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Oceanographic Conditions of Bowhead Whale Habitat

Hi Lisa.

I was rereading your bio. Wow! What an interesting life/career you have had to date! Can't wait to see how the Arctic expedition shapes your future :) So, I'm curious, not knowing anything about sail boats and such, about "sailboat deliveries". What exactly did you do? Sounds like an interesting job.

Cheers, Janet

Tue, 06/12/2012 - 18:21

Lisa Seff

On 6/11/12 10:27 AM, webmaster@polartrec.com wrote:Hi Janet! Ahhhh the sailboat deliveries! The first offshore experience
was as crew in a race from Marion Massachusetts to Bermuda when I was
18. Storms hit the fleet so badly that another boat, Satans Mercy, was
demasted and sunk! Everyone was rescued fortunately. The day of raging
wind was followed by days of complete calm with not a breath of air.
Walter Cronkite was actually in the race too...but if I remember
correctly when were were all bobbing about waiting for the breeze he
turned on his motor!
(:
As I got older I helped deliver Swan sailboats with friends who were
year round crew (cook and captain). I loved to sail, it paid well and I
would get to see two very good friends. We'd bring the boats North in
April from the Caribbean to New York, and back South in Oct/November.
Bermuda was always our "pit stop" along the way. We'd always hit at
least a few days of severe weather, as those months are not the calmest
time of year and funny things happen where the Gulf Stream hits the cold
waters of the Atlantic! We'd all be on a watch, which meant navigating
with a sextant and dead reckoning, captaining the boat, watching the
weather and the gulf stream position. We would typically rotate shifts
beginning with 6 hours on in the morning, followed by 6 hours off, then
4 hours on, 4 hours off and 4 hours on, unless bad weather hit, and then
everyone was on. We would all take turns making meals and doing
housekeeping chores during off-watch time, but we were fortunate in that
Dawn, who worked full time on the boat, was a gourmet cook. She'd
always make great meals ahead of time and freeze them, so we could eat
at least one delicious meal at dinner. She made an awesome hot
chocolate too with Godiva chocolate and Grand Marnier! Makes it all
sound so luxurious but most of the time we were getting slapped around
in the face by rough seas, hit in the head by either the boom or flying
fish, and trying to sleep while bouncing about in a salty wet bunk!
Lots of good stories that's for sure.
Thanks for a terrific question and I hope I answered it so that you now
know what it's like to be part of a sailboat delivery crew! Let me know
if you want me to hook you up!
Lisa