Not just yet
30-01-2012 10:00
The gloomy mood of our first mile on the way to `The Battle of Drake´ is suddenly interrupted when Klaas yells out `Whale off the starboard bow!”
All the crew reacts promptly and even de masts bend over to starboard to see what’s going on. The goodbye-to-Antarctica sadness prompts everybody to feast their eyes on this last antarctic treat.
Somebody somewhere must have thrown a small fortune in the whale-machine. We get to see four whales playing together in a quarter of a mile circle around Europa. Every lack of a diving whale tail in any camera is made good.
The four are toying with us: disappearing and surface right next to our ship, swim under the ship from port to starboard, wave a white fin at us, demonstrate skills in backstroke… Antarctica does not let us go yet.
A ship full of people applauds the whale-show and is two bits less sad for the moment.
Blog Bark Europa 30 January
Logbook Melchior Islands
30-01-2012 10:00
Today a royal Antarctic fairwell, a pod of humpback whales escort the ship as we leave the Melchior Islands for the Drake Passage. They perform impeccably, criss-crossing under the bow. The trainee crew oscillating too, from port to starboard, in a crazy dance to get the best view. They help allay our sadness at leaving Antarctica; its hostile magnificence and extraordinary wildlife soon to be behind us.
A last Zodiac cruise this morning among these small glacier topped islands, the seas 'boiling' with krill. We watch a tern dive for an easy meal. Seals and lonely groups of penguins are sighted on the narrow granite beaches as we cruise round the small islands named after the letters of the Greek alphabet.
The names of explorers, kings and queens, descriptions of the place itself (what did happen at Exasperation Inlet or Cape Longing?) or the duplication of place names back home must have become exhausted when these isles were named. We cruise down a small Lemaire Channel for Zodiacs and nudge a berg out of the way; pass icebergs of an intense translucent blue and fantastic shape. At the end a single humpback performs for us.
The safety ropes are now back up on the ship, the wind is promising and the weather good. All set for a promising Drake crossing? We will see!
Blog Bark Europa 29 January 2012
Unspeakable
29-01-2012 10:00
What goes up, must come down. Or rather: what went south, must come north again. After many ‘firsts’,time has come for some ‘lasts’ already. Among the firsts were icebergs, penguins and whales. We didn’t go further south than 65Ëš10’, so there was a last day of heading south. Today we set our last footprints on the White Continent in the snow along Dorian Bay. Most of the group mounted the crest of the glacier between Dorian Bay and our anchorage at Port Lockroy. The silence there inspired the poet in me:
Terra australis
I see Antarctic mountains and snow,
but I’m unable to find words for expressing
this majestically beautiful creation
and my unique part therein.
Thus all this beauty
will remain forever unspoken.
I know I am part of it all
and I shall share this knowledge with all
in whom I recognize an open heart,
full of love and respect
towards those who carry eternity within.
Blog Bark Europa 29 January
Port Lockroy
29-01-2012 10:00
There are so many wonderful places to see down here, and it is absurd to rank them. Fickle weather may render appreciation of any particular venue impossible - Paradise Bay was a case in point, where we had a defiant barbecue in a snow storm with little visibility. Nevertheless, the passage up the Peltier Channel to Port Lockroy for me has been the top memory to date, and I don't really wish to see anything better.
To set the scene: We had all had a wonderful time watching a pod of humpback whales off Biscoe bay, on passage from Palmer station. Morale was approaching boiling point. At 1900 hours, the ship's company sat down to yet another of Marianne's wonderful dinners. She appears to take a pride in "no repeats", and has an extraordinary range of brilliant menus. No need for a choice, because everybody loves whatever she cooks.
We were settling down to a convivial evening in the deckhouse, when all hands were summoned. Not on fire or sinking, but the call was to point out the stunning spectacle unfolding. The weather was bright, blue sky, and warm. The Peltier Channel runs for just over 10 miles North East between Doumer Island to port and Wienke Island to Starboard. It is between half and one mile wide , and was decorated with a dense array of floating ice "art forms" - this being a particularly good year for these wonders of nature. When derived from a glacier, the darker the blue, the older the ice. This means anything from 1,000 to 50,000 years.
The sun was low in the Western sky. Depending on the direction of view, this either back or spot lit both ice, and the dramatic geography. The Wienke island shore is bordered by the Fief range of mountains, known as the Seven Sisters. The highest peak, Mt Luigi, is over 4500 feet, rising steeply from near the fore shore. Ahead was the lesser but still formidable Mount Jabet (1800 feet), and on the other bank, Doumer Island has a hilly rather mountainous character by comparison, but nevertheless has a summit of 1600 feet.
With the blue/black water highlighting all shades of white, the colours, contrasts and overall effects were just stunning - not least for the atmosphere on this jewel of a ship. It must be our ancestral connections with ice age survival that engenders our species with this magnetism to frozen scenes. That passage will stay in my memory for ever. We dropped the hook behind Goudier Island in the pool off Port Lockroy, with two yachts anchored inshore of our position. It is the most perfect anchorage, predictably once favoured by whaling vessels during the season.
Reminders of those hard days abound. 0900 we formed shore parties to visit Gentoo penguin rookeries on Goudier Island. Somebody has "assembled" a whale skeleton on the beach, but without much reference to actual anatomy. It incorporates multiple animals of varying age and species. The penguins seemed if anything healthier than in other colonies we have visited. This is nature in the raw.Arctic Skuas hover. Leopard Seals on the ice flows cause everyone to hope these cuddly chicks will have learned all their caring mothers have taught.
Statistics mean there will be a good deal of carnage, but the fittest will survive. In the afternoon, we make a further foray ashore, this time to the Port Lockroy "base A". A peninsular base for the British Antarctic Survey between 1944 and 1962 when it was abandoned, it has been beautifully restored to a museum, shop and post office (most southerly in the world!), by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Visitor numbers are high this year, in part because last year's exceptionally cold winter has closed access to many other places with pack ice.
The museum is fascinating, and displays life as it was for the men stationed at the base, including the skis, living quarters and catering arrangements withkitchen. It seems embarrassingly like my own home! The station is run by four nice girls, and Michael from Brecon. Yive is the senior, and sailed on Europa three years ago on this voyage. They all joined us on board for a drink, followed by roast beef and Yorkshire pud, with Irish coffee for afters. And the sun set as we chatted after dinner. A magical end to a great day? Not quite! Klaas brought out his ghetto blaster, and some folk danced the night away on deck.
Blog Bark Europa 28 January 2012
You've got mail...
28-01-2012 10:00
Staying informed is mandatory for functioning in today’s world. Our hunger for news seems insatiable. Life on a tall ship differs from ‘normal’ life in many ways. The strict schedule of watches when at sea or on anchor, the non negotiable times of breakfast, lunch and dinner, all add up to ‘a young man healthy and wise’. In the saying the preceding ‘early to bed and early to rise’ mentions no e-mail, no cellphones, no internet. Although those thing are considered to be crucial for leading a normal life, their absence surely creates a peaceful quiet.
One of the blessings of being on bark Europa is the (almost) complete absence of newspapers, internet and a network for cellphones.
Entering Port Lockroy on Goudier Island harboured a surprise: a bright red sign Royal Mail! Nearly everyone aboard Europa seized the opportunity to send traditional mail to their loved ones. After lots of penguins and some whales, this was an unexpected pleasure that, under the circumstances, was truly appreciated greatly.
Blog Bark Europa 27 January 2012
Southern Comfort
27-01-2012 10:00
The memory of an average human being, will very unlikely recall the first months, or even years of its life.
I tried to imagine what it must have been like to just lie in your pram.
Once in a while you would be pushed around hearing the voice and the feet of the one certainty in your life: mom. Not surprisingly these thoughts are crossing my mind while lying in my bunk on bark Europa. The boards preventing you from falling out in rough seas feel like a cradle. The ship makes rocking, soothing, comforting movements. Palmers Bay, full of snow and ice particles, produces a reassuring rumble and rush against this mother-ships safe and protecting hull.
Sweet dreams my darling!
Blog Bark Europa 26 January 2012
Fantastic world, fantastic experience
26-01-2012 10:00
We ended yesterday evening with a BBQ on-board. Underneath the awning because of dwindling snow. Fantastic world, fantastic experience. Under engine we sailed further south today and via the Lemaire Channel we arrived at Petermann Island. 65-10 degrees Southern Latitude. The intention was to visit a colony of Adelie Penguins but because of the ice conditions it is not possible to land the Zodiac safely ashore.Doesn't matter, the journey was on its own was already an exciting fairy tale, gliding through an icy moon landscape, while the Captain points us left and right Leopard Seals and Penguins. With this we have reached the furthest point of our voyage, more southerly would be too dangerous for the ship because of the ice. We sail back through the Lemaire Channel and this afternoon we will be under sail for a few hours in the Bismarck Strait.
And this brings me to the ship Europa and her crew. They make this trip for me and I assume for all of us to a unforgettable event. Yesterday evening we past some Whales and immediately we reduced speed to give everybody the opportunity to fully enjoy and photograph these colossal animals in full extend. There is no rush, no musts and the crew seems to enjoy all of this as much as we do!
Blog Bark Europa 24 January 2012
ice & cream
24-01-2012 10:00
After a fairly windy day of motoring and no sailing because of the direction in which our next anchor is going to be dropped, the plans for tomorrow are as follows: we will pass through Graham Channel, which is a narrow waterway with some spectacular views. Anchors aweigh by 04:00 AM.“Who does not want to be woken up to witness this?”
Dead silence, so way before breakfast the deck of Europa is crowded. Europa slows down to avoid damage caused by larger bit of ice. Up high an ice watch keeps a keen eye on the channel. On a much larger scale one can hear something like the tinkle of ice cubes in a glass of whiskey.
The sun rises in colours twice beyond imagination, since it’s all reflected in the completely motionless water. The light is playing games with anything in the path of her glistening rays. When all of us think the ship will have to turn back, Klaas knows where to turn port or starboard for a way through. We stand in awe under a bright blue sky, not knowing yet that a magnificent day is going to be closed with a chunk of apple pie and cream.
Blog Bark Europa 22 January 2012
Hannah Point
22-01-2012 10:00
In the middle of the night the ship start rolling again. We left our anchorage and are sailing from Barrientos to Hannah Point. With breakfast the view on starboard is filled with a long line of glaciers and rocks. The weather deteriorated.
It is cold, lots of wind with sleet snow. It is going to be tight if a landing with our zodiacs is possible at all, with these waves, but we are lucky and manage. On Hannah point we are greeted by large numbers of Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins and....by snow blowing horizontally in our faces, typical Antarctic weather so it seems.
In Antarctica there is a big risk that you become a slave of your own camera, so this snow has a positive side, the camera stays in the backpack and I have to look with my own eyes.
If you follow the behaviour of a group of penguins for a while, you will notice all kind of family scenes. Daddy comes home and enthusiastically greets Mamma; the kids play touch and run. Two other kids try to push a young away that is being fed by a parent that is coughing up some food. The result is tough reaction from the parent followed by a chase, but they are stubborn and keep on trying. We also see a lonely Macaroni penguin.
Walking through al these volcanic features, we find beautiful coloured stones in bright green and orange, all made by volcanic activity. A little later a large Giant petrel is landing in front of our feet and sits there for minutes and just as we are walking back to our zodiacs, we are getting a show of two mating Elephant-seals.
Soaking wet we arrive back on board of our EUROPA where hot coco and a grand evening meal from Marianne and Aleida is waiting for us.
Blog Bark Europa 21 January 2012
Livingston I presume
21-01-2012 10:00
The wilderness of the southern oceans carries unexpected surprises. After two landings on Barrientos Island, skipper Klaas announced an 0400 departure from anchoring off Aitcho Island. No one but the people on anchor watch have witnessed this departure.
Curiosity made me rise from my softly rocking cradle in the intestines of the ship. Her skin was caressed by the sun and a gentle breeze. Already we were cruising the south of multiple glaciers that fed the ocean with lumps of ice of sometimes awesome dimensions.
Historical words were repeated adressing the sailor on ice-watch: Livingston (Island) I presume...
Blog Bark Europa 20 January 2012
Lonely planet
20-01-2012 10:00
Being on bark Europa and sailing due south for more than three days, reshuffles all of my historical perspective on seatravels. In my mind I pay tribute to the men who first sailed these waters practically without knowing where would end up. Taking a look at the instruments on the bridge of the ship is a dazzling mess of meters, figures, numbers, dots and lines.
Outside there is nothing but sea, there are waves rolling in, there is a swell passing underneath. The ship keeps its course because a helms(wo)man follows instructions as to where we should be heading. In all the nothingness around us we know exactly where we are although we may feel desolated in the vastness of the Drake Passage.
This Lonely-Planet-feeling melts away when the first iceberg is spotted. When I notice the presence of an albatross or a group of Cape petrels, I am aware of the fact that there is more to life than just us humans. Then land is sighted, penguins appear and a few hours later the loud rattle of an anchor chain announces a quieter sleep for most of the men and women aboard. Still Planet, but for the moment not so Lonely anymore.
Blog Bark Europa 19 January 2012
Song of Praise
19-01-2012 10:00
Through southern waves, as wind allows,
the bow of bark Europa ploughs.
Not rushing in an hurried speed,
as modern man would often need,
she takes her time, just mile by mile,
and brings all sailors to a smile.
For this is life as it should be:
a song of praise, o Lord, to Thee!
Blog Bark Europa 18 January 2012
Bouncing around on the waves
18-01-2012 16:00
We are now two days (approx. 300nm) into our voyage across the notorious Drake Passage. Crew numbers are slowly increasing - the victims of mal de mer (sea sickness) seem to be adapting to the constant rolling motion. They have progressed from eating boring dry crackers to lovely, tasty hot soup with a little bread. It would be a tragic shame for anyone to miss a single moment of this unique adventure.
