By Sonia Frojen, Team Longboat Instructor
Team Longboat launched Longboat Townshend in early February after annual boat maintenance in the shop, which lasted for nearly three months. Townshend had some frames replaced, requiring a longer haulout duration, as well as the usual oil, varnish, and painting. With Townshend back in the water, Team Longboat started looking towards their early May four-day journey. Some of the journey skills needed include:
- Boat cover and tent set-up
- Menu planning
- Stove and galley gear preparation
- Packing lists and sleeping kits
- Clothesline anchor practice and soundings
- Navigation and route planning
Besides a few foul-weather days where we weren’t able to get on the water, we’ve had good sailing days, including a day where we got to practice some heavier weather sailing and a squall drill with our exposure suits and reefed sails. We also sailed in Port Townsend Bay, navigating near an aircraft carrier and missile destroyer vessels!! Very exciting!
The upcoming journey is planned for Sunday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 6, in Quilcene and Dabob Bay. We plan to visit Camp Parsons and Broad Spit, and launch from the Quilcene Herb Beck Marina. Some of the journey excitement includes sleeping on the boat under the boat cover, exploring new areas, having a layover day for rest and beach science, and spending time together.
Team Longboat has been busy fundraising for the adventure with a Bingo Night at the Hilltop and a few bake sales at the OCEAN campus. We’ll be finishing our journey prep in the next few weeks after spring break, and we’ll share photos of the adventure!
