Welcome Aboard The CG Barque Eagle
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Click on chart for Eagle's current position
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70 miles northwest of Porto, Portugal
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...the essence of Eagle: the ability to do amazing things and go extraordinary places, but only with the teamwork of everyone onboard. Well said!
All photos are credited: U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer Second Class Andrea Rask.
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20 July 2005
The Coast Guard Barque Eagle, homeported in New London, Conn.
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Captain's Log by 1/c Morgan Roy for Capt. E. J. Shaw
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Six foot swells, 20+ knots of wind, lights of Spaniard cities, radio calls of merchant vessels heading to Gibraltar, the Mediterranean, Portugal and beyond, and setting full sail are all adding excitement to the culmination of the second phase of third class cadets. On the final leg of second phase’s six week journey skirting around the waters of Europe, our third class cadets have been able to see what sail training is all about. Each time Eagle does a major sailing evolution, all hands are involved. That is the essence of Eagle: the ability to do amazing things and go extraordinary places, but only with the teamwork of everyone onboard. Even guests that are able to sail aboard to see what the ship is all about find themselves hauling on lines and being quickly shuffled from sheet to halyard to clew line.
Throughout the past 11 weeks, crew and cadets froze in the frigid weather of the North Atlantic, witnessed the fury of the ocean and what little control humans really do have over it, survived squalls, photographed sunrises, stood awed at magnificent sunsets, admired a sun that never seemed to disappear for weeks, leaving nearly 24 hours of light. We've experienced the friendliness of the St. John’s residents, sampled German beers and brauts, explored Scottish castles and highlands, manned the rail and cheered for Her Majesty the Queen of England, kissed the Blarney stone, raced (without wind) other Class A Tall Ships from the Irish coast down across the English Channel, and mourned the loss of so many Americans at Normandy (while celebrating freedom all at the same time).
With all that the world is experiencing recently, one might expect Eagle’s journey to be received by some quarters with less than enthusiasm. However, crew and cadets together would be hard pressed to come up with even one instance of anything other than solid embracement and acceptance from everyone they encountered. Everyone who gave tours in port (even when not speaking the same language as the visitors) can attest to the fascination people have of Eagle and all that she represents. As memories of the succulent taste of authentic French wine fade in one’s mouth, the memories of smooth and turbulent times on board the Barque shared with friends will live on for decades.
There are only two days left underway with this current set of cadets, yet the crew is still working harder than ever to provide training. They are determined to make us salty square-rigger sailors before we depart. On Friday, Eagle plans to moor in Lisbon, Portugal, and the following day depart the third class cadets and receive the “swabs” of the class of 2009. As we sail west of the Portuguese coast this morning with all sails set, it seems only fitting that Eagle is currently experiencing “fair winds and following seas,” as yet another class leaves their Eagle experience behind them. Thanks to all who have made this summer one of the best ever.
19 July 2005 by 1/c Regina Dunn
(L to R) 3/c Linden Dahlkemper and 3/c Sara Mcguigan prepare to let the main course fall.
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The last 24 hours has been quite busy. We went to sail stations once yesterday and once already this morning. I stood the noon to 4 p.m. OPS watch, where I conned the ship. At the beginning of my watch, I laid below decks to the engine room. I watched the two ships service diesel generators paralleled and switched. This happens every day at noon. They bring both generators on line together. The generator that was on line the previous 24 hours is secured. Then there was a crew damage control drill simulating a fire in the DC shop. The bridge was flooded with people taking reports and helping to control the "emergency." Attack teams were sent into the space to simulate
A view from the helm during sail stations.
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fighting the fire. The crew practices one DC drill a week and help guide cadets through one a week as well. I had dinner in the wardroom and followed that up with sail stations. The next event on my schedule was a celestial navigation extravaganza. This consisted of all divisions gathering on deck around sunset. They used sextants to shoot stars to help create a fix of Eagle's position. The team that took the best fix wins a movie in the wardroom with popcorn and pop, courtesy of the morale committee. After the extravaganza, I watched a bit of a movie and hit the rack. We had morning muster followed by sail stations. We braced the yards and set all sails. Sail stations have been going well lately. The first class cadets have really been allowed to take control and responsibility of the evolutions. Spirits are currently a bit ambivalent. I think that many of the cadets, including myself, are ready to see family and friends. My 11 weeks onboard have been full and busy. I am glad I have had an opportunity to sail on Eagle one last time during my cadet career.