Trainee Crew are getting over the shy politeness that always occurs when a group of strangers are thrown together. Banter is starting to seep into conversation as people start unfurling their personalities. One thing that is very noticeable is how the trainee crew are looking after for each other - staying in your bunk with seasickness is encouraged,Those stricken by this nasty illness are never made to feel guilty - if crew is short, those still standing get more time to play sailing.
Although the Drake Passage is a relatively small body of water, it appears vast. No matter what angle of the ship you look out from, the view is sea. Nothing but magnificent rolling waves, queueing up to try and push the vessel over. This provides a euphoric sense of freedom;there hasn't been a sighting of another vessel since leaving the Beagle.The only company are birds. Numerous Cape petrels, accompanied by a few albatrosses, including the endangered Wandering albatross. When in flight, this magnificent bird has awingspan that can reach an amazinging 3.8 metres - biggest bird in the world.
At present we have 21 sails set on starboard tack, and are enjoying a fantastic sail. It is not only the biting wind and big rolling waves that are awesome to experience but Europa herself. She is truly a fine vessel. Despite her 100 years, this lady (I'm reluctant to say this'old' lady because she is more sea kindly and sprightly than many new vessels) is elegant and refined. She glides gracefully through the heavy seas. Her bow is lifted high by the waves; their strategy seems to be a constant attempt to toss her onto her port side, but she is having none of it. As the wave tries to pass she seeks revenge by gently thrusting her bow into it, slicing the wave in two and destroying its power. There is hardly any evidence of this cunning manoeuvre, nothing other than parting white water and the occasional spray.
The rolling sea state has remained constant. The weather hasn't. Yesterday's glorious sunshine has swapped places with dull menacing grey cloud, accompanied by icy rain that stings like needles when blasted onto exposed skin.
Despite the cooler air, biting wind and icy rain many of the trainee crew congregate on the most exposed part of the ship - the bow. There is a lookout duty, but relief watches are often turned away by the current watch grabbing a few more minutes of this unique experience.
The sea state is constant, and so is the problem of novices manoeuvring around the ship. Trainee crew are often found in heaps of giggles after playing pinball with one and another. Below decks is even harder, the horizon is absent, although there are small port holes to peer through they are often underwater. Imagine being inside a hollowed out cork inside a washing machine the unpredictable stability and disorientation could be similar to that we endure below decks.
Above decks the horizon can be seen, as can the waves. However, hazards still persist and the wet decks have claimed a few casualties.Thankfully serious injury is prevented by the numerous layers of insulating padding worn out on deck. Compared with the professional crew's attire of t-shirts light weight trousers and flip-flops, the trainee crew appear somewhat theatrically overdressed - a gathering of brightly coloured, aspiring sumo wrestlers!
Meal times are yet another hazard - albeit an entertaining one. Crew struggle to navigate safe passage from the galley serving hatch to a dining area - one hand occupied balancing food while the other grasps at anything that might assist. It is not uncommon to witness some poor chap or chapess juggle the food on their plate while trying to rescue one of Europa's animated little bread rolls. With the rolling ship,the bread meanders round the sausage and mash, drops onto the floor and initiates a game of 'catch' It neatly wedges itself between a pair of wet wellies but before a retrieving hand makes contact, off it goes again on a bid for freedom. Now to starboard, now to port, starboard again, then port.A gathering of 'roll hunters' have joined. Team tactics are employed, and the pursuers are poised and ready, certain of a successful capture when the roll heads to starboard again. The little roll sets of towards the ambush,just as another struggling crew member stumbles and, with one stomp of their boot crushes the poor roll to crumbs. Not just bread rolls have independent lives. Water bottles, and particularly knives are good at taking aim at the person opposite, before setting off like an exocet missile towards its chosen victim. Soup also relishes in mischievous behaviour and sits there feigning innocence, biding its time until its owner gets distracted by a synchronised rolling of the boat.Like a naughty child, the bowl ejects its content, which charges like a soup tsunami towards a selection of human targets.
These little incidents are all part for the course for theGalley crew, whowork round the clock, in conditions most people would find impossible. They provide us with abundant fresh tasty food along with bottomlesstea and coffeethroughout the day. They really are heroes.
In these perfect sailing conditions, Europa is reeling off the miles and has crossed the polar front indicated by a significant drop in sea temperature (2.8 degrees celsius). ETA South Shetlands tomorrow or Friday early hours.
As I'm typing this my, chair is sliding from one side of the cabin to the other, obviously trying to point out that it is meal time. Off to find some dinner, and maybe more entertainment.
Blog Bark Europa 18 January
The Crossing to the Antarctic
18-01-2012 10:00
We left Ushuaia the day before yesterday, with a pilot on board who sailed with us to the end of Beagle Strait, after that we took a southerly course.
It is beautiful sailing weather en with a days-run of 186 Nautical Mile we covered a good distance with speeds occasionally exceeding the 9 knots .
Tomorrow on the end of the day we hope to arrive on our first Antarctica destination, the South Shetland Islands.
Today everybody was attending briefings by the guides, who informed us about all the rules that apply to Antarctica visitors.
I am sure our first landing, the day after tomorrow, will be an exciting experience
Blog Bark Europa 17 January 2012
Seasickness doesn't exist
17-01-2012 10:00
If you look at the quantity of medicines that are available to cure seasickness, it becomes quite clear that there is not a real cure for this sickness.
We are having a gentle Drake Passage, Good winds give our EUROPA a good speed and we seem to be even a little bit ahead of schedule.
The Galley is producing one after another specialties and treats, but I have really hard times to enjoy them.
I spend most of my time in a horizontal position, while others try their utmost, to keep our ship on a steady course.
Yes, Maybe Seasickness doesn’t exist, but I succeed really well in being sick at sea.
Blog Bark Europa 16 January 2012
Fin del mundo
16-01-2012 10:00
More than one enterprise in Ushuaia has ‘Fin del Mundo’ or ‘world’s end’ as one of the features to attract the public of tourists passing every day. Technically speaking this is probably not the case. Up to today there were no definite signals that the end of the world is near.
When one would keep on walking, sailing, flying, there would still be world after all the hardships of cold and waves and what not. The placemat of Tante Sara in Ushuaia invites its guests to “Enjoy yourself, it is the end of the world”.
And then I think to myself: why not? After finishing an excellent café con leche, I walk down to the pier of the Club Nautica Ushuaia.
There I meet friendly people who are all transferred to Europa, gently bobbing behind her anchor in the bay. This is not fin del mundo… this is the start of a brand new world of excitement with lots of wonderful people.
Hello world!
Blog Bark Europa 13 January 2012
Home
13-01-2012 10:00
It's difficult to talk about intense experiences. I'm English, and we are notorious for our stiff upper lips, so please excuse the lack of hyperbole. As a group, we now know how to differentiate between 5 different types of penguin by smell alone, how to fend off a 'harem-less' male fur seal with a raised hand and a hard stare.
And what it feels like to be helmed through fields of ice-bergs by a captain who nobody would want to be in front of in heavy traffic ('Come on, you could get a three-masted square-rigger through that gap!'). Who will we talk to about these last weeks? Each other? I don't know; we've seen the best and the worst of each other, and that's not always a comfortable place to be, socially. Can we talk to anyone else about it? Yeesh. Antarctica bores alert!
Maybe we'll take some time to process these sensations before we share them; the sound like thunder as a glacier creaks its way towards calving, the feeling of helplessness as the katabatic winds sweep off the ice-fields and make the ship heel even though there are no sails up (yes, yes, and they're all beautifully furled already...), the sight of a quarter of a million penguins choosing to nest in one particular spot. Maybe we'll tuck these memories away, hoarded like a miser's gold.
It's as damned sure as mustard, though, that something in our futures will trigger a memory of this. It might be a mention of some previously-unheard-of-but-now-familiar sub-antarctic island, it might be the smell of a basin full of disinfectant (don't pack a pest and whatever you do, don't tread on the moss!),or even just the sight of a teabag in a bar glass, but we now have within us the capacity to call up at will our own, personalised picture of the serenity that we have experienced, and this empowers us- we will be somehow better: serene, content, sorted.
Maybe that's the whole point. I mean, who'd choose to go on a trip like this anyway? Returnees and retirees is an easy but inaccurate answer. Of the 40 voyage crew on this leg, about half fulfill those criteria, but that's just who, not why. We are the mid-life crises, the career breaks, the bereaved and the mad-as-a-monkey-on-a-trampoline types. We're Red, White and Blue watch, helming and looking-out in all kinds of weather, (and Green watch, lying down and groaning in all kinds of weather). We are ruffty-tuffty... oh who am I kidding? A boat full of middle-aged accountants? Nope. Not that either. I've been on this trip since Rotterdam in September and the only thing that's been predictable is the quality of the soup, Yes!
So come on, Europees, and Europites and Europophiles everywhere. Learn the difference between a clew and a buntline, and one day... no, I can't pretend that will make any difference...That's the point. When you need a change, or a challenge, come aboard. Don't cruise the world's oceans in a floating block of flats with its own casino and cinema. Do it the hard way.
We've dodged cross-channel ferries and Brazilian fishermen, We've swum in the horse latitudes and in Antarctica, We've watched Orion cross the night sky closer and closer to the northern horizon until the southern midnight sun hid him from view. Feel every mile...
That's why the hardest time is the morning of our departure. The monstrous bags (I never packed that much stuff, surely) , the hearty handshakes, (English- stiff upper lip, remember), the swapped addresses (if you're ever in Outer Mongolia...), the surreality of wandering around Ushuaia, over 10,000 miles away from where you live, and bumping into people you know all day, (from the ship, obviously, unless you have a fabulous social network,) and that thing that we all say., "Safe trip home".
And you step out of our tiny, dangerous, intense, unbelievably exciting world, back into anonymity, and the spell is broken. And you go home. And some are ready to go home, and some aren't, and the luckiest buggers of all realise that we're already there.
Blog Bark Europa 9 January 2012
A birthday on board of Europa
09-01-2012 10:00
The 9th of January was a very special day for me! The corridor and Deckhouse were festively decorated with flags and in the morning I was congratulated by many and even kissed by the captain! From the galley you could hear: “Lang zal ze leven….” (The Dutch birthday song). The perfect start of my day!
The weather was fantastic, albatrosses and a nice breeze, you could feel that it is getting warmer, now that we are going north. Jordi gave a lecture at eleven about a Chilean Albatross project. A large colony settled there and they are observing and registering all animals very closely. Their numbers are slowly increasing and there are more Albatross following from the Antarctic area. At five o’clock, the temperature outside is very pleasant and here and there people are lying on the deck soaking up the sunrays. Marteyn is giving a follow-up lecture about sails and especially about weather patterns around Cape Horn with depressions in the area.
Also today another tack, not too easy as it costs us almost half an hour to get on our desired tack, but that is the nice thing about this ship.
After dinner there was no desert….no, but at eight, at the ‘eight o’clocky”, the whole crew marched into the deckhouse with cake and candles, purely heart-warming. Apple-pie with whipped cream and a beautiful Europa T-shirt. Great! And as a little extra surprise there is an encore from some lovely men, with accompanied guitar tunes to the Beatles: When you are 64 PLUS ONE. It hurts… (not really).
After this commotion, the crew fell apart quite quickly, going on watch, sleeping, etc. The party was over, it started to rain and I fell happily into my bunk. At 6.10 I was woken by Tanja: Cape Horn in sight! I just saw a glimpse of the Cape. So beautiful to see, same as this whole journey, full of beautiful experiences!
Thank you Europa.
Blog Bark Europa 7 January 2012
Punch on the nose
07-01-2012 10:00
Yes, we started to conquer the Drake Passage. But the Drake hit back. Within 30 minutes after we left the Aitcho islands the Europa did a head-on dive in an enormous standing wave. That wave washed over the fore deck and deck house and in one sweep it destroyed the outer end of the jib boom. Luckily Klaas had pulled the Red-watch lookout back from the fore deck since he did not trust the weather.
De damage is considerable. 1,5 meter of the jib-boom has been bent straight down, the netting has been damaged and the flying and outer jib can no longer be used. Writing this, the inner jib and fore topmast-staysail can be used again and the netting has temporarily been fixed. In Ushuaia and later in Cape Town the damage will need to be repaired. It is interesting to take a look how these spectacular waves are created. They are the result of multiple factors. On the 6th of January there was a full moon. 48 hours later there is high tide. De sea current was also heavier than usual.
We were sailing against the wind. We were still in relatively shallow waters. The underside of the wave hits the sea bottom, is slowed down, resulting in the whole wave being pushed up- and forward. Compare this with a Tsunami wave (but on a smaller scale of course). Luckily the professional Europa Crew prevented more than just material damage, but everyone is more than before aware of the elements. That night at least there is no more lookout-watch on the foredeck. Outlook has been moved to the poop deck, and steering is done by the crew from the wheel house.
The morning of Jan 7 woke us up with nice clear skies. We have passed the Antarctic convergence zone (around 60 degrees south). The temperature will start to go up. The Drake punched us (literally) on the nose. But after first blood.....DRAKE WE ARE STILL HERE!
Ad Vermeulen, a bit more veteran than yesterday
Europa Drake she went
Fell foul, ground swell
Jib boom bent ego dent
(Adam Purser)
Blog Bark Europa 6 January 2012
Last landing on Antarctica
06-01-2012 10:00
We are all very aware of it. The last zodiac landing is a fact. For the last time we dress warm against the ice cold wind. But this all is still a bit unreal. Boots and foul weather gear are made ready for this last landing. Boots are dipped in the disinfectant and lifejackets are girded on. The TPA (survival suit) and water bottle in the backpack complete our preparations. Location: Barrientos, one of the Aitcho-islands. Barrientos is the last stop before we try our luck in the Drake Passage.
