Ivan is not a pure idealist. The courage of his family ancestors to explore the unknown world is worthy of recognition, but it is too empty and illusory to invest in investment ideals when they are penniless.

However, once he truly has the power to control his own destiny, Ivan will probably follow in the footsteps of Garriott's ancestors and choose to see the sky and the vastness of this world!

"Then Warrant Officer Ai Wen, you have to work hard, I am very strict!"

"Thank you, Captain, I will try my best!"

After singing and talking, the uncle and nephew laughed at the same time. The sense of alienation that they had not seen for five years gradually dissipated, and the two really began to get closer.

We exchanged glasses, concentrated on enjoying the rare delicacies on the table, and chatted until late at night.

However, another episode happened the day after Alvin and Geer met.

Early in the morning, Geer took Ivan back to the shore and found Ivan's instructor, Major Eugene.

"Morning, Chief Geer!"

Seeing Geer pushing the door open, Major Eugene, who was dealing with documents, immediately stood up and saluted. Regardless of his rank as colonel, knight rank or captain of a main battleship, he needed to be treated with 100% respect.

Only then did he notice Alvin, who came in behind Geer, with his head lowered and not daring to look at him, thinking that he was so young and energetic that he got into some trouble on the colonel's ship.

"Did this boy Ivan cause trouble as soon as he boarded the ship? Just leave him to me and I will take care of him."

Major Eugene said he wanted to take care of Ivan, but secretly he winked at Ivan, and his protective feelings were beyond words.

"Hahaha, Major Eugene, Ivan didn't cause trouble, on the contrary, I want to thank you for sending him to my ship!

Let’s go to the pub and talk slowly, Alvin and I both want to toast you!”

Regardless of the fact that it was still breakfast time, Geer took Major Eugene and insisted on going for a drink. Now Geer regards him as the benefactor who facilitated the reunion between himself and Ivan, and gave him the opportunity to make up for his friend's debt for several years. In any case,

I would like to thank him before setting sail.

Soon, the three of them were already seated in the tavern, and Geer had already explained Ivan's situation to Eugene clearly on the way.

"The child is not sensible. He ran out without telling his family. Fortunately, you were sent to my boat. It was a great help." Geer brought the wine glass to Eugene very sincerely.

"Sir Geer is too polite. I was just doing my duty. I didn't think much about it at the time. I just couldn't bear to watch Alvin waste his time on the communication ship.

An outstanding young man like him can only get the best training on the captain's ship."

Eugene's attitude was very humble. Not only did he not take credit, but he secretly complimented the uncle and nephew. Hearing this, a smile appeared on Geer's somewhat cold face.

The two officers had a great time chatting.

But as a result, Alvin, who was sitting next to him, could only pretend to be "the problem child of the Qiao family", and toasted Eugene with a smile and received several eye rolls from him.

In his mind, Ivan's image has also quietly changed from a lonely and desolate sidekick to the eldest young master of the Qiao family. Eugene, who was originally full of sympathy for Ivan, if Geer hadn't been here, he would have kicked him.

On to Alvin's ass.

Oh, I was so merciful that I managed to help you find a bright future through a favor, but instead I sent you to your relative's boat? What's going on?

But Eugene wasn't really angry either. After all, young people always have the enterprising spirit of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. It is understandable that he wants to go out and prove his ability alone without relying on his family.

But most of these "calves" will recognize the reality after several years of severe beatings from society. Although they have grown up, they have actually wasted a lot of time, and some of the gains outweigh the losses.

From this point of view, in the end, he did something good by accident. I already admired Alvin very much. Now that his uncle, Colonel Geer, is here, his military career will definitely go smoother and avoid many detours.

In fact, I am still very happy for him!

The Silver Wing returned to Hong Kong for a total of two days. After briefly maintaining the ship, repairing personnel, and replenishing supplies, it will continue to engage in patrol missions within the jurisdiction of the Third Fleet.

And considering Colonel Geer's outstanding abilities, the risk factor of their mission routes will be relatively high.

However, sailors have become accustomed to this kind of life, and while the risk factor is high, the rewards are naturally high. As Zeng Geer said, people who follow the rules and only want to live a stable life cannot become a navy or even a sailor.

Most of these people are daring people, and they don't even mind breaking into the famous pirate port "Shipwreck Bay" as long as they are given enough benefits.

In such an atmosphere, Ivan also officially went to sea with the ship as a naval officer for the first time.

Wow

Wow

Patrolling back and forth on the deck, waves blooming around him, Ivan's mood now is different from when he left Leopold.

Today is the new starting point of my life.

During the two days when the Silver Wing docked for supplies, Geer had introduced the general situation on the ship to Alvin, allowing him to quickly integrate into this new group.