19 July 2005 by 1/c Brian Hedges
3/c Highfield (R) holds the fore upper brace while his shipmates take turns belaying the course and lower braces.
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It finally hit me tonight that time is winding down on one of the best summers and experiences of my life. As I stare at the countdown on the bulkhead we have in our berthing area, I realize that I only have 60 hrs. left aboard Barque Eagle. You name it -- cold weather, warm weather, snow, rain, 20-foot seas, 1-foot seas, and plenty of fog -- Mother Nature has thrown in our way a variety of issues to face.
Seaman Hannah Amos climbs the rigging during sail stations.
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Through almost 60 days at sea and six different port calls, I have been through ups and downs that I could not even imagine to explain. But, there still are 60 hrs that lie ahead of us on our journey and a lot needs to be done. One of those things was knocked out this evening when 100 cadets filled the weather decks of Eagle to track our position by shooting stars in a celestial navigation extravaganza. My division shot about eight different stars that landed us a fix to put us about 20 miles off of track. Needless to say, that was not that good compared to one division who mastered a fix about 1 nautical mile off of track. If you think about it, 1 mile is an amazing thing for just using a sextant and the stars to navigate. Back in the day, sailors were experts at doing this. This put a realization to the
3/c Christopher Briggs stands the helm watch.
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fact of how lucky we are for having a little black box in our pilothouse titled "GPS!" Other then the celestial extravaganza, today was a very non-eventful day when we motored most of the way because we have to make a speed of about 7.5 knots in order to arrive in Lisbon on time. The swells were long which made the ride very rough. Still, several cadets could be seen lounging around on the waist in their spare time, basking in some rays and getting their minds off the rough seas. We got ahead of our required speed, so we set sail this evening and I am about to hit the rack as I know right above me, we are set through the upper topsails and tomorrow hopefully we will be able to set all sail! It has been a very quick 11 weeks aboard America’s Tall Ship, but we are all anxious to go home, see our families and enjoy some well-deserved time off. As for now, watch tomorrow morning will come quickly, so it is time for me to get rocked to sleep as the Barque sways back and forth, between trough and trough somewhere off the coast of Portugal.
19 July 2005 by 3/c Stefanie Meineke, 3/c Austin Benton, and 3/c Jonathan Page
Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Kristen Bucci ties a stopper to hold the line while others belay it around a pin.
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Somewhere between standing break-in helm and lookout watches, and spotting dolphins off the bow, between sail stations and daily division trainings, and sometime in the middle of the mad rush for all 3/c to complete their helm and lookout qualification boards before the deadline, we met our real classmates. It’s a funny thought -- going to school with 250+ classmates for a year and not really knowing many, if any of them. It there’s one thing I’ve learned on board the Barque this summer that no textbook could ever teach -- it’s that very few can survive on a boat by themselves. That is camaraderie.
Crew and cadets work hard during sail stations to get all sails set.
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That having been said, leaving Eagle in four days brings mixed emotions for all of us. We have such wonderful memories from onboard as well as on shore. There wasn’t one thing nor singular event that happened these past six weeks that really culminated our first and most challenging year. It was a bunch of little things that
Information Technician 2nd Class Ralph Millar hauls on the fore upper top halyard.
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happened one day at a time, like a puzzle being pieced together. Every port brought something to it, as well as every day underway. From touring the hallowed beaches of Normandy to exploring Ireland with a couple of close friends -- everything melted together.
But aside from that, the most important things that happened aboard you can’t really see. We’ve learned so much about our classmates, and even more so about ourselves. We’ve all had to overcome our own obstacles, and try to help others where we can. And from there, we built new and lasting friendships, and forever fortified the ones that we’ve had previous to embarking on our summer Eagle cruise.