The island is partly covered with rare Antarctic moss so there are nice green hills. We walk through streams so we don't need to step on the moss itself. That is strongly prohibited since any damage to the moss takes 200 years to be replaced. For the other part the island consists of bare rock where the cold wind blows.
Sometimes that wind is even so strong that penguins are blown over on the beach. At least if you believe the stories of Mike (our guide). Which of course we do... We visit the Chinstrap- and Gentoo colony, we again see (and smell) elephant seals and we see a colony kelp gulls.
But everything will come to an end. I manage to be the last one in the last zodiac who leaves, while the wind becomes stronger and by now the snow blows horizontally. The weather deteriorates more quickly and we are back just in time.
The Europa and her crew are ready for the Drake! Now we have to wait for the right winds. It looks like we will be able to leave at 8 o'clock tonight. The watch lists are again completed. Red, White and Blue are ready for it! Everybody hopes to stay upright in the day and night schedule of steering the ship, lookout and hoisting the sails.
We are looking forward to the next few days - Drake here we come!
Blog Bark Europa 5 January 2012
The weather at home today will be warm and sunny; 38-40 degrees, 98% humidity. It will start raining in the afternoon, dropping 50-100mm before stopping late in the evening. Yesterday was the same, tomorrow will be no different. The dull browns and blacks of winter have been washed out of the landscape and replaced with vibrant greens.
Speargrasses will waive their lofty 2 metre stems in the warm summer breezes and flash floods will wash away hundred-metre sections of road in the blinking of an eye. This is what it is like on Victoria River Downs (VRD) in the Northern Territories, Australia during summer, and you'd probably think it was about as far away from the freezing monochrome landscape of the Antarctic as a person could get. You'd be wrong.
Firstly because the the furthest you can get from the Antarctic is the Arctic (of course!). Secondly, what appeals to me most about the Antarctic is not the differences from my home, but the similarities.
One similarlity is the abundance of wildlife, particularly "niche" wildlife specifically adapted for the extremes of the climate. An illustration of the unique nature of wildlife in both places, are the unlikely candidates for alpha predator - in the Antarctic it is a seal and a whale, in the VRD it is a bird.
The most important similarity for me are the vast landscapes and uncompromising isolation. I'm not a particularly sociable person, and I like my personal space on the large side. I share 2200 square kilometres of the VRD with only six other souls. Our nearest neighbour is over 50km away, the nearest shop over 100km away. The VRD is a huge empty place, and I like it that way. Antarctica and its meagre sprinkling of international research stations is my kind of big and empty.
I like the massive landscapes, so incredibly vast that there is no camera and no lens that can properly capture the experience. You have to be here, you have to feel it, to understand it. A sky so impossibly big, a horizon so impossibly far away, and yourself so insignificant by comparison.
It may be easy to miss this incredible feeling aboard the floating palaces of some Antarctic cruises, but aboard this tiny speck on the ocean, a mere 30-odd metre of ancient steel, the feeling is sharp and ever-present. And if that feeling isn't enough for you, you can always go for a "short hike" ashore with Jordi and Mike.
During these brief interludes ashore, you can join your fellow crewmates (ranging in age from their 20's through to their 70's) struggling through raging torrents of glacial meltwater, stomping across bitterly cold glaciers, scrambling up near-vertical slopes of loose scree and scaling ancient volcanoes.
Your lungs burn with each breath of ice-cold Antarctic air, your eyes and face sting from the driving snow and you can't decide whether it's better to slowly cook in your bulky layers of clothing, or to remove them and expose yourself to the numbing cold of the Antarctic air.
Each laboured step higher is a small personal victory over the elements and your own limitations, you really do feel like a polar pioneer (except for the fact you appear to walking a well-worn track, boldly going where thousands have gone before...), until you reach the top, and the ultimate prize:
A bigger sky, A wider horizon,
And you - lost beneath the vast indifference of heaven.
Blog Bark Europa 4 January 2012
Aliens in the Antartctic
04-01-2012 10:00
Today we arrived at Deception Island, after visiting Devil's Island a few days ago and getting close to the Errebus and Terror Gulf. Is it just me, or do other people find even the names of these places awe-inspiring
I know that there are really dull reasons why these places got their names (Devil's Island because the two peaks look like Old Nick's horns and the gulf was named after the 1st two ships to sail there).
Even so I think explorers chose names which captured some of the otherworldiness of this fanatastic Antarctic environment.
The landscapes (and seascapes) we've seen are so alien to anything I've seen before. We sail into bays filled with ice bergs sculpted into weird, gravity defying shapes. Even the colours of the sea seem subtly different - on some days the sea and sky has been faded to shades of silver, grey and white.
Ironically the things that look most alien in this enviroment are the relics of human inhabitation. We've just visited Whalers Bay and seen the now deserted buildings and machinery. It all looks so out of place and some of the gear looks like something left behind by a landing from another planet.
Perhaps the early visitors to this part of the world chose such unusual names for the Islands etc because they realised that they were only visitors here.
Although we are visitors we can still do an enormous ammount of damage. A single clumsy step earlier today sent a rock down hill towards a penguin (don't worry no penguins were hurt - whatever their faults Chinstraps have learnt to dodge falling rocks). But I think we do need to remember to tread gently in this very beautiful and very alien world of the Antarctic.
Blog Bark Europa 3 January 2012
Second landing on the 2nd of January
03-01-2012 10:00
Coming back from two fabulous walks on Devil Island, we depart for our second landing of the day at Brown Bluff, which lies on the Antarctic Peninsula. After some very exciting close encounters of the ice kind, our anchor was put down around 5 o’clock. To enjoy the most of our next landing, dinner was served an hour earlier and soon after 7 o’clock, blacky and grey were heading out to the main land.
Finally main land! Some people really got excited about stepping on the real Antarctica, but to me it felt like a "normal", good as usual landing. Landings are always a bit of a hassle, because you are never quite sure if you are wearing the right gear or taking the right equipment (did you get your camera, sunglasses, gloves?). Occasionally I tend to forget one or two of those items, so I usually end up running up and down the stairs to my cabin to fetch everything, until I finally end up in the zodiac probably without my hat or head.
Of course our guides tell us exactly what we are going to expect, wet landing, rough landing, short walk, nice flat walk, wear your wet gear, wear boots, take your hiking shoes with you...but still you’re never 100% sure. On our first walks I ended up wearing so many layers that I almost suffocated on our ways over the hills. So even though they say that wearing different layers is the best thing to do, you still have to take off those layers and carry them with you, which can be a bit of a pain, when you stumble around on the not so flat beach or climbing the not so flat hills.
Walking along the beach there were 100s of penguins. Somehow you never seem to get enough of those little funny guys and even though your fingers are freezing off, you take picture after picture and you sit and observe all their funny habits and listen to all the peculiar noises they make. Wildlife stays fascinating even after so many landings.
After Mike’s short but very interesting geological talk, we took another way down. This way was much more fun as we slided down on our feet, a couple of us on our bums and this same guy was laughing his head off all the way down. That was so funny.
At the end of our walk, some are so excited about getting on the glacier, that they decide to cuddle and roll in the snow (don’t worry, they are married), while others are so overheated, that they decide to take a dive in the not so very cold sea, while still others are just too happy to get in one of the zodiacs and return to our ship.
I got back on our ship and spent the rest of the evening in the lounge drinking hot chocolate (yes! Thank you Dan) warming up my feet and winning all the games we played. Ok, that might have been a small exaggeration.
Just another wonderful day on the Europa. Thankfully there are still many to go.
Hi to everybody I know!
Blog Bark Europa 2 January 2012
First Footing
02-01-2012 10:00
Having toasted the arrival of 2012 with bubbles on deck amid the icebergs at midnight, ship's time (3am in the UK, 4am in Europe, next Tuesday in New Zealand) we gathered somewhat blearily this morning to land on Paulet Island, in the Weddell Sea.
A visit here is an intense experience; partly because almost the entire island is an ASPA, an Antarctic Special Protected Area, meaning we walk single-file, trying to avoid disturbing the pristine environment and the diverse wildlife , don't step on the moss!!.
And partly because we are following in the footsteps of an expedition of 1902 who over-wintered here when their ship sank, and our time ashore includes a visit to the remains of their stone hut and the grave of the ship's cook, as the wind, snow and Adelie penguins gradually absorb them back into this breath-taking landscape.
So, we are a thoughtful bunch as we move on to the snow-field at the northernmost edge of Dundee Island, a few miles north, considering the hardships endured by these men as they awaited a rescue they weren't sure would ever arrive.
We arrive at the deserted Argentinian station at Petrel Cove, (Petrel Station) and walk out onto the glacier as the still-light night draws in around us. Do we stand, captivated by Nature's sublime beauty? No. We have a massive snowball fight and try to do penguin sliding back down the hill. Happy New Year everyone.
FINAL TECLA LOG / 9 SEPTEMBER 2011
The races are over and so is the board computer of the Tecla! No live logbook entries any more from the ship. After the finish of the culture regatta and the sail out parade, the ship left for Halmstad. With only 2 guests on board, a just married couple, a honeymoon!, they visited Bornholm, after 24 hours with turning winds from nothing to 8 Bft. Bornholm, an island, beautiful and loved by many tourists, from a big distance of the harbor, they spotted the many tourist busses, parked in long lines. As we say in Holland, it has a big Volendam alloy . A small crew and a wind force 7 to 8 Bft on the nose, made the decision to stay for a day an enjoy the island, not very difficult. Now the small crew is sailing with reefed sails heading for Halmstad, the town where the finish was of the previous race, where they hope to meet some of their trainees from the Tall Ship races 2011 again. So, for all the Swedish ex trainees, liaison officers etc. , spread the news, Tecla is visiting Halmstad this weekend and the crew would love to see you all again! All who made this race season so successful.
TECLA LOG 30 AUGUSTUS
TECLA LOG / 58'59.7N 022'07.5E 16:47 UTC 29-08-2011
The race has started! And a bumpy start it was! The waves and changing wind made it a bit uncomfortable as we had wind force 6 in the showers and 3 bf in between. But in the afternoon the wind became more stable force 5 and a little more at times.
As start of our journey with this new group, this sea is not very friendly. Many are sick, but all keep on helping where they can! After dinner we tacked to get a it more west, we almost touched Estonia on this side..
TECLA LOG - depart from Turku
On our way out of the Finnish Archipelago.
The festival in Turku is over and the Tecla is on her way to the start of the second race in de Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta. In Turku we where awarded the second price in the first race and the price for most nationalities!
Yesterday around 15:00 local time we started of in the parade of sail out of Turku. The Archipelago is a very big area with thousands of small islands. It was getting dark soon and we decided we would rather moor alongside the Shtandart, then anchor somewhere for the night. So around 20:30 we where moored and not long after that we where in bed.
This morning at 03:00 we set out again, it is around 06:00 now and we have a little less then 18 NM towards the start. The starting time is 09:00. Wind is from the SW and around force 6bf.
TECLA / 58'33.5N 018'55.5E 15:38 UTC 24-08-2011
The race has finished. Finally we have wind.. but now there is no more race. We are 2nd in our class and 7th overall. Last night we had a nice sail with the Kruzenshtern, Brabander and the 4 oceans dream close by. With a variable wind in force and direction we finished the race at sea at 8:30 board time this morning.
We are still under sail, doing 7 knots towards Turku. We are looking forward to the beautiful archipello. This afternoon we backed some cakes as the wind was calm and there was not a lot to do on deck. Now we have some more wind, steering is easy, no waves, just sun and wind.
GULDEN LEEUW - 26 AUGUST
THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 26 AUGUST
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“How many people can say they’ve sailed a tall ship through the Baltic sea? – what an experience!” Tamara
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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 25 AUGUST
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“The best feeling is when you start to understand what you are doing with the sails and which ropes are to be pulled” Valdas
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My shift started early in the morning, at 12 UTC. The other day we were doing some good speed already, but at night we even exceeded 9 knots at some point. That felt so exciting after having to spend a couple of days crawling at 0.5-1 knots.
Finally we’ve reached the archipelago. Our captain decided to drop the anchor and spend the night between the beautiful islands. However we needed to take away all the sails because we wanted to stop. And that’s where the fun started. We heard a loud bell ringing. “All hands on deck!”. Everybody’s rushing to the deck for some rope pulling. We gathered in our groups and started working. First we took away the square sails, then the staysails. It felt great to get commands by the sail names and to know what the crew is talking about and what needed to be done.
After we dropped the anchor I saw our captain running down to his cabin. Started wondering what was going on. It all became clear when he reappeared in his swimming gear. Swimming time! That didn’t look like a really great idea at the start since the weather was not too warm. However, after seeing the others jumping into the water from the strangest places of the ship more and more people started to join in. The water was a bit cold, but still lots of fun. We also caught a jellyfish “Johnny” for a little biology lesson, but we let the poor thing go back to the water later on.
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“I enjoyed jumping in the water with the rope.” Vili
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We’ve also lowered out little motor boat to make a trip to the island next to our ship. Some of the kids wanted to visit the land and get some stuff from the shop. There’s not much time left for us on this fine vessel so I prefer not to exchange it for a little piece of land. Our little expedition to the island also managed to get the sauna for the crew so we sent the boat to the island again with a bunch of people for some heat and a lot of sweat.
After our little boat left for the island some of us started checking how the “ship” we’re making for the crew-parade survived the night. Although it was put in an awkward position before it looked fine. We’ve got this idea to make a ship a couple of days ago. The first design was to make it out of cardboard, but we found out later on that we don’t have enough material. Luckily Alex came to the rescue. He found some soft pipes that we later used to make the shape. Of course a real sailing ship needs some decoration in the front. In our case it’s a mermaid. That’s where Natalie came in. It took some time to convince her, but after we showed her the beautiful tail we’ve made and the dress she would wear Natalie could not resist anymore. So our ship will have a nice mermaid with a green dress, blue hull and the name THALASSA on the sides. Just like the ship we fell in love during this week.
