Tole Mour

Alright, I just posted a little review about my latest Tole trip (the blog just below this one), so I thought “hey, why not post some info on what we do on board”. The picture is the Tole Mour…nice aye?
Honestly there is a lot of “stuff” happening in my life lately, so this is a little distraction. Normally I would write a poem, but I’m feeling really uninspired.

Anyway here are the things you do while on the Tole (and any other sailing ship)
- Set the sails (raise the sails)
- Strike the sails (lower the sails)
- Furl the sails (stow the sails while not in use so they wind does not damage them)

If you think working with the sails is easy, you are wrong. They are incredibly heavy (for cloth anyway)…it takes a lot of man power and coordination to get those sails up. Plus there are many…meaning you are constantly working…

- Clean the deck
- Clean the Galley and Mess (Kitchen and dining room)

And pretty much clean every other part of the ship as well….

- Learn basic knot tying (many knots are used all over the ship to hold lines [ropes] in place)
- Climb aloft
- Navigate through the open ocean
- Steer the ship
- Run routine inspections to ensure the ship is functioning properly
- Sing Sea Shanties (Singing kills time and ensure that everyone is working at the same pace)

Ok so the things listed so far are all ship-related tasks. This next list is of other activities performed during the trip

- Study marine biology in the ship’s lab
- Snorkel in the kelp forests of the Channel Islands
- Swim with sea lion pups
- Collect and handle marine animals (and release them later)
- Study the ocean’s role in the world scene (water cycle, wave dynamics, etc)
- Take hikes on the Channel Islands.

Every thing listed is bloody awesome. There are many other things that are done while sailing as well…but there is no need to list everything

Trippy list...would you not agree?