Manning the bilge pumps

This photo is a close-up of the two manual bilge pumps that were used as we pumped our way across the Pacific. They were closest to the mainmast during our 1975 -Trans-Pacific odyssey. The small bilge pump featured in the foreground of the photo, was a spare that was found in the fo'csle and was specially mounted on deck, specifically for our female crew-members to use. We just called it the "girls pump."

The mainmast bilge pump partially seen on the right side of the photo, was the principal bilge pump that we used as we crossed the Pacific. We pumped so much water through this pump that the deck had a constant growth of green algae growing on it, where the water streamed out and ran into the scuppers and then overboard. The main bilge pump also had to have the gaskets (a woven rubber cloth media) changed out, every several days, due to the constant wear and tear on the gasket material, from the constant forces of pulling up and expelling the water from the vertical standpipe of the bilge. For further commentary regarding the bilge pumps, please see additional commentary on the photo captioned Bilge Pumps.