GULDEN LEEUW 24 - 25 AUGUST
THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 24 AUGUST
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“It was totally great – I enjoyed climbing to the mast a lot.” Väinö
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“The sailing and the people and stuff – all was nice!” Toni
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Our fourth day at sea started at 04:00 UTC, noticing we were heeling quite a lot and speed was awesome. Too bad was that the race would end in about an hour. So we got this spectacular wind a bit too late and it was getting stronger and stronger after the race had ended. At least we were sailing at last and there was no reason for starting the engine, so we continued with sail power for the rest of the day.
Time was running and we were passing Gotland, which took the whole day, but we were at least seeing some land after few days in the middle of the sea. Gotlands coast was looking beautiful, with its steep rocks and few houses and trees. For the dinner Jelle had cooked delicious fish, potatoes and salad, with some garlic sauce.
At some point there was time for fishing. Alltought we didn’t catch anything, it was a nice way to spend time onboard. And also a good way to hang out with other crew.
Wind was still rising, and we gained speed, but we wanted more so we were allowed to lift one more sail, the flying jib. We were able to do it all by ourselves, even thought it was quite challenging. It felt great afterwards. This gave us 0.5 knots more speed so we were travelling about 6,5 knots towards home.
THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 23 AUGUST
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“goed gedaan, jongens! Which means something like ‘nice job, guys’ – trying to learn some dutch” Onni
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The day starts for me with being tilted at 4:00 in the morning when the pears shift starts. At that point everything is going nicely. We were going vaguely in the right direction. We have reached Sweden though *whoo*. BUT OH NO!!! The direction of the wind changes and we have to turn the whole ship around. And now we’re going in the WRONG direction. Everyone else is pretty much ahead of us. We still have a chance though. Group morale is excellent. (I sound like a warleader). This shall lead us to victory.
Then at about 7:00 am something terrible but relaxing happens. The wind dies down completely, and now we’re floating still in the middle of the sea between Gotland and the rest of Sweden. Doing nothing… but chillin’.
The crew parade project has also started and is going nicely. Some have gathered what supplies they could from the ship. The idea is to build a ship that will be carried around Turku in the crew parade. Around the ship there will be waves and fish made out of plastic bags and carton.
Before lunch we had a sailing lesson from teacher Annick Terpstra on wind and how to put the sails depending where the wind blows and which way you are going.
The absolutely delicious lunch was prepared for us by our wonderful chef Jelle and his little helpers. On the menu was Indonesian style fried rice and a sauce to go with that.
The standing still action still continues. The lack of wind gives a good chance for climbing up to the mast. I for example climb to the 2nd platform of the first sail. I must admit those were some preeeeetty good views up there. Also the sunset was pretty spectacular.
No day is complete without some bad news. Reports of more people dying have come to my attention. The murder wave is washing across the ship. People are being murdered without mercy using whatever weapons the murderer can find (or has to find, according to his task-paper given at the start of the game). No… seriously because of the lack of wind the race control has decided that the race will officially end tomorrow at 5:00 UTC. This makes me a little depressed because I wanted to get to Turku using only sail power. If we get no wind we’re going to Turku with the engine. This kind of takes the point from the whole trip.
Day 3 of the Cultural Tall Ships’ Races comes to an end in calm weather. And we’re hoping for more wind during the night. Trainee Jimbo is the best captain ever.
GULDEN LEEUW 23 AUGUST 2011
The weather stayed nice the whole day, but that also meant that there was almost no wind. So we had a very relaxed day. During the day people we’re sunbathing, spending time together and even doing yoga, that was coached by our master yogi Tim. While waiting for the wind to start blowing again, we prepared the sails. That included climbing to the front net which was very exiting.
After dinner we were still waiting for the winds to start blowing and were affraid that we were going to have to put on the engine. We we’re heading for the coast of Gotland when the Captain Robert called all hands on deck. He told us that we were going to tag the ship. He draw the plan on deck with a chalk. Five minutes later we were tagging the ship and the Gulden Leeuw was turned according to the plan.
The day was eventfull but still chill. Now I’m starting my evening watch and we’re still on the coast of Gotland, but we’re trying to get to the goal with the speed of 4,7 kt.
Pauli (and Marleena “the secretary”)
BARK EUROPA 0605 - 52.44.9'N x 4.32.4'E / 22 AUGUST
It was a good night; all sail aloft, dark, calm waters and a clear-starred sky. Our sail down the coast of Holland has already been one of the most pleasant of our summer so far. As they usually go, nice nights follow fine days, and so it was; blue skies, sunlight, warmth! To report such good sailing weather would become tedious on our long ocean crossings, but here, in the north of Europe, our sailing, while excellent, has often been marred above by clouded skies. It says something when I can only remember one earlier clear night sky in nearly two months.
It is fitting that we have such good weather, for this sail we are having is a special one; The "friendship" sail as I call it - A short, one day sail for just friends, family and crew (past and present) of the Europa. It seems that in recognition of our event that the weather gods are going to go easy on us, at least for a day.
We were sailing nicely until midnight, but then to make our date with Amsterdam today we had to turn on the engine. There is wind, but not enough.
THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 22 AUGUST
Report about the 22.08.2011, second day at sea: Yummy yummy pie day
By: Aiste and Urte
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“It was a great 5 days at sea and thank you all for this trip!” Aiste
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“It was interesting, because it was new for me and I’ll remember this for a very long time. – even though it’s kinda uncomfortable being a MERMAID. I would’t recommend growing a tail ;-)” Urte
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So, we are “pears” and our watch was from 4:00 in the morning till 8:00 and we can’t see the sunrise, but others said, that it was amazingly beautiful. Also the weather in the morning was great, sun was shining and wind was kind of strong, but later (I think about 7:30) it started raining and we have to trim some sails and we were all wet.. L
During breakfast we heard some strange noise from outside and the captain ran upstairs really fast. It was a little scary, because we understood that something bad had happened. We all left our meals and ran upstairs too. Crew told us, that one of the ropes in the back of the ship dropped off, but we fixed it quite fast and then everything was “ok” and we went downstairs to finish our breakfast.
Later, before lunch (12:00 UTC time) we did first cleaning in our watches. “Pears” cleaning was the best, because we didn’t have to clean anything! J We just helped Jelle to make lunch and it was really interesting, we felt like participating in same kind of reality show “Extreme kitchen lessons with Jelle”, with huge portion of vegetables, tuna and of course a lot, we mean a LOT of chilli. Best cleaning ever!
During our lunch we started playing some kind of the “killing” game, so now everyone might be a “killer”! Watch out! The rules of this game: everyone gets to draw three papers with name, place and item written on it. You have to murder that person witch name is on the paper, by touching it with the item at that place. The last one alive is the winner!
p.s.: The captain was “killed” in the evening! J Oscar the pirate did that with a chair! J So we are all alone at sea now, Yey! J
After lunch the weather outside was great again, so we came together to play “Sharades”. Lithuanians, Finnish and the crew were all mixed in to two groups and played against each other. It was really funny! Especially then Oscar was trying to act film “Winnie the Pooh”, he looked sooooooo cute! J
And the best thing in that day was the surprise from Jelle, he made inexpressibly tasty pie for all of us! Yummy!
It was all for us, because we went for a sleep, but in the “apples” watch “Thalassa” passed way-point 1! And we were faster than “Gallant”! Hip hip hurray!
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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 21 AUGUST
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“I had a great time and definitely going to do this again some day!” Kaisa
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At 11.30 am we started the engines and left the harbour of Klaipeda. There were tons of people waving their goodbyes at us and we of course sent our love back at them. Thalassa sang ‘’We are the world, we are the people’’ as we entertained the crowd - showing them how to make huge waves with our hands and arms. I never imagined there would really be that many people sending us to the sea.
Once we got far enough the real deal started. First we got divided into three different groups which were apples, pears and bananas. After that we got our first sailing lesson onboard. Thalassas crew showed their best and taught us how to fix the robes and explained about the sails. At that point they all were just a big mess in my head but once we actually got to work with them, they got a bit easier to understand. But just a bit!
At 4pm we switched the time to the UTC. That is universal time corrected, sea time, which means that we travelled three hours back in time. And of course sea sickness is an important part of sailing, especially with new trainees. Some of the old sea lions told us that every time they go to the sea they get seasick. Well, that was kind of comforting to know, but also pretty scary. If they get sick, how sick are the rest of us going to get? I got my own little taste of that fun, but luckily it only came by for a few hours.
Joe decided to entertain us the first evening and taught us the “Who am I” –game. Each trainee thought of a famous person or a band etc and wrote his, hers or its name on a piece of tape. Then everyone had a name unknown to themselves attached to their foreheads and the game was on. People were supposed to guess who they are by asking questions, while the others could answer only either yes or no.
We had Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Michael Jackson, Abba and all kinds of other famous names in our group. The most difficult one was Annick’s – she was absolutely clueless. She found out that she is a female, not a human though, she is a thing, smaller than a boat but not bigger than a human being. She couldn’t eat but she did have two arms and two legs. Finally when we hinted her that every little girl has at least one of her, she guessed. Barbie it is.
We also started our watches the first day. I got a night watch from midnight till 4am. First I thought it isn’t such a good idea but now I actually think that might be the best watch ever. When we start our shift it’s pitch black but then comes the best part: the sunrise. Everyone was pretty exhausted after the first day, partly because of the time correction, but that’s just the way it’s supposed to be.
GULDEN LEEUW - 21 -22 AUGUSTUS
We were so lucky about the start of the trip – the weather was amazing. Sun is shining, a lot of people waving on the shore, music is on – our trip has started with a great mood and happy faces around.
For a person who has never been sailing before, all this sailing process could seem like being in a dark forest at first, but all the trainees were involved so quickly. At the very first day we were divided into the three teams (apples, oranges and white eggs), and we got our responsibilities already. I became part of the eggs team together with other four people. We learned how to deal with the ropes, got the main idea about sailing - how the vessel is moving, how to catch the wind, how to use radars, maps, how to count the best direction and overall - how to win the race. Did I mentioned that we were racing? This fact added a lot of excitement. Four hours you stay waching, and doing all your best to move this vessel as much as it is possible, then eight hours you have your own time and then again four hours of new experiences and discoveries.
Life on the sea is so different. All the people around you are your big family, which you really care about. All for one, one for all – that’s the only one option when you are sailing.
Day two
One of the best things that sea is providing is a quality of sleep. Swinging to the rhythm of the waves reveals the temption, and makes my first night sailing just perfect. I wake up, look through the small window - only water around. This view brings an interesting feeling - it is still strange to be on the water. Even walking is quite hard and funny at first. You have to adapt your moves to the swinging, relax and trust the sea.
In Lithuania we have this saying: there is no bad weather, just bad clothes. Our second day in the sea started with stormy and rainy weather, so I got my warmest clothes and got out to my watch hours. Four hours in the rain makes you forget everything in the world and focus on this exact moment.
At the end of the day we had a small “sum up” about all what has happened today, what was wrong, and what we did right, what are our further plans, and how we are going to catch the wind. I feel in the middle of some interesting new process, which I am getting more and more aware of every day.
Kind regards from the Golden Leeuw
TECLA LOG / 57'13.6N 18'01.3E 15:57 UTC 23-08-2011
We are drifting.. we where drifting last night as well.. as the front of the fleet still had some wind left, we almost turned around and drifted away from our goal.. Around 3:00 board time, the wind returned from the north west, a very small breeze. Right now we still have not rounded the waypoint.. getting there with 0,8 knots..
TECLA LOG / 56'35.7N 18'05.2E 16:40 UTC 22-08-2011
Last night was a beautiful night sailing, winds picked up to 11 knots, while we where doing 8,3 knots towards the first waypoint! The moon was out, and even though it was only half moon, it was shining bright! But around 04:00 board time, clouds came and after an amazing red sunrise it started raining.. The wind died out and Gijs and his watch had to gybe, tack and do all sorts of stunts to keep going towards the waypoint. Rain stopped later in the afternoon, and now the sun is out again! We are doing well in the race, we are 1st in our class and 4th overall. Just now we have giving our new position to race control and in 3 hours we will hear our new position in the race.
TECLA LOG 55'58.3N 020'51.9E 17:22 utc 21-08-2011
After a very windy and wet festival in Klaipeda, we have started the Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta, race 1! We have a small fleet of 27 ships and 6 of them are in our class, class B. We are heading for Turku, rounding a few waypoints that will lead us around the west side of Gotland.
The weather is good, but there is hardly any wind.. The waves that have formed through the last few days are still there, which makes it a bumpy ride once again. Our trainee crew consisting of 10 Lithuanians and 6 from Finland have fallen in the hands of seasickness. Some have recovered by now, hopefully most will feel better after a good nights sleep. Our speed has now gone down to 0,5 knots..
BARK EUROPA 100 YEARS!
TECLA LOG / 55'30.9N 017'13.6E 16:41 UTC 17-08-2011
TECLA LOG / 54'36.0N 12'35.8E 16:37 UTC 15-08-2011
After 4 days of festival and day sails we are on our way again. Between 11 and 14th of August we sailed daytrips during the Hanse Sail Rostock. The first two days where very wet, it rained most of the time. On Saturday the sun came out and we had a wonderful day out on the water. Our DJ and the pirates we had on board made a real party out of it, with fireworks on the breakwaters as a perfect ending of a beautiful day. This was our first time sailing with a DJ on board, we had so much fun dancing on the aft and jumping around that my muscles hurt!
Jan and Jannette where on board during the festival and they took Nyske with them. It was nice to be together as a family again and sad that we had to say goodbye to them this morning. We left Rostock at 10 past 12, and they left with the car back home. Klaipeda will be our next port of call, the start off the Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta! We have to be there on Thursday, in the meanwhile we are discovering the Baltic as we have never been here before!
