 15 Star, 15 Stripe Ensign and presented it to him as a thank you for his service and courage.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the crew of Lynx

Read the Pall Times article here:

http://www.palltimes.com/articles/2010/06/28/news/

25 June, 2010

Oswego, NY

1200 Pos. 43° 27.9’ N, 076° 30.9’ W

Barometer at 1023Mb and falling

Breeze at Force 1, SxE

Seas: Calm.

Three weeks back, when faced with the daunting challenges of a fast haul-out and a 1500nm passage through some of the most temperamental waters on the Eastern Seaboard, I was quite worried about our arrival in Oswego. So much was unknown about how long things might take, and what might delay us. The abstract stresses of sailing were abundant – how will the haulout go, will we get rained out of painting, will we discover more problems than we expected, will Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence unleash themselves upon us.

But through hard work and persistence, the crew of Lynx arrived Oswego at 1600 on Thursday 24 June, exactly on schedule. The morning rain cleared off, and the breeze built to 14 knots WSW, allowing us to grandstand into harbor under all plain sail at seven knots. The classic Baltimore Schooner round up – fall off the wind to brail in the fores’l, and dump the heads’ls into the headrig net, then come hard up on the wind overhauling the mains’l to windward as a weathervane and bracing the foretops’l square as a break – was executed perfectly.

For Oswego, it was a bit of déjà vu, as Pride of Baltimore II made the same approach just two hours earlier. So yes, they got here first, but didn’t have to do any of the rigging work on the jibboom we did, nor was their Seaway inspection in Montreal anywhere near as long, as Pride II has been to the Lakes over a 12 times.

But there is no rivalry between the boats, just good strong camaraderie and shared respect for the type of vessels we sail.

So Lynx has completed another first, her first Great Lakes port. And her initial two daysails in the Great Lakes were sold out successes, complete with resounding salutes exchanged between Fort Ontario. Enthusiasm is high here in our first Great Lakes Port, and the area is rich with 1812 History.

Lake Ontario was a pivotal location during the Northern Campaign of the 1812 War, with huge squadrons of full sized ship quickly built to engage. The Lakes offered the one place where the American Navy started on equal footing with the British, because before the seaway, no oceangoing ship could venture here. Instead it was a “shipwright’s” war, to see who could build their fleet up faster.

Now Lynx sails those waters no Baltimore Schooner could have reached 200 years ago, tying together the pieces of Atlantic and Great Lakes theatres of 1812.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the Great (Lakes) crew of Lynx

24 June, 2010
Day Nine: Lunenburg, NS to Oswego, NY
1200 Pos. 47° 44.1′ N, 069° 46.2′ W
332 Miles run since 1200 20June.
Barometer at 1018Mb and falling
Force 3 West
Seas 1-2′
Motoring towards Oswego, and readying sail as the breeze fills in.

The days since the vessel’s last post have been hectic with river navigation, authorities navigation, and some unexpected and welcome shore side navigation by the crew.

After Sunday’s post, Lynx met the full force of the St. Lawrence in the Ile aux Cordres passage, where at one stage her speed through the water was registering as 8.5 knots, but her speed over the bottom was a mere 1.5. A seven-knot current! The wind was opposing it as well, so the river had a defined chop. Add to that thick patches of fog and a few downbound ships and the afternoon was chock full.

By evening, we found we were not in a position to make slack or favorable water at the river’s fastest flowing location, known simply as “the rapids.” The current there runs as high as ten knots. As Lynx is unable to motor that fast, she would have actually been losing ground if we had proceeded.

Instead we anchored off Quebec for the night, and got under way to time our passage at the rapids for the last of the flood. Pride of Baltimore II, pressed on that evening, and we parted company, but the Schooner Roseway past us just before we got underway, so we followed her up the river at about 1-2 miles astern.

As had been the case since we passed the pilot station at Escoumins the previous dawn, Lynx was the only vessel making check-in-calls to the vessel traffic system in English. All other vessels had Franco-phone pilots aboard, but you’ll remember, we had hove in the jib boom so as not be captured by the Pilotage length of 35m. This fact had not been lost on the Pilots, who made enough mention of it to their dispatch office in Montreal that I was instructed by vessel traffic to contact Dispatch coordinator Sylvia Mason personally by telephone. In a brief and polite conversation, she informed me she would be visiting Lynx in Montreal to verify our length as under 35 meters. One more official visit to hold up our progress.

In just under 24 hours, Lynx reached Montreal on Tuesday 22 June at 0900. The watches began a rotation for much coveted (and unexpected) time ashore. And the series of official and operational visits began – the Seaway Authority, the fuel delivery, the navigation instruments specialists. And of course, the Ms. Mason from the Laurentian Pilotage Authority.

Still polite, but skeptical, Ms. Mason came to the ship and asked frankly, “Ok, what is a jibboom. With Lynx moored stern to on a finger pier, I simply replied “come with me,” and guided her out to where Lynx’s still hove in Jib boom didn’t even extend past the pier. “Parfait” she said, “I like your cleverness.” As a courtesy, I offered her a tour of Lynx, during which we discussed the 35m length for Pilotage on the St. Lawrence.

