One of the best things about experiential education is that we can take advantage of opportunities that come our way. Today presented us with snow and ice on the ground, cold temperatures, and building northerly winds. What else could we do but learn about heavy weather sailing and squall drills?
We spent some time in the classroom discussing the tools we have to manage heavy weather situations: donning exposure suits, reefing sails, group count-off inventories, and communication such as VHF radios and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). Then we got to it!
After putting on our exposure suits and making sure we had the right size, we headed down to Townshend. The wind continued to increase so we made the call that we would be setting sails at the dock, but not actually getting underway. Wearing our exposure suits while working with sails gave us an understanding of what it was like to move and work in the bulky orange suits- warm and cozy, but a bit awkward.
We tucked a double reef in each sail and raised them one by one. Then we had our snack and moment of silence at the dock. Our journalist Hunter chose this quote to end our moment of silence, “What was hard to endure was sweet to recall.” Many of us were reminded of the joy and challenges of being on Journey and how we were looking forward to it this year.
Finally, we pumped the water from the bilges of both longboats and then headed back to class for some warm tea and more planning on our environmental project. It was a great way to spend a wintery day!