TECLA LOG / 09/08/2011
55'41.6N 012'41.3E 16:47 UTC 09-08-2011
The Tall Ships Races 2011 have come to an end in Halmstad. The Tecla became
3rd in her class in the last race and overall 11th. We has to do the last
bit of sailing under engine as we had to head into the wind to Halmstad. The
last night the wind picked up some and we had a bumpy ride with short waves.
The festival in Halmstad was well organized. Looking back on the whole race
I think the Tecla crew all think Lerwick was the best and most memorable
harbour. Even with all the rain and wind!
We are now on our way to Rostock for the Hanse sail festival. We have a
small crew on board, we are 6 in total. Last night we anchored up in a small
bay of the island Veaderoe. We had dinner and watched a movie together after
standing in de rain, surrounded by thunder, all day. This night we will be
sailing through to Rostock, hoping to arrive there early in the afternoon.
After that.. we go to Klaipeda for the Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta!
BARK EUROPA LOG/ 08/08/2011
LORD NELSON LOG / 07/08/2011
Sunday in Bruges
Hello there , we are alongside in Bruges as planned and the ship is very quiet as the majority of crew have wandered ashore. We arrived a little later than planned , having had to “ hover “ at the locks to let freight ships out. The morning was sunny and the canals very pretty , with several bridges to pass under , that looked impossibly narrow from the bridge ! Helen was calm on the helm and Captain John got us alongside in time for a shower of rain as we heaved the gangway onto the berth.
Luckily this was short lived and after a delicious lasagne , or pesto and pasta lunch , it was time for most to step ashore,
Bruges is very quiet in comparison to the lights of Amsterdam , and very clean and attractive, As we are only here until 07.30 tomorrow morning , there isn’t time to explore much , but it is worth a longer visit in the future, Cookie Dave and I went for a wander into the main square and found a delicious chocolate shop ! Everyone was so friendly and helpful , we felt that we could have spent hours here.
However , there are fifteen crew who prize Daves cookong over eating out and so it was back to the ship to prepare supper.
The European atmosphere is great , especially the card sharks and guitar strummers in the bar ! We plan to use our first “ sailing friendly “ winds tomorrow , after a fairly roly=poly night , motoring last night. The night watches caught the odd shower too , then it was harbour stations for the locks and again for coming alongside , so I think that people will be early to bed tonight .
Will be in touch when we next get a signal , Jane.
LORD NELSON LOG / 05/08/2011
Welcome to Amsterdam!
We all went out as crew last night into the centre of the city and had a good look round. Amsterdam is absolutely beautiful at night. The city is lit up and looks amazing, there is a real buzz in Amsterdam, and it has a great atmosphere.
As there are a number of Irish crew onboard we chose to head to an Irish bar first and made or way around the city from there.
Amsterdam is famous for its red light district and myself and a number of the others wanted to see this. We were lucky enough to have someone that was fromAmsterdam with us to help us around and make sure that we stayed in safe areas of the city so that we weren’t in any dangerous places or areas.
A lot of the crew commented on the strange feeling of swaying whilst ashore. Although we were sat down at a table or stood still we still felt as though we were at sea and moving. This is a very bizarre feeling and I guess it will last a few days after we get home from sea too.
Later today I am planning on going to see Anne Frank’s house as this is something that we learn a lot about as children at school in Britain and her diary was one of the first books that I read as a child. I am looking forward to visiting the city properly today and taking some photos.
At some point tomorrow morning we leave Amsterdam, head down the canal and out back to sea to visit Bruges in Belgium. I am really looking forward to this as this is a place on my ‘list’ that I have always wanted to visit.
I am currently sat in the bar surrounded by people from all over Europe. There are guitars being played and people are singing along to them. There is a great atmosphere onboard and everyone is getting along great. It is going to be difficult to say goodbye in a weeks time. Living so closely for a week has brought us together and I think I have made friends for life.
Finally, thank you Amsterdam for such a lovely visit.
Laura Bell
MORGENSTER LOG/ 04/08/2011
Hello!
At Tuesday night at 23 o'clock, we unfortunately had to give up the race and
put on the engine. That was because we had been sailing around the same spot
for about 24 hours. But the whole thing has been very interesting and we
learned very much!
Other than sailing the beautiful vessel Morgenster we also had for example
man over board drills and life jacket drills in completely darkness.
We will miss Morgenster, but we will miss the wonderful crew even more!
Especially Joost and his great toasts! And his flip-flops of course.
That's it for now! Goodbye!
Elin Naverstedt, Sofie Rane, Dennis Nilsson
TECLA LOG / 57'48.6N 011'07.2E 16:45 UTC 04-08-2011
After another night of beautiful sailing we are now under sail and engine. The wind is south east and we still have 90 miles to go to Halmstad. The wind dropped a lot this afternoon and so we have had to start the engine to get to Halmstad on time, tacking there would have taken us until tomorrow night, which would make us 12 hours late.. But before we turned on the engine we stopped for a SWIM! We did a hove-to maneuver, with all the sails up and the fore staysail on the windward side and rudder on board, stopping us in the water. Most of the crew went over board for a few jumps until the sun disappeared behind the clouds. It was the first real day of summer!
THALASSA LOG/ 03/08/2011
Tales from a Swedish Trainee
For my part the day started at 03:40 when the call came for
All-Hands-On-Deck. Fortunately for me I was already awake since my
first watch for the day starts at 4 o’clock in the morning. Waking up
to the clanging bell, people screaming and bashing on your cabin door
is not the best way, let me tell you!
In the middle of the organized chaos that always happens when 40
people are running around on deck, trying to find the right rope to
pull at the right time, I looked up at the horizon and was greeted by
the light blue and pink hues of the rising sun. Absolutely beautiful.
�At 12 o’clock UTC-time the race was finished, sadly without reaching
the finish line. The sails got taken down and the engine was started.
We are doing this to be able to reach Halmstad in time for the opening
ceremony and of course all the parties!
I am now on my second shift for today, and the mood onboard feels
quite relaxed. People are talking, playing music and making cookies.
As for me, I am planning to register our current position, which is
something we have to do every hour, and then I �am going to join the
card game at the table next to mine. Life is good.
Jennie Svensson, trainee onboard the Thalassa, 2011.
GULDEN LEEUW / August 3rd 2011
The day began with a beautiful red sunrise and playing dolphins. All of the crew began to look tired but everybody did their best to keep the spirits up. Everythiing went well with the sailing but because of the wind direction we unfortunately didnt make it to the end line. At 14.00 (boardtime) all the ships of class A finished. After the finish we started up the engine and took down the saiils. We have set course to aiimi towards the Skagerak.
TECLA LOG / 57'15.8N 008'20.4E 17:03 UTC 03-08-2011
EENDRACHT LOG / August 2nd
On Saturday we left Stavanger for the last part of The Tall Ships Races and the finishing in Halmstad. The sun was shining and a lot of smaller boats followed us out thru the fjord towards the starting line. On the way out the three watch-teams set up their positions and we practiced some tacking to be ready for the race. The start went well but unfortunately the wind wasn’t as strong as we could have wished for. But we still had a race to win, so no time for complaining! We hoisted all the sails, including the top sails and the light wind genua, and set course on the first check-point. The race started at six o’clock in the evening and after that it was time for us, the trainees, to get on our first night watch. Some of us had been sailing before and some not, but no matter how much experience you have it is always a special feeling to sail in the compact darkness and then be watching a beautiful sunrise at the horizon. After some well needed sleep we woke up to a new day of racing. Unluckily who ever is in charge for the wind made a pretty bad job. During Sunday the wind was decreasing and changed direction many times, witch made it difficult to stay on course and the speed was less than one knot. By night the wind came back and for a couple of hours we did nine knots. But as the wind was changing direction a lot it was nine knots in a circle back towards Norway…
Monday started really promising with sunshine and a relatively stabile wind. The following night we set a new speed record for this week, 11.23 knots! But the luck didn’t stay for long. The direction of the wind was south/south-east and the sick-sacking took us too slowly towards the finish line. Even though we made good speed we slowly realized that with that direction it would be impossible to reach Halmstad before the deadline at Thursday lunch. Many ships had already given up, and at midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday we did so too. It wasn’t with a smile on our faces we took down all the sails and started the engine, but we all knew that it was necessary to get in time to the last port of the competition. After a night by engine the wind has changed and we are now once again a sailing vessel, but with a very tight schedule.
GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 2 - 8 - 2011
After two days without much wind, it finally began to blow up. Tuesday night on 2. august we felt the ship moving in the waves for the first time. For det most of us this experence gave us more motivation, while fore some it resulted in beeing seasick. Today we have had a lot of wind, but maybe in the wrong direction than we wish. Fortunatly the captain is optimistre and that means a lot fore the whole crew. We are having a good time on gulden leeuw, but we also get many new experences in the work we take part in. Brtit Lillian and Anette
TECLA LOG / 57'47.2N 006'15.2E 16:41 UTC 02-08-2011
South, South East, South South West, South South East... 3 knots, 4 knots, 6, 7, 8, 3, 5, 7 knots of wind.. and there goes the Tecla! We have had a busy night and day, tacking, bearing of, creeping up closer to the wind and trying to get in front of all the other around. Last night we made some good moves, but in the classification we are still nr 4 in our class and 13 overall. There is talk of finishing at sea so that we can get to port in time. For us that would not be very good at the moment as we are once again drifting. The group is working hard, but in silence we are all hoping for more wind!
GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 1 Augustus 2011
My group got shift from 4 to 7 in the morning, so my day started early. It was my birthday so the Captain and the rest of the group sang Happy birthday to you.... It was fun, because I almost thought they had forgot. The day included work in the kitchen, bread making, sailing and a lot of sleep. But also boatparty, they played music and people where dancing. I was surprised and happy offcourse when the chef came out with a big chocolatecake. I even got a present, a blue shirt with the ships, Gulden Leeuw logo. Celebrating birthday at sea wasnt bad at all. I had a really good time and in the evening we played some cards
MORGENSTER LOG/ August 2nd
Ship o`hoi! Greetings from the Dutch Morgenster! A beautiful ship with tiny beds, slippery floors and the best collection of Europeans. When we first arrived the ship in Stavanger, we were warmly welcomed by the captain and his crew (and lots of cheap beer!!). It was a really great experience to sail out of the doc along with lots of other big ships and hundreds of small private boats, stacked with curious people. Definetly our 15 minutes of fame!
Today we finally have Egersund behind us, and have our noses pointed towards Halmstad, Sweden. Some of the other ships have already given up because of the lack of wind, and turned on their engines last night. Giving up was never an option for us, we will stay strong and make the crew on board proud (even though the ETA says we will never reach Halmstad)!
When we are not giving our best on deck, we eat a lot of really good food (weeeell, lets not mention the out-of-this-world dry bread!), listen to reggae and teach each other cardgames from the different countries on board.
We are having a lot of fun on Morgenster and are really happy to get to experience this amazing tall ships race!
Kind regards,
Ellen and Torill
TECLA LOG/ 02/08/2011
57'47.2N 006'15.2E 16:41 UTC 02-08-2011
South, South East, South South West, South South East... 3 knots, 4 knots,
6, 7, 8, 3, 5, 7 knots of wind.. and there goes the Tecla! We have had a
busy night and day, tacking, bearing of, creeping up closer to the wind and
trying to get in front of all the other around. Last night we made some good
moves, but in the classification we are still nr 4 in our class and 13
overall. There is talk of finishing at sea so that we can get to port in
time. For us that would not be very good at the moment as we are once again
drifting.. The group is working hard, but in silence we are all hoping for
more wind!
TECLA LOG / 58'15.5N 005'45.6E 01-08-2011 17:01 UTC
The wind died out last night and did not return until this morning. Everybody seemed to drift faster then us.. and so our good start turned into a drifting fest towards the south south east. The waypoint is still 85 miles to go and the wind is not likely to increase a lot in de coming hours.. Between 3 and 8 knots of wind is what we have been playing with. We did make some lovely fairy cupcakes for the afternoon! Around us some vessels seem to be despairing and putting up non rating sails.. Gijs and I both have a cold that is not in the rating..!
MORGENSTER/ 01/08/2011
We started off from Stavanger harbour around 12.30 AM. Some of the new
volunteers climbed to the top of the mast to enjoy the view, others took
pictures off all the other sailboats and people watching. We where supposed
to start at 18.00 AM, but the entire crew was so excited that they couldn't
wait until the time passed 18.00. In a enormous speed we raced to the start
line before anyone else! That resulted in that we started before we where
allowed to. The hole 1.5 minute we passed before we where supposed to, cost
us an entire 360 turn around as a penalty. After that, the crew was so crazy
to get in for the lost time, so we used an extra sail, a special "stunt
sail" to get more wind and speed. All this made an exciting start at
Morgenster for the new volunteers. After the dinner we got told that our
speed was good and we had a great course.
Christoffer
BARK EUROPA LOG/ 01/08/2011
A Slow and Exciting Start
TECLA LOG / 31/07/2011
17:55 UTC 31-07-2011 58'53.6N 005'09.2E
We have started race 3 of the Tall Ships Races 2011! The wind is very variable both in strength and direction. The race start was good, but not as spectacular as last time. In the A class a few vessels started to early and most of them have now done their 360 turn to make up for that. Our new group is a nice mix of Dutch, German, French, English, Norwegian and Swedish trainees. We have already done some sail handling taking out of the fjord. We had some nice company of the Nortun, a slightly smaller Logger that has her home base in Norway. On Saturday we had the we where invited to visit her and have lunch there, we had an amazing time and the vessel is stunning inside and outside!
We are heading for a waypoint south south east of us, at about 128 miles. Winds and current will make this an exciting race!
EENDRACHT LOG/ 31/07/2011
Hello!
