Pelagic in Greenland
Trip
Rockland Maine - Sisimuit Greenland
Year
2023
Position
First Mate/Chief Engineer
Trip Log
6500 nautical miles
Captain
Skip Novak
Photographer
Alton Coolidge
The original purpose of the trip was to bring a film crew from the BBC to photograph Auk. However when this fell through the trip became a scouting venture for future charters and a training opportunity for green crew members.
Having done a similar trip under Kirsten Neuschafer on the same boat a few years prior, I was brought on as the first mate/engineer. While the roles are generally very communal on board I was in charge of one of the three watches, maintaining the engines aboard, and bringing the newer crew members up to speed. To the right is a picture of me teaching the three newest crew members how to splice and dead end the lines.
More information about the trip can be found on Skip Novack's News Letter:
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Being first mate and in chrage of one of the three watches while traveling through iceberg flows and poorly charted waters put me in a position where I was solely responsible for the safety of the boat and everyone on board. Being in this position made me doubly aware of how important attention to detail and preparation are as failing to see a submerged iceberg or not having the boat ready for a change of sails or change of course could have dire consequences.
A lesson that I was reluctant to but that went hand and hand with the importance of being observant and ready was getting help early. Being inclined to preserve on my own instead of waking up my crew members for help I quickly realized this was not an option and simply endangered myself and my crew members. Tasks on the boat were far more likely to go awry when done with only one set of hands especially when cold and dark so I had to learn to become more lenient on when help was needed and more comfortable with asking often both of which lead to a safer and easier passage.
