Captain and First Mate Joe Brown underway with Palawan.Below Newport Harbor on a Sunday afternoon.
Underway for Gloucester Harbor
It has been a while since I have posted a blog on my page but I now find my self compelled to write a bit about my new position. I have been on board the Palawan now for about 5 weeks. It has been a very intensive learning period as she is a very complicated vessel. At this time we are both getting used to each other and are becoming more comfortable. When a boat is tied to the dock and you are working on her it is not the same as when you are underway and actually working the boat. Most recently I was afforded the opportunity to take her on a sojourn with my first Mate Joe Brown for a few days of sailing and sea trials. The plan was to sail from RI up to Gloucester Mass a run of just over 120 miles. All went well on this first real cruise. Conditions for the most part were mild with some sailing in the Fog our first day out as we headed for the Cape Cod Canal. Above the Palawan in her form on a mooring at the Eastern Point Yacht Club Gloucester Mass. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work aboard some amazing vessels and Palawan is seas apart from the rest. She is not a boat that can park in any anchorage but can find herself in some interesting spots with her relative shoal draft.
This summer I find my self in the heart of yachting on the east coast. Newport. On any given day one can find any number of boats out sailing. From Schooners loaded with tourists to 12 meter yachts racing head to head. There are a number of classic vessels that ply the waters off of Newport as well as Mega Yachts from around the world. This Harbor is where sailing is king and power boats are the minority.
The Change for me at this time is more geographical than anything. In all my years of sailing I have not spent much time in southern New England and Long Island Sound. I am looking forward to seeing new harbors and meeting new people from this most historical of sailing areas. On the agenda for this summer will be stops at Mystic Seaport , Block Island, and Oyster Bay NY to name a few. A trip to Maine is in discussion at this time but not until August. So as I move into this summer I embrace my new position running the Palawan. She is a piece of sailing history that has graced the waters of the North East and beyond for close to twenty years. The Challenge of running this boat is not something I take lightly. She is a very complicated boat to say the least. She requires constant attention in all aspects of her working, sailing life.We work hard every day to maintain her systems and cosmetics. She displaces 80 tons of mass and stands over 100' above the water. I look forward to the challenges ahead and hopefully drier and sunny warm days of summer and sailing the Palawan.