MORGENSTER LOG / 27/07/2011
GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 27-28/07.2011
27th July
Marianne Fjermestad, Helle Daling Nannestad and Katrine Merkesdal Hall, Norway
BARK EUROPA LOG/ 27/07/2011
2330 – 58˚53.6’N x 6˚02.6’E – Hogsfjorden, Norway
By Matthew Maples
TOMIDI RACE 2 LERWICK - STAVANGER
Race 2: Lerwick - Stavanger
I joined the Tomidi in Shetland for the Tall Ships Race to Stavanger. I was kind of nervous because I’d never sailed out of sight of land before. There were 3 trainees as well as the skipper and his son, Tom. As we were manoeuvring to cross the start line we almost “capsized”! Despite the rough start we still made it 1st across the start line. We had good wind all the way across to Stavanger. While we were crossing we ran into seismic surveys. They called us on the radio and told us to change our course. This put us off course for quite some time. However, we still managed to cross the finish line 4th. On corrected time we came 3rd in our class. I really enjoyed my time on the Tomidi and made great friends with the crew.
Jack
TOMIDI CRUISE IN COMPANY - LERWICK - GREENOCK
Cruise in Company: Greenock - Lerwick
We slept in Lamlash. I woke up at 5h30 in the morning and we were with the keel on the ground since the yacht was heeling over to one side. We left at around 10 in the morning for Campbeltown on Kintyre. We spotted a fisher boat and asked the guys what they had as a catch. The answer was scallops, so we decided to buy some for dinner. The guy gave us the scallops but much more than the 10 we asked for and then he dove into the water to swim to our boat for the money we owed him. He was in his diver suit so we guessed he wasn't too cold. After a good sail we arrived in Campbeltown at 14h30 and it was a gorgeous day. Sunny and warm. We went for a stroll, did some shopping at Tesco's and went to the pub. I had a cider and it tasted really good.
Then back to the boat where I had the "pleasure" of cleaning the scallops to be ready for consumption. But they tasted divinely good. Probably the best scallops we ever had. We enjoyed the quiet evening and the beautiful sunset.
We woke up quiet late today but there was no need to leave early since the favourable current would come in late. Some of us had some trouble to wake up. Not surprisingly when you know that they emptied the whole can of red wine (4 bottles). We started with sunshine and a lovely breeze.
Arrived in Port Ellen after a nice sail where we passed by the Mull of Kintyre and could see Northern Ireland which was only 10 miles away. In Port. Ellen we went for a stroll but all 8 distilleries were already closed by the time we got there. Went to the local pub for a drink. After a good game of cards won by the skipper and Tom (only by a couple of points) we had a lovely dinner prepared by our chef Katy.
On Friday we sailed from Port Ellen to Oban approx.. 58 nm. The winds were light but under spinnaker and with favourable current we made good speed but as usual arrived late to visit any distillery. We docked at the North pier right next to a restaurant and near a Danish boat that was on her way back after a voyage to the Caribbean.
The food was delicious and we went back on board with the intention to have an early night since we had to get up at 4h00 in the morning. But then we started to play cards. Katy was obviously new to the game and although extensive explanation was given, she played in such a way that Robin was nearly driven to desperation and was ready to ransack the local distillery... After we went to bed then the Danish crew had to come over our boat to get home and they had some trouble achieving this if we can judge by the racket they made. End of a beautiful day.
We had a very early start in Oban and were on our way to the Caledonian canal by 4h00 in the morning. We were at the entrance by 8h30 and started the steep climb on Neptune's staircase. All 8 locks we went through and tried to get to Fort August before 6pm but we didn't make it and got ourselves stranded in the pouring rain in a spot called Cullochy: the exact middle of nowhere. There wasn't even a pub to go to and since it was raining cats and dogs we stayed on board and tried to keep dry whilst playing cards. Another game was won by the skipper and his son. On sunday we sailed from the middle of nowhere to Inverness. It was a nice day with very little rain and sunshine. We were early but just didn't made it into the sea lock.
We went to town and discovered a nice pub The Room and a good restaurant the Corner Grill and although we had hoped to taste some lamb, it was not on the menu but the venison and steaks were great.
So on Monday morning, we went up early to be able to go through the sea lock, but were told that there was no water enough and that we had to wait until 11h00 before we would be able to go. So we decided to do some sightseeing and leave at 5h00 in the afternoon and sail during the night to Kirkwall. The start was alright until we got tangled up in a rope. We turned to get rid of it but to no avail. It was a bumpy ride all the way. We did the watch together with Tom from midnight until 4h00 in the morning. Dirk had to do his watch alone as Robin was giving food to the fishes as he was sick. Tom did take over and both Dirk and Tom did get very little sleep. We arrived in Kirkwall at around 10:30 in the morning. But first we ensured that the rope was tied up as much as possible so it couldn't get into the propeller. A diver will have to come later to undo the rope from around the keel. Now a day in Kirkwall.
We will remember our stay in Kirkwall but not for the right reasons. The information mentioned that a warm welcome would await us in the Orkneys. To start we were told that we were docked in a private marina that "had nothing to do with the tall ships" in such a way that we were wondering what a cold shoulder could be. But we decided that Tuesday would be a day of sightseeing. The crew went for a visit to the standing stones of Stennes, this site is quite impressive to say the least. After that we had a good walk where we met with the local crazy cattle and a very nice dog who was looking for some company. But the skipper had no day off. The divers who had come the day before had cleared the rope in about 3 minutes time and their charge was 200 quid. We were told that this would be doubling if not paid by the end of the day. And sure enough by 4h00 suddenly the charge was now 400. This will have a further episode in court. So in the end the skipper even ended up in the local police station explaining the situation so that we could escape the warm welcome of Kirkwall. We left in the evening for our last night sail of the Cruise in Company and to our final destination: Lerwick. First we sailed cautionately through the many Orkney Isles. They gave us a spectacular sight in the dying light of the day. We did shake the reef that was still in the main sail and headed full sail to Lerwick. It was a great sailing trip with shifting winds in angle and in force. We also had a bit of a mystery... The mystery of the disappearing toilet seat.
The night before it had come off and Tom and Robin had repaired it. But this night it came off again when I used it, but no one was informed. Whilst I was asleep Dirk asked Robin why it hadn't been repaired. The question was solved later...
We arrived at Lerwick at 8h00 in the morning. A beautiful sight with all the tall ships already docked. But we were already woken up much earlier by all the radio traffic between the harbour and the arriving vessels.
The end of our sailing for this trip. Now we will enjoy the crew activities for the next couple of days.
On Thursday we met with our liaison officer Mike and had a couple hours of sleep. We participated with the crew parade. We were just in front of a marimba band and they were playing their music for the whole parade. We received a warm welcome from the town of Lerwick and the parade was really fun.
We then visited the local pub where we met with Ivan, who insisted that he was pissed and tried to be our guide for the next hour or so, although he seemed to have trouble finding his words. Pool was played an won by Dirk and Tom. They had a go at the darts as well.
The Crew party was on a great spot but it was really freezing there. So after we had the food which was really nice, we decided to go back to the boat. We decided to have a go at the cards game. Well 3 games and a couple of bottles of red wine later at 4h00 the game was won again by Dirk and Tom.
Tonight we will go to the concert of the Levellers which is on the program.
This will conclude our journey that brought us from Scotland via the Orkneys to the Shetland Isles.
Caroline
MORGENSTER LOG / 27/07/2011
The race started 25.07 from Lerwick. Right before we left the harbor for
training we could see a seal. When we got out of the harbor everyone was
ready for the race to start, we prepared the ship before the start. We
started trimming the sails and tried to get most possible out of the wind.
The next shifts consisted of getting the most possible out of the sails and
adjust the sails, so we could come to Stavanger as fast as possible. The
shifts continued with trimming the sails and watching out until we could see
land, and we were closing up to the finish line. We had Sorlandet right next
to us in the last miles so it got very intense, but we were a bit in front
of them. After the finish we continued a bit further before we took down the
sails and stoped.
From my view it was a nice experience and it was very fun. I think I was
lucky with my shift since I got from 08-12 and 20-00, so I did not have to
wake up in the middle of night.
(Anders)
GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 25.07.2011
Helle Daling Nannestad and Johanna Sanne
The morning started with breakfast at 8.30 am and after we started
preparing the ship for the race. We had to make sure our clothes, the
dishes, the tables and so on were safe and couldnt fall down during
the trip. Then we left the harbour - it was a big moment to see all
the other ships who left the harbour at the same time. There were
lots of people who gathered to wave goodbye and we played Shetland
fiddle music and danced because we were exited. As we left we had to
race the sails and everyone was needed their power to pull the ropes.
The race started at 5 pm outside the harbour entrance. To get the
best posision at the start, all sail trauinees were on watch to
improve the sails when it was needed. Now we got to experience the
movement of the waves - Some felt it more than other, and two of us
got seasick.
As for me, Johanna, unfortunately I was sick. I felt ill a short time
after the start line. The best thing is to go outside and look at the
horrizon and I didnt....so i pucked.... But the crew was so nice and
tried everything to make me fell better. Normally I would have been
on watch after dinner, but i was allowed to sleep. Sleeping is very
helpful. At 1.00 am, I had my first watch and luckly I felt better
again.
Because we are only a few trainees on the ship, we have just two
groups. This means we have to work for three hours and then sleep for
three hours during the night watches. In the day we work for six
hours. This means also a longer rest after the watch.
Other activities are helping to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner
and also cleaning up everywhere inside the boat. On the deck, we tidy
up by coiling the ropes, we steer the boat on the wheel. We keep the
ships log every hour and we do a lot of pulling ropes together.
During the days we have learnt that sailing this boat means teamwork.
We need everyone to need hard at all the watches and everyone must
contribute equally.
TECLA LOG / 26.07.2011
Grey. As a surrounding body does the grey mass of the water and the sky guide us from Shetland to Stavanger. Although it is an understatement to call the start of the race just spectacular -we're almost able to touch the starboard side of the Constantia- the color of quite a few faces changes quickly to one which is similar to the greyness of the sea and the sky; seasickness. In a short amount of time it is shown that the sea cannot be understood by studying books only when of the 7 persons of the Amsterdam Maritime Officer Academy which are on board, some become seasick. Grey faces are moving over the deck. One of the few enlightenments is the enthousiasm of Jet and Gijs about our position in the race. The beautiful sight of other fully wigged Tall Ships which cannot keep up with us because of our 'relative extraordinary velocity' also seems to relax the persons on board with the sky-grey faces, who recaptured some facial color after a good night of sleep. As the sun finds its way through the cloudy sky to the surface of the sea, so does the endless greyness of the surrounding body start to vanish. the first piece of land is in sight. We hope that in the same manner the grey Shetland Islands will be exchanged for a colorful Stavanger.
Niels Agterhorst
TECLA LOG / 25.07.2011
59'57.9N 000'33.8W
We have started race 2 of the Tall Ships Races 2011. It was a magnificent
start! And we are sailing beautifully. After the delay of 24 hours due to
strong winds and high waves, there are still a few waves left, but enough
winds to keep a nice speed of 8,2 knots. We have all our sails up and are
trying to keep our head position as we started as one of the first in our
class.
Today Colin our liaison officer joined us on the sail out, he has been a
great help throughout the Lerwick festival and a pleasure to have on board!
Thank you Colin!
And thanks to everybody for all the birthday wishes this week! I had a great
day in Lerwick!
Jet
MORGENSTER LOG / 17-21/07/2011
BARK EUROPA LOG/ 24/07/2011
Lerwick, Scotland
We should be out at sea right now, en-route to Stavanger, Norway.
Instead, our docklines remain firmly fixed to the concrete pier of Shetland.
Outside, the wind howls for the third day in a row, now joined by the cold
rain. Even within our ship we wear multiple layers for warmth, sometimes
with even our winter coats, caps and mitts on to keep away the chill of the
northern winds that bellow down from arctic regions. Winter gear? Isn't this
July?
It may be summer, but this is the Shetland Islands. Here, we are only a mere
few degrees from the Arctic circle at this latitude. When we depart, we will
sail /south/ to Norway. It says something about how north you are when you
are sailing south to Norway!
For better or worse, the race is delayed and we wait. Regardless of the
cold, we are far from bored; Lerwick has given the ships a welcome and a
festival with warmth far in excess of the frowning weather! These maritime
people seem to understand well the needs of a ship and its crew, with ample
facilities and entertainment in offer.
In competition with the howl of the wind, the very air of Lerwick is
permeated with music. Every time I walk off the ship I hear the sounds of
bagpipes marching through the streets, of fast-folk-fiddles and bellowing
accordions from one of the outdoor concert venues or a solo musician upon a
street corner. The Shetlander's are a proud people, and the full effect of
their musical heritage, costumery and tradition is on display. Yet, the
Shetlander's manage to meld the rare combination of pride and hospitality
without a hint or arrogance. I remember witnessing a folk-dance event held
on our very pier; many of the Shetlander's knew the traditional dances
played by their fiddles and accordions, and they did not mind when some of
our tallship crews joined in. Despite our less-than-fancy footwork and
off-kilter coordination, they accepted us into their fun and tried to help
us along! All in good cheer.
Lerwick looks like what one expects an "old-timey" seaside town to look
like; gray stone buildings with winding uphill streets topped by a
cannon-studded fort. Our forest of masts completes the illusion of
time-travel to an earlier maritime era.
The excitement did not begin in Lerwick however, our voyage from Orkney to
the Shetlands was quite an energetic sail. With the wind coming from the
north, our destination, we were forced to tack our way around the west end
of Orkney to make our way to the southern tip of the Shetlands.
The passage was quick, even as we were close hauled with steady wind, for
the Shetlands were only a mere 90 miles from our starting position in
Orkney. Arriving at therolling green pastures and cliffs of southern
Shetland on the 20th, we sailed past a cliff-borne lighthouse, where Colin
Baxter, father of our bosun Daniel Baxter, was awaiting us, camera at the
ready to shoot a photo finish of our voyage. We would end our day anchored
in Mousa Bay, near the most intact "Broch" (an iron-age tower-like structure
of mysterious purpose) in all of Scotland. Klaas has a knack for anchoring
us in places with good breakfast scenery!
