By sail day, the longshore crew has been hard at work for days. They’ve offloaded all the cargo from the previous voyage, and they’ve already begun the process of loading new northbound cargo for your voyage. The lower holds are usually already filled, and the upper holds are nearly done as well. All cargo is carefully stowed so that it won’t shift during the voyage and can be unloaded in the correct order as you arrive in ports in Alaska.

Other people have been working before sign-in, too. The ship’s cook has loaded all the provisions required for the voyage, including 24 days worth of food for eight or nine people eating three or four meals a day, plus cleaning supplies and paper products. The chief engineer has made sure the tanks have enough fuel for the trip. 

You’ll arrive on time for sign-in Friday morning because you’ve been calling in the Crew Call Line in the week leading up to your departure. Then you’ll sign in with the Port Captain, and once your contract is signed, you’ll stash your gear on the ship. There isn’t always time for you to get settled into your cabin before it’s time to get to work, but you can at least stow your bags. 

Most of the cargo in the holds will already be loaded, so you’ll be more concerned with deck cargo. This is anything that’s hardy enough to be chained down out on deck, exposed to the sea and harsh weather, and able to survive the trip to Alaska intact. It often includes lumber, cars, trucks, pipes, container vans, and construction equipment.

The longshoremen will be loading the cargo into place, and it’s your job to secure it into place. Most of sail day (and the day after) you’ll be chaining down deck cargo to make sure it won’t shift while the vessel is underway. You’ll use lengths of heavy steel chain and strong chain binders to make sure everything is cinched down tight. All throughout the trip, you’ll be checking to make sure this deck cargo is still secure.

As you prepare to set said, the officers will be going through an extensive safety checklist to help ensure a safe voyage. Emergency systems are tested, emergency supplies are inventoried, and expiration dates are checked.

Before leaving dock, the captain will call the whole crew together in the wheelhouse. Then they’ll read the safety policies aloud, assign watches, and make sure everyone on the crew is aware of expectations for the coming voyage.

Then it’s time to cast off! Sometimes this is delayed for an hour or two, to give the crew a little extra time to chain down deck cargo or to eat dinner in the galley before the voyage starts. Most of our vessels leave the dock sometime between 3:00-7:00pm on Friday afternoons. When it’s time to go, the longshoremen will cast off lines from the dock, and the deckhands, A.B.s, and wiper will work the deck to haul in lines. 

As the vessel takes off, the Ballard Bridge opens for us and lets it through. Then we head out of the Ship Canal, and it’s time to make ready for going through the Hiram Chittenden Government Locks. Crew members put bumper bags over the ship’s railings and stand by the lines to ensure a safe passage through. Then the ship casts off again and makes its way into Puget Sound… Next stop: Alaska!

Once you have a chance to unpack in your cabin, you’ll find you have a bunk, desk, and locker to yourself. There is Wi-Fi onboard, but the streaming is slower, especially at sea, so hopefully you’ve loaded anything you might want to watch on your downtime back home when you were packing. Generally, you can text and communicate with your family while at sea, but there is the occasional technical problem.