“…We all row as a part of Bravo Team, a part of Bravo Team, a part of Bravo Team.
We all sail as a part of Bravo Team, a part of Bravo Team, a part of Bravo Team”
~sung to the tune of Yellow Submarine
We are eight weeks into Team Longboat (formerly Bravo Team) and have been unusually lucky with the weather on Thursdays – we’ve only had one foul weather day where we couldn’t go longboating on the water! On that day, we were able to practice reefing sails and other dockside skills, with an eye for continued team building, and planning for an environmental restoration project.
For our environmental project, our crew has decided to partner up with the local Rainshadow Bird Alliance group to help construct and install Purple Martin Birdboxes in local areas such as Pt Hudson, and near the Marine Science Center dock. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue a project that was started over seven years ago with another Bravo Team class – we built and installed bird boxes near the Pt Hudson campground. Those boxes are now needing some maintenance; and a bird box design with new lighter materials could allow for more habitat on a single post. Stay tuned for more updates and information as we plan into the new year.
The next time we meet as a class in December (after Thanksgiving break), we will begin our annual longboat maintenance in the NMC boatshop. We will clean and sand the boat, attend to the gear, oars, spars, and sails, and give energy back to longboat Townshend – maintenance and restoration of both habitat and vessels.
Boating in the shorter colder days of Port Townsend Bay, is not for the weary. We are grateful for the chance to be together on the water, with lots of layers to keep warm, healthy snacks to keep up our energy, and lots of singing and power strokes to keep the boat moving.
Team Longboat is supported by the TK Spirit Fund