Despite arriving, our work was just beginning anew, for we had to tack,
again and again, up the east coat of the Shetlands. Our tacking skills were
improving by now, no mean feat, as tacking a square-rigged ship is an
involved manuever, requiring as many hands as possible for success.
In tacking we alter our course by bringing the bow across the face of the
wind, using only our rudder and sails to bring the wind upon the other side
of the vessel. It is a good exercise for crew and trainees, as we need to
work together and in concertion with our 24 sails to manuever our ship.
It begins with a slacking of our headsails to take wind pressure off of our
bow, and bringing our mizzen spanker sail closer to the wind to increase the
force upon the stern. With the rudder swung to the opposite side for
steerage, we then brace our main mast squares for the new tack, and let the
foremast sails go aback, filling backwards with wind so that we are actually
pushed backwards and to the other side of the wind. Then our triangular
staysails are brought to the other side and trimmed for the new wind.
Throughout the whole manuever sails are taken away and reset, trimmed to a
new tack and squares are braced. All of it needs to happen on time and
quickly, putting the boot of time to our butts to really work the ship - a
test of our skill truly! We had plenty of practice since the Orkney's and
the improvement was really showing as we tacked for show a few times outside
of Lerwick, whilst the other tallships merely motored into harbor.
Though we groan at the news of headwinds, perhaps it is a good thing for our
us and our trainees - it is a lot of experience at sailing - a lot of ropes
to pull and sail to haul aloft. Though harder then simply setting the sails
and enjoying the view, we are better sailors at the end of the day for all
the work. Besides, it makes dinner taste better.
On the afternoon of the 21st, the day of our arrival, we had our crew parade
to celebrate the opening of the festivities. Our trainees continued their
traditional theme of pirates and mermaids, whilst the crews of several dozen
fellow tallships in port sported everything from smart white navy uniforms
to foul weather gear and buckets upon their heads. Leading every crew was a
small mob of Shetlander's dressed in the steels and leather of their Viking
ancestors, brandishing both axes and grins in homage to their Viking
heritage. The crew party followed thereafter, with a sea-bound horde of tall
ship crews and trainees in attendance. Since then, Lerwick has provided
tours, fireworks and evening concerts to accompany their lively island
banter to entertain.
Lerwick has been a good host to us, so it is not painful for us to stay
because of the race delay. A force 7 wind has kicked up the North Sea,
making the passage painful for the "not-so-tall-ships". We would be fine, if
uncomfortable in such a mess. Regardless, the race authorities have chosen
to delay the race until tomorrow. Hopefully by then the wind will have
abated and we can begin our crossing to a waiting Stavanger.
GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 24.07.11
TECLA LOG / 59'21.5N 003'00.5W 17:43 UTC 20-07-2011
We are on our way again. We left the quay under sail this morning, which was good, because now everybody had something to do and keep warm.. because it was freezing this morning!! And still.. The northern wind we are having feels like ice, and with a shower every now and then it feels like an October trip, in stead of a nice summer sail!
TECLA LOG / Scapa Bay 20:34 UTC 19-07-2011
After beating up against the wind into a small bay last night, we moored along a quay near Upper Scapa. Also there where the Maybe, John Lang, black diamond and later the Jolie Brise joined us as well. We had a huge barbecue on the quay with all the ships. The evening got cold fast and so everybody went their own way after the bbq. A small meeting was held with some of the
BARK EUROPA LOG / July 19, 2011 0600 - Stromness Harbor, Orkney Islands
It has been good sailing for us since we left Rum Island. Coming up through the Upper Hebrides, often making 9 to 10 knots, we flew past the northwestern corner of Scotland - Cape Wrath. (More).
TECLA LOG / Stromness harbor 13:26 UTC 17-07-2011
Last night the wind picked up some and the wind turned to the north east, which meant that we had to tack our way to Stromness. The waves went from nice long swell to a short nasty wave that stopped us dead in the water every now and then. And then it started raining.. without end it rained the whole night and morning, in the showers the wind increased to 6 bf so at watch handover at 04:00 local time we reeved the mainsail and tacked towards the Orkneys. We had a few seasick people, but with land insight all where well again.
TECLA LOG / 58'36.3N 004'23.3W 17:58 UTC 16-07-2011
In de nacht van 14 op 15 juli zijn wij Stornoway binnen gelopen. Helaas was tegen die tijd de wind op, we hebben een kleine wiskey gedronken en zijn de volgende dag in de stad rond wezen kijken. Een deel van de groep is met de bus het eiland rond gereden de rest heeft het stadje bekeken. Gedurende de dag kwamen er nog meer Tall Ships binnen lopen.
TECLA LOG / 57'42.9N 006'44.6W 17:42 UTC 14-7-2011
We have had some good moments of sailing, but mostly we had a difficult time getting there where we wanted to go by sail. Along the way we have started the engine a few times and with shifting winds we tried to sail as much as possible. But it is a cruise in company, so we would like to visit some ports. And that is what we are going to do, hopefully arriving somewhere this night. Stornoway is our goal, where we have been invited to be part of their festival.
BARK EUROPA LOG / July 14th - 2330 - 57.00.8'N x 6.15.2'W -
Rum Island, Loch Scresort
Our journey northwards to the Shetland Islands, while leisurely, has still been as exciting as a tall ships race - at least it is for those who have not seen the islands of the Hebrides in far northwest Scotland. By day we slowly weave through chains of forlorn islands of stone-strewn cliffs and weathered, greened tops. Every island we cross seems to be more impressive then the last one left in our wake! Today, as small showers of rain and fog came and went, the islands would disappear and re-appear, lending a dream-like flourish to an already dramatic landscape.
TECLA LOG / July 13
We arrived in Greenock on the 11th of July, where the Tall Ships were berthed. We boarded the Tecla around 4 o'clock in the afternoon where we met other crew members traveling on this leg. We were shown to our rooms and welcomed before enjoying dinner and an impressive fireworks display and then bed.
The next morning we were up for breakfast at 8 o'clock before a safety briefing. We enjoyed a display from the Red Arrows in the morning before setting sail and joining in the parade of sail at 13:54. We were assigned our watch times. We were joined by four Frenchmen who were the crew of a similar boat the the Tecla called Mutin. We sailed out of Greenock,down the Clyde past Gourock, Kip, Bute and Arran, and were approaching Campbeltown when I went to bed.
On Wednesday morning I was up and ready for my watch to begin at 4am. At this point we were in the Mull of Kintyre, heading north, looking towards Jura and Islay. The wind picked up around 7am to give us up to 6knots sailing speed at some points. it was a very clear day with the sun shining and warm temperatures. We continued to sail north, heading towards Stornoway. Although at times there was very little wind the warm conditions allowed for very pleasant sailing.
Ruairidh Soane (trainee)
TECLA LOG / 55'39.1N 004'59.5W 18:31 UTC 12-7-2011
Underway using sail, but very slowly! 0,7 knots, but we like the lack off noise! We are on our way to Stornoway with our new group of trainees. We have a lot of familiar faces around us, which feels good! We started of the Cruise in Company by leaving Greenock's jetty at 14:00 under sail...! We had to start the engine to get out of the harbor a little bit faster and join the parade of sail, but we had mainsail, forestaysail and jib set. And we had some nice extra company on board, 4 gentlemen from the French naval vessel Mutin. The Mutin is a French tuna fishing boat with a rigging that has a lot of similarities with the Tecla. We had a great day, but no wind.. we set the topsail together but because of the lack of wind we had a hard time getting it up. Just before dinner time their little dingy came to pick them up to go back to their vessel, which was 100 meters away from us, but heading in a different direction. They will spend the night in Lamlash bay and proceed to the Isle of Man, not joining the Cruise. We will sail through the night and see what tomorrow brings.
Results of Tall Ships Race 1 from Waterford to Greenock:
CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / Friday 8 July
Wednesday passed, thursday too. We are now at Friday, but as we didn't give a logg of what happened on Thursday I will give a short recap of what happened.
Only one of the shifts where on duty during the day, not ours, so we ended up with a really chilled out day. We were called up on deck by the captain, who basically gave us two choices about what we where to do. Due to the fjord being quite slim and due to wierd wind conditions it would be a tedious night of tacking with "all man on deck" being called every 45 minutes. So. The option was to go to a new town and spend the night docked up, majority ruled that we were to choose a new town over tacking all night long.
So we headed over to the town of Lamlash, också på Ile of Aran. After an initial look at the town to see what it could offer us. It turned out they had sorted out a smaller festival, including even a choir singing shanti songs. They also had a barbeque and outdoors bar.
Me (Samuel), Louise and a Norwiegan guy went into the town and got a guided tour of the little that the town could offer. This was a boarded up church, all the pubs in town, and that's it. The guide was a Scotish woman that lived in Sweden in the fifties.
After the tour we headed off to th local pub, well Louise didn't. After this we left back for the boat back to Christian Radich, we got into a dinghi that took us half way. It took on to many passengers and we were up to our waists in water. But hey, we ended the night in laugther. Because, hey... How many peopole can say they where in a boat that sunk?
TECLA LOG / Thursday 7 juli 2011 16:42
We are anchored at Lamlash bay. Yesterday we had a beautiful sail over from Belfast to the Island of Arran, where we anchored around 20:00 hours. The Maybe came along side us and the Wylde Swan and Jolie Brise with whom we had been sailing over here, threw anchor nearby. There where also a few other Tall Ships already here, Europa, Astrid, Mutin, Pelican of London, Tomidi, Morningstar of Revelation, Moosk and some more. Everybody was able to stretch their legs for a bit on shore and where picked up by dinghy later in the evening.
CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / 5 july We've Won!
We are now at the small port of a village called LochRanza in Scotland. We have sailed up here, due to the speed of the race leg so far. We arrived at the finishing line alot faster than planned, due to this we have had to find other things to do instead of the actual race.
TECLA LOG / #1 in class B & #2 overall!
The race finished yesterday, we crossed the finish at 10:14 UTC. We had been getting up the Tall Ships class B ladder for sometime and as we finished we thought we where #2 in class and #7 overall... But last night as we where having some friends over from the Jolie Brise, Wylde Swan, Maybe and the Prolific we got a call from home (thanks Jannette!!) that we actually WON the race! This morning it was announced on the STI website, Tecla is #1 in her class and #2 overall!!!!!!!
CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / Tuesday 5 july 2011
BARK EUROPA LOG / 4 Juli 52˚00.2’N x 6˚46.7’W
The silhouette of the /Gloria /glides across our bow this morning, less than a mile ahead of us. Backlit against the first tatters of red morning light, the /Gloria/ is entirely black and featureless, as if cut from black paper and pasted onto the scene in front of us. Braced sharp and with nearly all sail set, she looks like she is going as fast as a tall ship in an antique store painting.
CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / 4 juli
The second, third for some, day of our voyage is half way done. The ship is at this point at good speed, expecting arrival within a couple of days. Thanks to the replanning of the route due to the small ships not being deemed capable of taking on the challenging weather, a couple of days earlier than the ninth. This is ofcourse not good news for all onboard. Some want more time on the boat and others just want to take on the more challenging weather. Yesterday afternoon and evening we had conflicting news, showing that maratime life is not something easily planned. The same plans seem hard to keep on schedual.
TECLA LOG / 18:06 UTC 04-07-2011 52'28.6N 005'40.2N
Last night was a slight nightmare for the Tecla and her crew. We had no wind, at all.. I started my watch with a small breeze, but within an hour we where turning around without any steering speed. We spend the night chasing after small breezes, changing course when we could and hoping that we would not drift backwards to fast.. One of the vessels next to us went at anchor when the current changed, we stayed under sail and caught the first little breeze in the morning. We tacked and the speed went up to 4 knots, 5, 6, 7 and then 8,7 knots when we sailed passed the second waypoint.
CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / Waterford – Greenock 2 juli 2011
For those few that didn’t pay for an extra night on-board before the race, their stay on-board started today. The permanent crew presented themselves at a meeting directly after breakfast at half past six, along with a short presentation of rules and some of the areas not covered by the familiarization tour that those not present yesterday received of the square-rigger.
TECLA LOG / 19:39 UTC 03-07-2011 52'04.2N 006'46.0W
After a very nice Tall Ships Festival in Waterford, we have once again started the race. The first race of the Tall Ships Races 2011. Starting time for class B was 14:30 UTC. To bad for us, there is no wind.. The start had some wind, bf 2, but now we are just drifting and waiting. Looking at all the other Tall Ships around us what they are doing, what way are they turning, why are they turning, do they have wind, do they have a more favorable current or is a whale pulling them? The Race will go through the Irish Sea, a leg of a little over 200 miles. We are currently doing 0,7 knots... the wrong way.. You can follow us around live on the Sail Training International website, www.sailtraininginternational.org.
TECLA LOG / 29-06-2011 19:01 UTC 51'08.2N 006'27.5W
Underway using sail! Doing 6,7 knots towards our goal, the entrance of the river SUIR, another 60 miles to go! Spirits are high, we just saw dolphins and Gijs saw a Whale breathing. Wind is going to turn more to the north soon, so we hope to make some more miles towards our goal fast! We heard the Pogoria on the VHF, but have not seen any other Tall Ships on their way to Waterford. Tomorrow the Tall Ships Race 2011 festival Waterford will start. We are looking forward to seeing everybody and racing again!
