0700 hours

Current Position: Docked at King Marine, Verplanck, NY.
Latitude: 41˚ 15.5' N
Longitude: 073˚ 57.8' W

Day One of the first leg of our Fall 2008 Voyage of Discovery.

What a difference a day makes! Last night, a violent storm front raged its way up the Hudson River Valley, forcing the crew to batten down the Half Moon and monitor its mooring lines well into the night.

Come morning, in the aftermath of the storm, we rise to greet this new day: azure skies, gentle winds, and cool, dry temperatures. This is nearly ideal sailing weather, and an excellent start for the Voyage of Discovery.

1300 hours

The student crew and their teachers have arrived on the bus. Without delay, we relay their gear on board, then welcome them on deck.

1330 hours

While the new crew members orient themselves to the ship, they transfer their gear to the orlop deck, which will serve as their home for the next week.

Sorting out their gear can wait until later, after we've set anchor for the night. But there's much to be done before we reach that point!

1345 hours

Captain Reynolds officially welcomes our new crew members, as well as a few visitors from Cortlandt who have come to see us off.

After his words of greeting, the new crew members are invited to dig into lunch. After eating a few sandwiches, the students are introduced to the basic tasks needed to crew the Half Moon, such as coiling and belaying lines, manning the helm, and yes, even proper use of the marine head.

Mouse over for another angle.

1500 hours

Now that the crew has settled in, Captain Reynolds musters everyone on the weather deck and presents them with a safety briefing.

1545 hours

Final preparations have been made -- it's time to depart! With Ms. Smith tending lines on the dock, the Half Moon is quickly freed from its moorings. As Ms. Smith hops back on board, Mr. Morel tugs a spring line to pull the final dock line free.

The Half Moon is now underway. As we pull away from King Marine, we head south toward the mouth of the Hudson River.

The students on duty report to their watch rotations. Ericka is our first lookout as we motor into Haverstraw Bay.

To the aft of the ship, Michael is our first helmsman, using the whipstaff to guide the ship's course.

Mouse over to set the main course.

1600 hours

We are fortunate enough have favorable winds today, so the crew is eager to shut off the engine and set sail.

The crew splits into mast teams and begins to learn the arts of sail handling on a square-rigged vessel. Mr. Schuijer leads the main mast crew as they set the main course.

Meanwhile, Mr. Morel and Ms. Smith guide their crew through setting the fore course.

With the ship now moving under sail power alone, the students have earned the right to relax and enjoy a job well done.

1645 hours

We're currently making about 3 knots (nautical miles per hour), but we could be going faster. The command comes to set the top sails as well. Our sail teams return to their positions.

1745 hours

In order to work the top sails, we'll need climbers -- crew members who are qualified to work in the rig. For the moment, senior crew members go aloft to work in the tops. Meanwhile, the students swiftly work through harness training; next time, it'll be their turn to climb.

Below decks, Kathleen is on galley duty. She helps Mr. Gorter prepare tonight's dinner, while Dr. Jacobs prepares the Deck Log.

Back up on deck, the ship is bustling with activity as we pass out of Haverstraw Bay and start gliding past the Pallisades.

We occasionally need to adjust the sails to maintain our grip on the wind. After each adjustment, the students take the opportunity to practice their new line handling skills.

1800 hours

Harness training and hang tests are also proceeding well. Many students have already expressed their interest in climbing all the way to the top, but we decide that there isn't quite enough time left in the day -- the sun will soon be setting, and dinner is on its way.

1845 hours

Dinner is served! Tonight's menu includes soup and ziti. Mr. Gorter serves a fruit salad for dessert, but several members of the crew insist on capturing it for posterity before digging in.

1900 hours

As the sun settles behind the Pallisades, Captain Reynolds decides that we're doing so well it would be nice to take photos of the ship from the water. Mr. Schuijer takes command of the ship's inflatable tender, accompanied by Mr. Gorter (enjoying his official Cook's Perogative: "the cook gets to jump in whatever duties the cook wants to do") and Ericka, who's brought along a grab bag of various crew members' cameras.

The Half Moon is indeed an impressive sight in the setting sun.

When the sun sets, the tender crew head back to the ship. Mr. Schuijer opts to let Ericka pilot the boat -- indeed, he insists that she's the only person on board who can. Much to her own amazement, Ericka successfully steers her passengers back to the ship.

Mouse over to sweat and tail the line.

1915 hours

When the tender returns, the crew haul it back up out of the water by "sweating and tailing" the block-and-tackle lines hooked to the boat, as you can see Christopher and Mr. Woodworth doing here. To "sweat" a line is to haul back on it with your full body weight, when you release the load, the "tailer" immediately takes up the slack. This system makes hauling heavy loads much more manageable.

As the daylight fades, Dr. Jacobs and the teachers bring out the Task Matrix, which charts their progress as they learn their way around the ship.

It certainly looks like they've accomplished a great deal after having only been on board for an afternoon! (In fact, their first job is simply to clear the last crew's marks from Matrix -- whoops!)

1930 hours

Ms. Smith continues to lead harness training until nightfall.

1945 hours

One last task of the day for our new sail handlers: We've lost the sun, and the wind has faded, so the time has come to put the sails back in their gear. After the mast teams are done furling the sails, the ship continues southward under motor.

2145 hours

Under cover of night, we set anchor off Alpine, NJ, which lies in the Pallisades. A commanding view of the Yonkers skyline graces us through the night.

With the ship secure, and before calling for lights out at 2200 hours, Captain Reynolds musters an anchor watch briefing on the weather deck. Working in hour-long shifts, the student crew will monitor the ship's positition through the night. If we drag the anchor (drifting out of position), or if our anchor light (which signals our presence and status to passing vessels) goes out, the students are to alert the senior crew at once. We expect a calm night, however, and indeed, we pass through till dawn without incident.

Next Time: Orientation begins!

Robert Juet's Journal

We pick up Juet's account of the expedition of the Half Moon in the midst of a traumatic event. To understand today's events, we must first turn back the calendar by a day. Hudson and his men have just entered what is now known as Raritan Bay, and are exploring the waterways surrounding the mouth of the Hudson River...

On September 6th, 1609:

The sixth, in the morning was faire weather, and our Master sent Iohn Colman, with foure other men in our Boate ouer to the North-side, to sound the other Riuer, being foure leagues from vs. They found by the way should water two fathomes; but at the North of the Riuer eighteen, and twentie fathoms, and very good riding for Ships; and a narrow Riuer to the Westward betweene two Ilands. The Lands they told vs were as pleasant with Grasse and Flowers, and goodly Trees, as euer they had seene, and very sweet smells came from them. So they went in two leagues and saw an open Sea, and returned; and as they came backe, they were set vpon by two Canoes, the one hauving twelue, the other fourteene men. The night came on, and it began to rayne, so that their Match went out; and they had one man slaine in the fight, which was an English-man, named Iohn Colman, with an Arrow shot into his throat, and two more hurt. It grew so darke that they could not find the shipe that night, but labored too and fro on their Oares. They had so great a streame, that their grapnell would not hold them.

On this date in 1609:

The seuenth, was faire, and by ten of the clocke they returned aboord the ship, and brought our dead man with them, whom we carried on Land and buryed, and named the point after his name, Colmans Point. Then we hoysed in our Boate, and raised her side with waste boords for defence of our men. So we rode still all night, hauing good regard to our Watch.

-- Robert Juet's Journal.