The old crew of this ship were all transferred from the original fourth-level battleship with Geer.

I don’t know what they have gone through. The vacancies have never been completely filled. Regular officers have been promoted internally through the assignment of Geer, including chief navigator, steering chief, rigging master, first mate, second mate, third mate, bosun, etc.

The gunnery commander, gunnery commander, etc. have all been assigned.

But for the time being, he is the only candidate officer like himself.

After boarding the ship, under the arrangement of Captain Geer, his tentative position was that of herald officer. He was responsible for conveying some of the captain's instructions. He could also observe and learn at any position on the ship, which can be said to be the most beneficial for a candidate.

The position where an officer grows.

I have to say, this is the benefit of having someone on top!

Otherwise, it would be really miserable if the superior officer just throws you into the cabin casually and your conditions are not so good and you can't learn anything.

Although the officers on the battleship were surprised that the captain treated the newcomer somewhat differently, it was not out of the ordinary. After all, he was the only candidate officer on the ship, so they just regarded him as caring for the young man and willing to train him, so they didn't think much about it.

This is Alvin's request. Although it is not so pretentious that Geer will treat him equally. However, temporarily concealing the relationship between the two will help Alvin integrate into the group. Even if he is exposed after he is completely familiar with everyone, there will not be too much distance.

Sense. Guanxi households may seem to be in a good place, but the barriers between them and ordinary people are everywhere.

The only person who knows some of the secrets in the middle is Boatswain Chris. But he is Geer's true confidant and the manager of the sailors on the ship. Sooner or later, Geer will find an opportunity to tell him that he should at least take care of Ai during possible battles after going to sea.

arts.

call

As the Silver Wing gradually sailed out of the military port, the water surface became open and the wind gradually increased. The sailors needed to readjust the rigging and control the sails in order to sail stably and obtain the best speed.

"Hey hoo hey hoo"

There was a neat sound of trumpets on the deck, and under each mast there were about ten sailors manipulating the sails and cables.

"Lord Jiabu, can I help you control the sail?" Ivan, who had been watching for a while, walked up to Jiabu, the sailor's captain who was instructing the sailors to adjust the sail, and asked.

During the three months of recruit training, whether it was the knowledge taught by the instructor or the knowledge that Alvin learned by himself in the library, he had already accumulated a lot of knowledge in his stomach.

Although he had tried it several times on a small broken ship used for training, this was the first time on a real warship. Ivan was not sure whether the sailmaster would allow him, a novice, to try his skills.

The bearded Sail Master glanced at Alvin, thought for a moment and agreed. After all, he had just gone to sea now, so there would be no danger. It was a good time for novices to practice their skills if they wanted to improve.

"Okay, I agree, but young man, you don't have to go up and down the rigging with the sailors, just stand next to me and watch. I will explain to you how to operate it and why it is operated like this." Sailing Cable Chief

He had a good attitude and agreed straightforwardly, but at the same time he also made his own demands.

Alvin also knew that the sail length was not because he was afraid of damaging his sail, but because the lifting equipment was actually hard work. Knowing when to control and where to control is the real skill of sail control.

"Thank you, Lord Jia Bu!"

Standing next to Jia Bu, listening to his story, Alvin matched the knowledge learned in the training camp with the actual situation bit by bit.

Sail is the most technical device on a sailboat, and it is also the only source of power for most sailboats. It is no less important than the engine in the modern world. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the heart of a sailboat, but this heart is a bit biased and grows outside.

.

The moving ropes on the battleship are white and the static stays are black. The white moving ropes are mainly adjusted when manipulating the sail cables. For an outsider, seeing the dense rigging on a sailboat will definitely be dazzling.

But if you want to accurately control the sails to fight against the wind and waves, you are absolutely inseparable from the help of the rigging system, large and small, high and low.

Let's look at how much rigging there is on a three-masted sailing ship.

To control the sail yard, you need halyards, slings, and slings; to control the sails, you need: leg ropes, fore ropes, and spreader ropes; to reef the sail you need: three sets of reefing ropes: leg ropes, hem ropes, and side ropes.

.

A three-masted sailing warship has a total of eleven sails, four in the front, four in the back, and three in the back. These riggings have to be repeated eleven times. This alone requires at least ninety-nine riggings, not counting spare rigging and some required parts.

Double rigging for extra load bearing.

The rigging on a sailboat may seem complicated but is actually complicated. No matter what the wind direction and weather are, experienced sailors can find the corresponding rigging immediately and adjust it to the best position.

Even when the sails are balanced, on calm water, there is no need to use a rudder, and the rigging sailor only needs to adjust the sails to make the warship sail in a straight line.

Therefore, the sailors working on the three masts bear the most important responsibilities and are also one of the most important technical personnel on the sailboat.
Chapter completed!