For years, there has been a great deal of squawking about the interpreting the length of sailing vessels as including their spars, and not just their deck length. Because of the long overhangs on ships like Lynx, Pride II and Roseway, the vessels have been required to outlay tremendous expense to get into the Great Lakes. But Ms. Mason said she thought her Association should reconsider, given the lengths we went to (or, actually, reduced) in proving our point. So all the hard work the crew put into housing the jibboom might end up benefiting all traditional vessels transiting the St. Lawrence.

After the pilots came the Seaway Authority inspection, then the fuel truck, then the hassle of faxing documents back and forth to Customs and immigration. And then it was 1300 and there had been no respite since I took the watch at 0600. We had 51 hours to cover the 200 nautical miles to Oswego, bearing in mind the seven locks and adverse current along the way, and still needed to run the jibboom back out.

Plus, the crew stared longingly at the French Canadian city we were moored at. A compromise evolved- re-rig the jibboom and as soon as it’s done you’re free to explore. The caveat: We’re turning to at 0400 to start locking through the Seaway.

So on Wednesday morning pre-dawn, with a full length Lynx, a mostly rested and certainly crepe-filled crew, we go underway to start climbing into the Lakes. The locks, a total of seven, are spaced out over 109 nautical miles of the St. Lawrence river and range in height from 33 to 49 feet, with the Iroquois lock serving as a control lock at the very end. The process of getting through requires heavy fendering for a wooden vessel. At the main and fore channels rafts of fenders are rigged with a load spreading fender board across. To keep the horizontal board from tripping up on the rise, a vertical 6×6 timber called a spud is rigged at the perpendicular to help the vessel slide up the lock wall.

This is a great deal of work, and doing it six times means a full day for the crew. The first four locks are Canadian, and we passed them before 1300. Then, quite fittingly, after 11 days of being in Canada, Lynx entered United States waters at 1812! Two more locks gained us 84.5 more feet in elevation, and a squally night of weaving through the 1000 Island mean that Lynx is officially in the Great Lakes.

Now, to get some sailing in, and get the engine shut down for a welcome change.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the crew of Lynx

Father’s Day, 2010
Day Five: Lunenburg, NS to Oswego, NY
1200 Pos. 47° 44.1’ N, 069° 46.2’ W
174 NM made good since 1200 19 June.
Barometer at 1015Mb and falling
Breeze Calm
Seas flat.
Motoring Up St. Lawrence River.

Well into the river now, and the crew are busy. The weather has been
all sorts, hot and calm, windy and rainy, cold and foggy. At present
it is definitely foggy, so thick we cannot see the buoys as we pass
them by. So by radar and reckoning, we make our way through this river
that is spectacular and rich with current.

And we’re doing it a bit shorter too. In order not to be captured by
the Pilotage regulations, which stipulate all vessels over a certain
length carry pilots from Escomins to Montreal, we have hove in the
jibboom, taking Lynx’s overall length from 122 down to 110, and
therefore less than 35 meters. The pilotage is a costly service, and
the system of measuring the spared length and not the deck length has
been a matter of debate for years.

In a show of good seamanship, the crew managed to house the jibboom
underway while transiting the river. This is no easy task, even at the
dock. But on a flat calm day while motoring along, the crew of Lynx
made short work of the project, getting the spar lashed six ways from
Sunday atop the bowsprit, and tidying up all the loose ends within the
course of one watch – four fast paced hours.

The biggest part of the project is to keep the fore topmast, normally
stayed by the jib top stay, from flailing around in a seaway. And the
St. Lawrence is capable of producing quite a sea state, with all its
powerful wind against current possibilities. To solve our problem, we
took a stout line from the fore topmast head to a turning block
stropped on the bowsprit, then back to one of our crank all winches
for tensioning and finally stoppered and made fast at the knight
heads.

If that was too much jargon for you, let me just say that it worked
and we were happy for it last night when the breeze came up South West
and Lynx started hobby horsing along in a choppy sea.

Finally, as we churn along today, the crew would like to wish all of
theirs a Happy Father’s Day.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the Fresh Water bound crew of Lynx.

19 June, 2010
Day Four: Lunenburg, NS to Oswego, NY
1200 Pos. 49° 19.1′ N, 066° 00.0′ W
119 NM made good since 1200 18 June.
Barometer at 1023Mb and falling
Breeze Calm
Seas flat.
Motor sailing under Fores’l and Stays’l into St. Lawrence River at first Vessel Traffic Check in Point.

The breeze definitely did not disappear after my last posting. But it never changed from the absolutely wrong direction either. Lynx thrashed around near Anticosti Island in the Honguedo Strait for most of the day, clawing her way to weather in a wet and lively fashion, making as high as 8 knots, but never able to point as high as we’d hoped, for fear of burying her relatively delicate head-rig in the building sea.

