Page 56 - Cape Breton Captain: a Treasure

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

clew lines for a work-up job. When about half the watch was past, I felt dirty. "Now look, you are through send? ing me aloft. Ill do my duty and no more. Duty is duty, but bullying isn't, mind you." "Do you refuse duty? All right, 111 report you to the captain and he will log you." The captain called me to the break of the poop, saying, "What is the trouble between you and the second mate?" "Now, Captain Saunders, I have been with you long enough for you to know that I am not a troublemaker. It's all the second mate's fault. I wanted to save the foresail the other night and to take one yardarm at a time, but he being no sailor man, the foresail blew to pieces. Being no sailor, he can't expect respect fi'om the men. Please put me in the mate's watch." Well, that was done and we had peace for awhile. OUR CAPTAIN WAS ON DECK CONTINUALLY. We ran into heavy weather; we never saw dry decks at all. We were as deep in the water as a sand barge, every? thing wet, no stove to dry anything, ordered to stand by, some of the men shivering with the cold all the time. When daylight came, the gale was, if anything. Canadian Tire Atlantic Classic CYCLISME CANADIAN TERE, CYCLING YOUR CAPE BRETON HOST: Events Cape Breton One day in Halifax: June 11 Two days on the Cabot Trail: June 13 & 14 • zJ' Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation KfflP' J ' Victoria County Cycling Festival Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency BSBSWIS pSfALDiNG TERZO '''.#/'T lololCT 'M For more information: (902)539-9560 Frank Bruleigh, Executive Director Rodney Chaisson, Asst. Director worse, and we were running dead before it. We com? menced shortening sail; we were under three lower topsails and reefed foresail. All hands on deck, we clewed up and stowed the mizzen lower topsail and double reefed the foresail. The mate, Mr. Densimore, I always liked and re? spected him, ordered me to slack away the fore tack. It was around the iron bitts on deck. I was sitting on the deck rendering it around very cautiously, as there was a terrible strain on it. I heard Mr. Densimore who was on top of the forward house sing out, "Look out, Dave." I looked up. Heavens and Earth! There was a green sea coming on board aft of the forward rigging as big as a mountain. I took a couple of extra turns of the tack around the bitts and twisted my legs around them, when it broke on board bur5ring me under tons of wa? ter, filling the deck from rail to rail. It rushed aft, then forward, then aft. I got up on my feet in water to my waist with a wild sea running. I certainly thought she was going down. After awhile we laid aloft and double reefed the fore? sail, hove the tack down and triced the gear up to the backstays. I came very near going overboard while at it on the lee side. The sea continually breaking aboard just at your feet. I noticed a comber coming aboard just about level to my eyes. All you can do is to tighten your grip, take a long breath and let the cold water pour over you. Only that I wound my legs around the backstays, I would have been tom from my perch and swept over? board. In fact some of the watch thought I was gone. At the wheel Mr. Densimore said to me, "You were near going to Davy Jones's locker twice today." He was Skye Motor Hotel and Licensed Restaurant 48 Comfortable Units * Free Colour Pay-TV (902)625-1300 P.O.Box 190 PORT HASTINGS n.s.boe2to ' Open All Year at the Canso Causeway '

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