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Caribs and Arawaks
Caribs and Arawaks
S A I L I N G
T H E
AT L A N T I C
A N D
#1 in a series
C A R I B B E A N
by Molly
Pierce
Q. Do you
ever steer
the ship?
A. We spend time at the
helm (steering wheel) in halfhour intervals during each
watch. I really enjoy steering
the boat because I feel like
I have more responsibility
when my actions control the
movement of the ship. Our
watch officer still tells us the
course to steer according to
the ships compass, but we
are responsible for keeping
it as steady as possible.
Depending on which
sails are set and where the
wind is coming from, the
ship responds to the wheel
differently. Sometimes it
takes a while for the ship to
respond, and other times it
responds faster than you
want. At the end of each
watch, we tell the next watch
our average course steered
so they can determine our
location and accurately plot
our future course.
Answered by Clay Baines,
a student aboard the sailing vessel
Spirit of Massachusetts.
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