TECLA LOG / 27-06-2011 18:32 board time 50'07.0N 004'00.7W
TECLA LOG / 26-06-2011 18:30 BT 50'20.7N 00'39.8W
After a long night, morning and most of the afternoon spend in thick fog, we have a clear sight again! Last night around 20:00 board time, the sun and everything around us disappeared.. We passed Cap Gris Nez around 01:00 without ever seeing its light or the lights of Boulogne sur Mer. The wind had died out last night, then turned to the south east, force 2, turned to the east and increased to a force 3/4. So around 14:00 we set sail, starting with the big jib!! The fog cleared around 16:00. We are now doing around 5 knots, we can see the isle of Wight, but will not stop there. After the dinner dishes we will gibe and try and get to the scilly isles. There is a north west wind coming and we hope not the have that in the English Channel.. We have heard some of the other Tall Ships heading to the Waterford on the VHF, we heard the Christian Radich, the Eendracht and the Astrid. We are all looking forward to seeing them in port!
TECLA LOG / 25-06-2011, 51'03.6 N 001'59.6 E
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TECLA 6 OKTOBER 2010
53'50.8N 002'22.8E 16:41 UTC
Wind increased again so last night we reeved the mainsail and took down the big jib and replaced it with the small jib. It was a lot of work for a small crew, but with a plan and all the power they could give it was a successful event. We are coursing for Terschelling still, wind is mostly south and now 4/5 bf.
It really is October, it is cold and wet out here. We saw a glimpse of sun this morning and again this afternoon, but it promises to be a cloudy and cold night. Sailing home is new experience for the group. Sailing towards the end of this trip, wondering when we will arrive in Enkhuizen. That time is the only time and place that is already set, Friday midday we will be back, hopefully after a nice visit on Terschelling.
Crew Tecla
TECLA 4 OKTOBER 2010
54'32.5N 000'16.8E 16:25 UTC
We are on our way again. We arrived in Whitby on Saturday morning, around 10:00 board time (08:00 UTC). We had some rough weather sailing up from Lowestoft, wind increased to a 6/7 and the waves increased as well. Part of the crew was sick, but held up very well. The wind was not so bad though.. but is was raining like somebody was pouring buckets of water out of the sky. Around midnight the wind died out and left us with the waves.. we started the engine and did the last 40 miles on motor and sail.
Whitby was very nice. During the day everybody stretched their legs and in the evening a few of us went to the pub with a colleague of ours, Steve from the Maybe. It was really nice to see him again! The Sunday was spend with a communication style training. Again the rain was falling from the sky, so staying inside was not so bad!
Today was a very beautiful day. A nice breeze from the south east, which makes it difficult for us to sail straight back to Holland. We are about to tack, going a bit more south, hoping to find some south westerly winds..
Crew Tecla
TECLA 1 OKTOBER 2010
We left Oude Schild with a beautiful and sailed into a wonderful evening. Around 20:00 hours board time the weather got less good, some drizzle that turned into showers. The wind increased and therefore we took down the topsail around 23:00 hours. We where doing 8/9 knots at that time and where on a roll towards Lowestoft! Our crew has some trouble with seasickness, but battled through it and even in the rain they where on the deck drinking a cup of tea with us. It was a very dark night, no moon, no stars, just our navigational lights and the other vessels around us.
At the English coast the wind lessened and turned against us.. At 8 miles from Lowestoft we lowered the sails and went on motor for the last bit, we where moored around 06:30 board time. The group woke up at 08:00 and after breakfast put on their walking shoes and went to explore our first English harbor. They got a taste of real England with fish and chips and some went to the mac donalds. That evening we had a beautiful meal together, some went to visit the town again and most where in bed very early!
This morning we got up early at 05:30, around 06:00 everybody was on deck, we reeved mainsail and mizzen and where outside of the peers of Lowestoft at 07:00. We set mainsail and forestaysail. By now we have passed Great Yarmouth and are about to set jib and mizzen for some more speed. Our course is set for Whitby, about 140 miles from here.
Crew Tecla
TECLA 30 SEPTEMBER 2010
Sailing again
52'36.6N 002'53.9 E 21:35 UTC
After 4 weeks of vacation the Tecla is sailing again. Port of departure is Enhuizen, with destination Enkhuizen. We have 12 days to go where ever we want and how ever we want. No race this time, not even against the clock. The crew is a mixture of people from the municipal of Enkhuizen. They have been granted this opportunity by the local government.
On the 27th of September the wind is light and variable. This does not seem to be a problem for our new arrivals. We set the main, jib and staysail and leave with out use of the engine. Later the mizzn and topsails follow. We continue this slow start and after a small detour make for the old fishing harbor of Den Oever. Before we can enter the harbor, we have to pass the Stevin lock that keeps the salt water of the Wadden Zee from entering the IJsselmeer. All goes well, and satisfied we belay the last mooring line to call it a day at 18:00.
The next day the wind is still very weak. We try the best we can but this time she totally abandon's us. When the tide threatens to take us out to sea, we have start the engine. Once in Oude Schild, the main port of the island of Texel, we are surprised by the amount of ships in the harbor. Most of them flat bottom ships who used to trade general cargo around Holland, Scandinavia, and the UK. This makes for a nice and cosy atmosphere.
That evening we decide that the next port of call will be Lowestoft, England. The eb tide won't be running befor 13:00 the next day, leaving us plenty of time to do some last shopping. All goes as planned. The wind SE force 4 bf and with all sails set we are making good progress.
Crew Tecla
WYLDE SWAN LOG 21-24 September 2010
After a 3-2 victory over the Morgenster in the rowing competition the swan crew took it up against the HT race team. Now back at sea with almost no seasickness we are racing the Morgenster back to NL.Last night at 21:45 we passed Morgenster both ships under full sail. Passing with about 3 cables to weather it was quite... a spectacular sight!Now we tack to Terschelling with an expected Eta of 11;00 in the Vliestroom.
23 September at 11:24
The trainees went ashore for a football match and hike around the big red rock!
This morning we launched the tenders to do some rowing and match racing in the harbour. Both ships have assembled 5 teams for some healthy competition. Onboard Wylde Swan we are very fortunate to have a team consisting of some experienced ro.wer's with some HT racing under their belt! may the best team win!
22 September at 22:37
We are sailing between Terschelling German bight and East Friesland Traffic separation scheme course NE with 9,3kt. This morning some trainees were a wee bit see sick, but after setting sails and a good lunch most of them are back on track and ready for the trip.With all staysails set we will be sailing into the night.... The the wind is likely to drop down so we can set the mainsail and enjoy some really good sailing!
21 September at 08:35
We are sailing between Vlieland and Terschelling with the wind and Waves against us for another hour . Destination Helgoland ETA 1600 22nd of September. Wind wsw 6
Greetings from all aboard!
NORTH SEA TALL SHIPS REGATTA WINNERS 2010
The prizes awarded were:
Class Prizes for the Regatta
Class A:
1st - Stad Amsterdam (Netherlands)
2nd - Eendracht (Netherlands)
3rd - Oosterschelde (Netherlands)
Class B:
1st - Tecla (Netherlands)
2nd - Maybe (UK)
Class C:
1st - Dar Szczecina (Poland)
2nd - Riyal (Netherlands)
3rd - Black Diamond of Durham (UK)
Class D:
1st - Lietuva (Lithuania)
2nd - Urania (Netherlands)
3rd - Endorfina (Poland)
Winner overall on corrected distance: Dar Szczecina (Poland)
Longest distance covered, 662nm: Lietuva (Lithuania)
Best Crew in Crew Parade: Pelican of London (UK)
Vessel with youngest average crew (22.4 yrs): Endorfina (Poland)
Vessel with most international crew (9 nationalities): Kaliakra (Bulgaria)
Vessel furthest from their home port: Shabab Oman (Oman)
Communications Prize: Stad Amsterdam (Netherlands)
STA Netherlands Trophy, awarded to a Dutch, non-Class A vessel that covered the longest distance: Riyal
TECLA 15 AUGUSTUS 2010
54'19N 005'06E 18:21 UTC
Waypoint day! We passed loads of waypoints today, H I J K L and we are now on our way to N!! The wind has picked up to a strong breeze, with accompanying waves. Cooking downstairs was a bit of a trick, eating the soup we made, was even more of an challenge! Other vessels are finishing now, we are trying to get some last miles before the end of the race, make up for what we lost the 24 hours we drifted back and forth.
We did a lot of sail handling today, we gibed a few times, set an old wife and reeved the main and the mizzen. All went very well with the effort of our crew! Crew Tecla
KALIAKRA 14 AUGUST 2010
Update from the Swedish Trainees.
Day 3 - Thursday 12th
Today we were having a Swedish day on board Kaliakra. We took care of the kitchen and made a typical Swedish dinner, meatballs with potatoes and gravy. Grace from Portugal helped us as well, since we were one swede short. It was very interesting working with the Bulgarian chef especially since he didn't speak a word of English. It worked out very well and the crew seemed to be satisfied with our Swedish cooking skills. It was also a fun experience cooking with everything moving back and forth. After the dinner we had a presentation of Sweden, it all went fine. We went to sleep early since my watch was going to start at 0400.
Day 4 - Friday 13th
Chris woke us up at 0315 and we all needed to go on deck. It was raining and we could feel the storm coming in. We started to play a game of Pride and Prejudice but we had to stop, since the weather got worse. The seasickness is starting to appear and more people joining the green team every day. White team stands strong! The lunch was cancelled since the chef decided it was not safe to cook, so I had some apples and cookies before going to bed and trying to sleep. Rough day but definitely and experience to remember and I am proud I could handle it so well.
A message for the Swedish Speakers
Smyger in ett par rader på svenska här också. Vi svenska vikingar står självklart pall mot dom ökända nordsjö stormarna. Medans nästan hela besättningen sprider spyor både här och där. Mår vi oförtjänt bra. Köttbullarna var mer eller mindre pannbiffar och hela rätten var ganska bulgariskt inspirerad men alla verkade gilla det och det är huvudsaken. Presentationen av sverige gick väldigt bra och Europas ungdomar vet nu vad en fika är.
Updates from Red Watch
Friday 13th August 2010
We started our first watch at 00:00 till 04:00. Around 2 o'clock there was a storm coming. There were probably two of them. They were coming from different sides and colliding just above us, which meant that we will have a rough night ahead. There were coming waves over one side of the ship, which looked quite scary in the beginning. So, we started to furl few sails to decrease the power to the vessel.
People were wet and tired, but still working on the deck till the end of the watch. Hard work was successful and we were able to go to sleep at 04.00 o'clock. Not for long…. At 06.00 o'clock there was an 'all hands on deck alarm'.
Everyone had to get on the deck because we were tacking in a strong wind and there was a high need of men power. Finally, we went back to our beds for some more sleep, but still some people were working on the deck because a lot of people from other watches were sea sick and they felt a lack of people. We called a green watch, which was working almost 24 hours per day.
The majority woke up just before the next watch to try having lunch. The storm was still at its peak. Strong wind, rain and rough sea made a lot of people sea sick, which of course made the situation pretty unpleasant. However, we began our watch from 12.00 till 04.00 in the afternoon. We tried to play some games during the watch to build up the mood inside the ship. We played a game called 'pride and prejudice'. It's a game to learn about the other countries and to take away the preconceptions.
Inside the ship most of the people were getting sea sick, so a lot of the trainees stayed on deck even though it was raining. In addition, even the crew of the ship was sea sick… So the weather was challenging. Our last watch was much better because the storm finished and we could enjoy dry weather with no wind. We could even see the sun! So a lot of people just went outside to chill and relax after a stressful day. We ended our watch in a good mood, looking at the stars and hoping to see nice weather tomorrow.
Saturday 14th of August started differently! The sun was shining for the first time in four days so the weather was brilliant! We started our watch with a game called “Who am I”. It was pretty fun and relaxing. Later that day people started to sunbath and drying their clothes on the deck; the mood in the ship was much better and it was increasing with every hour. We helped the crew to remove the broken sail; some of us also helped the Captain to secure (hank on) the bramsail. This meant we had to climb up in the top of the mast and out on the yard; it was an amazing view from up there.
Later in the day we decided to film a music video on the ship. It will involve all the trainees and the crew. We saw few inspiring examples and we decided to make one even better. All this activity and the day is not yet finished….
To read more log and also see pictures: playingonboats.blogspot.com/
TECLA 14 AUGUST 2010
56'00N 002'11E 17:43
After more then 24 hours of drifting, we are underway again! The sun is shining and we have a little breeze that gives us a speed of about 5/6 knots, very nice! We have past waypoint G and are heading for H now. All the seasick are better now, I think it is the sun that has cured them!
KALIAKRA 13 AUGUST Stormy adventure
Stormy adventure
Hello from the Crew, Today we find we have a new watch in additon to the three usual; Red, White, Blue and now Green.
Yes if you haven't guessed the crew are experiencing the true power of the North Sea with a great storm. Several traines have been ill (and even some of the mentors)however spirits are still high.
We have several sails set at at the time of writing this post (12.25pm) we are doing 7.5Kts, steering 104 degrees and at a position of 56 dgrees 26.577 Minutes North and 001 Degrees 0.371 Minutes East.
Updates on the storms, the first 2 international meals and more will follow tomorrow... when we hope the storm eases!
Regards from a rough sea!
The AtSea Crew & Mentors
To read more log and also see pictures: playingonboats.blogspot.com/
TECLA 13 AUGUST 2010
56'05.2N 001'55.3E 18:12 UTC
NO wind, big waves, flapping sails, riddle games and rain.. Today was a bit of a disappointment. We are the last vessel left in the B class.. The other 6 did not start the race or retired during the race. So we are number one in our class and where 6th overall this morning. 36 hours of a lot of wind is now followed by no wind. We are drifting with only the jib and forestaysail up. We dropped the mainsail around 12 oclock and set her again when a small breeze picked up. But that only lasted for on hour and then we had to drop her again.
A good thing about today was the food! We had pancakes for lunch and Indonesian rice table Jet style (..tja) for dinner. With fresh coconuts!