19 July 2005 by 3/c Matthew Pekoske
Food Specialist 2nd Class Michael Walker cooks ground meat for the Mexican Monday lunch.
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The end is in sight. Three more days until Portugal, leave, and the end to an exciting summer training. The race from Waterford to Cherbourg brought about many lessons.
1/c Brenna White calls commands from the bridge during sail stations.
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Lesson 1) It’s always easier to win a race if you start on time. 2) Tall ships work better when there is wind and the current isn’t moving faster than you are. France was different. Visiting Normandy beaches was an amazing experience. French food was awkward and I learned you should try to translate the menu rather than just point to something and order it. Needless to say, I was happy to see a McDonald’s close by. Baguettes, croissants, and pastries were common goodies brought back from this port. Excitement is building as we get closer and closer to pulling into Portugal each day. I’m sure the one night most of us get to spend there will be great. Four more days until leave; can’t wait.
19 July 2005 by 3/c Martin Villa
Cadets learn how to properly don fire-fighting gear.
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I woke up this morning already in a good mood because I knew that today, unlike yesterday, I would not be in the scullery washing everyone's dirty dishes. You never really realize how many dishes two hundred and twenty plus people can go through until you have to
Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Ted Hubbard helps sea furl the fore upper.
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wash every single one of them. We finally got some wind yesterday though so that means sail stations. It seems as though all of the cadets on board have a sense of happiness and anticipation for the fact that we all get to go home in just a few days. The time really went by fast but I can't say I'm unhappy about leaving. These last few days we will be having lots of morale activities like a European Olympics (which I'm not sure what it is), a karaoke night (so random people can make fools out of themselves), and a comedy skit night (I'm not sure what to expect on this one either) so the next few nights should be pretty fun. Oh, and thank goodness there are a lot of waves outside because I'm not sure how I would sleep or eat without rocking back and forth twenty degrees every two minutes. It's not too bad but its pretty funny at formation when the whole crew is standing on the waist for formation and it looks like Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" video with everyone leaning back and forth. After talking to a few people it seems that people can't wait to get home simply for the fact that people will speak English and they will know exactly what to expect and where to go for a good meal. I'd have to agree with this. Just a few more days now.
18 July 2005 by 3/c Linden Dahlkemper
(L to R) 3/c Samantha Gordon and 3/c Brittany Curran climb the main mast.
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Standing in the head today (translation: bathroom) a shipmate and I were discussing how in just a week we should be able to shower using more than two minutes of
3/c Tyler Kelly climbs the rigging on the main mast.
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water-- or even take a bath! It’s the little things, I remarked, using a phrase I’ve often heard from cadets when talking about civilian life and what they missed. We all know it to be true, but I think we forget sometimes. While my stomach growls for my mother’s cooking, my feet long for flip flops instead of steel-toed boots, and I can’t wait to be able to sit up in bed at 11 a.m. instead of crawling out of my rack at 6 a.m. But I will never get a chance like this again. To climb up 147 feet, stand on a thin tar-covered rope and watch the sunset. I may never try to fit four people in a top rack that barely fits one. I may never exercise by climbing rigging, play nautical trivia for fun, attach my harness to my nine closest friends, create dances like “the helm” or “the belay,” scream “Ho” loud enough to hear below decks, sing “Barbara Ann” on the boat deck in the moonlight, or use the excuse “it was the roll of the ship.” I may also never be confined by 295 feet with 120 of my classmates left to our own devices. So, while I may never have to wake up at 5 a.m. for mess cooking, haul on lines for hours, stand a watch from 1:30 to 7:30 a.m., or wade through leaky trash on the Barque, I may never have this opportunity again. I’m sure in a week I’ll be ecstatic, and right now I can’t wait to get off. But later I’ll look back and say “Oh Eagle,” and smile.
3/c Emily Paxson climbs the fore mast shrouds.
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Cadets climb the main shrouds while a shipmate climbs on the crane lines during sail stations.
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