Still, it was an exciting time sailing and a chance for the crew to be reminded of what it’s like to be in a breeze and on the wind. We weren’t able to make much ground in the right direction, but charging about for the sake of sailing was better than heaving to and waiting. Even with the horsepower and pitch control Lynx has on her engineering side, there is no making way dead in to a steep six foot sea.

Instead, we tried out sail combinations with nearly aerobic pace. Foretops’l taken in, then set again, then in again. Same with the jib. By evening, the breeze and the sea settled down and we went motoring toward the Mouth of the St. Lawrence. Motor sailed on a less than advertised strength South Easterly, and then took in sail with another squall this morning.

At noon, we are into the river, and into the vessel traffic system. And within sight of Pride II. Our extra push with the engines overnight has caught us back up to our “big sister” privateer. In conversation with Captain Jan Miles, it appears we will range ahead of them under power in the river. But as this is Lynx’s first time through the St. Lawrence Seaway, our inspection and requisite details will hold us up for longer in Montreal. So it is likely we will both be back in sight of each other by Wednesday, and hopefully arriving in full 1812 style to Oswego on Thursday.

We’ll see what the river has in store. It’s still a huge, beautiful and exposed piece of water.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and crew of Lynx

18 June, 2010
Day Three: Lunenburg, NS to Oswego, NY
1200 Pos. 48° 49.3′ N, 063° 11.7′ W
160 NM Run since 1200 17 June
Barometer at 1018 Mb and slowly rising
Breeze at Force 5-6, NW
Seas: 2-4′ NW.
Sailing between 6-8.5 knots on a Port tack under Fore, Fore Top, Main, Staysail and Jib.

I am hesitant to discuss the fact Lynx is sailing, because each of the last two times I posted that, we lost the breeze immediately afterwards. But today, I think it is here for a while. At least until nightfall, according to the forecasts.

However, this breeze is exactly from where we want to go, and brisk. So we are making the best run of it in the Honguedo Passage. Sailing full and by, or as close as the schooner will point on the wind. Which, for Lynx, is pretty high by traditional sailing standards. When the breeze fades, we will have to go motoring again, this time into the St. Lawrence River itself.

In our regular conversations over the SSB, I learned from Captain Jan Miles that Pride II was roughly 16 nm ahead of us this at 0730 ADT morning. At this moment I don’t know if that still holds true, but we seem to be keeping a fair pace with our bigger sister.

I understand from Captain Miles that there is some friendly debate on the Pride II Facebook page as to who will arrive first to Oswego. Interesting query. Sailing wise, Pride II is longer on the waterline and carries nearly twice the sail area. But the trip is also a long motorboat ride, and we have a better horsepower to weight ratio, plus the advantage of the adjustable pitch prop to maximize our motor sailing.

Not that Jan and I are racing each other. Mostly we are racing a clock known as a schedule. The weather delay we experienced in Lunenburg was a difficult one, but we are making ground. This 1150nm trip will see us steering nearly every point of the compass, in an area of the world with testy weather. But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep track of where Pride II is.

As I write, the breeze has freshened and we took in the foretops’l, but are still making over 8 knots, nine just now. And the crew have spotted an unknown target on the port bow. Could it be Pride II?

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the crew sailing the snot out of Lynx.

17 June, 2010
Day Two: Lunenburg, NS to Oswego, NY
1200 Pos. 46° 26.7′ N, 061° 54.12′ W
140 NM Run since 1200 16 June.
Barometer at 1019 Mb and slowly falling
Breeze at Force 4, WxS
Seas: 1-3′ W.
Sailing between 6-8.5 knots on a Port tack under Fore, Fore Top, Main, Staysail and Jib Jackyard Tops’l.

Back on the breeze again. Yesterday, just after posting my report, the breeze died entirely and we motored for five hours or so. It filled again at 1600, from the South West, and allowed us to sail out off shore, and then back in again toward Cape Canso once we had the slant on it.

From Canso into Chedabucto Bay we took in sail and motored with light and contrary breezes, and a Vessel Traffic Service to report into. Also in the service was Pride of Baltimore II, roughly three hours ahead of us. Captain Jan Miles of Pride II and I have been speaking about weather strategy on the single side band at regular intervals. Based on the reports earlier in the day yesterday, we would have had a tough time at Canso had we left any earlier than we did.

We cleared the Canso Lock, which is a control lock with no real rise or fall, at 0430 and motored up St. Georges Bay, finding the breeze at 0800 when we entered the Northumberland Strait. We shut down again and have been sailing since. The forecast is for increasing and backing winds – Southwest as high as 25 – which will be a great help in getting us toward Gaspe and the mouth of the St. Lawrence. We’ll have to sail her well — the follow on forecast is for brisk Northerlies. If we can round the corner and enter the river before the shift it will be a great help to our progress.

All best,

Captain Jamie Trost and the St. Lawrence bound crew of Lynx.