Blog Bark Europa 30 January 2012

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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!

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Blog Bark Europa 5 January 2012

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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TECLA LOG 30 AUGUSTUS

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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..

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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.

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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.

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GULDEN LEEUW - 26 AUGUST

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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 26 AUGUST

“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

“The best feeling is when you start to understand what you are doing with the sails and which ropes are to be pulled” Valdas

“I enjoyed jumping in the water with the rope.” Vili

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GULDEN LEEUW 24 - 25 AUGUST

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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 24 AUGUST

“It was totally great – I enjoyed climbing to the mast a lot.” Väinö

“The sailing and the people and stuff – all was nice!” Toni

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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 23 AUGUST

“goed gedaan, jongens! Which means something like ‘nice job, guys’ – trying to learn some dutch” Onni

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GULDEN LEEUW 23 AUGUST 2011

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BARK EUROPA 0605 - 52.44.9'N x 4.32.4'E / 22 AUGUST

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THALASSA - KLAIPEDA - TURKU 22 AUGUST

Report about the 22.08.2011, second day at sea: Yummy yummy pie day

By: Aiste and Urte

“It was a great 5 days at sea and thank you all for this trip!” Aiste

“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

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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GULDEN LEEUW - 21 -22 AUGUSTUS

This trip makes me rethink all of my casual life, all the priorities and values. Here everything is so simple and right. One friend of mine always says: “If it feels right, then it probably is. Do not think more, just follow this feeling.” Should I move out to live on the sea? J
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

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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..

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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.

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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..

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BARK EUROPA 100 YEARS!

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TECLA LOG / 55'30.9N 017'13.6E 16:41 UTC 17-08-2011

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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!

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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!

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BARK EUROPA LOG/ 08/08/2011

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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.

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LORD NELSON LOG / 05/08/2011
Welcome to Amsterdam!

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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TECLA LOG / 57'15.8N 008'20.4E 17:03 UTC 03-08-2011

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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.

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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

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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!

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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

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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!

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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!

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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..!

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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

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BARK EUROPA LOG/ 01/08/2011
A Slow and Exciting Start

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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!

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EENDRACHT LOG/ 31/07/2011
Hello!

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MORGENSTER LOG / 27/07/2011

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GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 27-28/07.2011
27th July

Marianne Fjermestad, Helle Daling Nannestad and Katrine Merkesdal Hall, Norway

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BARK EUROPA LOG/ 27/07/2011
2330 – 58˚53.6’N x 6˚02.6’E – Hogsfjorden, Norway

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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

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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

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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)

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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.

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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

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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

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MORGENSTER LOG / 17-21/07/2011

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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.

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GULDEN LEEUW LOG / 24.07.11

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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!

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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

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BARK EUROPA LOG / July 14th - 2330 - 57.00.8'N x 6.15.2'W -
Rum Island, Loch Scresort

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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)

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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.

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Results of Tall Ships Race 1 from Waterford to Greenock:

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!!!!!!!

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CHRISTIAN RADICH LOG / Tuesday 5 july 2011

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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TECLA LOG / 27-06-2011 18:32 board time 50'07.0N 004'00.7W

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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!

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TECLA LOG / 25-06-2011, 51'03.6 N 001'59.6 E

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Are you up for a challenge?

A voyage especially for people who live with physical (dis-)abilities. She will sail from Aberdeen (Scotland) to Hartlepool (United Kingdom), via Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Brugge (Belgium).

Sail with 25 others from five different European countries!

Everybody can join (no prior sailing experience needed!) between 16 and 25 years of age from Belgium, France, Ireland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Start on 30 July 2011 and finish on 12 August, so 13 days!

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SEE YOU AT SEA!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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/

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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!

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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/

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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!

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KALIAKRA 12 AUGUST 2010
Blog day 1 Blue Watch

My day started really early this morning: 6 a.m., and this process was like a miracle – supposedly my co-worker Francisco should have been the one waking me up, but ultimately he was snoring like a pig, when I checked him in his room! :)

At 6 a.m like a beautiful princess I just opened my gorgeous eyes like magic and then I started cleaning, having the pleasure to begin with the girls toilet which was really pleasurable. Then I served the breakfast to all the trainees. Afterwards I climbed the mast which was very scary, but exciting but at the same time.

After lunch we went for a tour in Hartlepool that although it was nice, the weather is really different from my country, it was raining and cold. We had to play a game called tea bag exchange. I decided to go alone and I went to several houses to try to do the exchange. At first an old lady gave me a vegetarian soup then a big coffee bag then a little boy gave me a lucky stone and then I finally exchanged it for a monkey doll with a certificate that I was known as one of the monkey's crew.

It was really funny and I met many people. At the end of the day we came back to Kaliakra and finally I served dinner. This was a really important day to get to know the crew and practice my English.

I finally discovered my true calling today – being a Garbage woman! :))))

Bye, bye – Mariana, Portugal Nr:19



The Exchange Begins: Day 1, Arrival

The day started differently for every person. Some woke up in their own bed, some spent their night on the Newcastle beach, but everyone finally ended up aboard the Kaliakra.
The trainees who arrived early with 2 of the mentors went to do some shopping after the raising of the flag by the crew, which is traditionally done in every port. Food shopping for the ship was a great fun because of the large quantity bought and the way back to the ship was exciting. Pushing through the crowd with trollies full of food for the journey… After some quick introductions and a speech from the Captain we played an ice breaking game where we tied ourselves up in a knot. It helped to break down some personal barriers and increased our understanding of team work.

Later in the day we learnt sail and rigging terms in Bulgarian, which was quite a challenge for the majority. Whilst we were learning the terms, some crews from the other ships were making amusing shows for the public. Without the fun and learning there had to be some paper work done which is a necessity for the trip to go smoothly. Moreover, the drama with the Italian luggage ended… They are getting their stuff back and the Italian day is saved! In the evening there were visitors from the Swedish Tall ship committee who are organizing the Tall Ship Races in Halmstad 2011.

The captain and some trainees were showing them the ship and shared ideas about the race next year. They enjoyed the tour and left the ship satisfied. The day still has not ended…. Looking forward for the next adventure before sailing!


Trainee Log: Day 2
The day started really early for me : 6.00 a.m., like a miracle to me, because I was hoping that Francisco would wake me up, but ultimately, he was snoring like a pig so, like magic, my beautiful eyes just opened EXACTLY at the time that I was supposed to wake up! :) I cleaned the kitchens and the mess room floors and I had the pleasure to clean the fantastic toilet. Afterwards I prepared all meals and I finally found my Calling: I`m perfectly fit to be a Garbage woman!!!!! Bye bye, Mariana, PORTUGAL

It was fun to be able to climb the rigging and now I am hoping to climb further!!! In order to have one cookie I have to eat one tomato :(. And I am really eager for someone to cut my hair!!!!!!!! Last night I didn’t hear the engine start as we moved out of the deep water berths into victoria harbour :) Colm, UK

Last night we finally got our luggage so I could sleep in my sleeping bag with clean clothes!!! That was beautiful…. I slept so well!! So this morning I was ready to climb the mast…it was really fun and I hope to do it again…this morning we also learned lots of things about the boat because the captain held a sort of lesson and showed us lots of ropes and parts of the boat, he also taught us some words in Bulgarian, that was interesting and I expect we’ll learn lots of other words….
Paolo, Italy

This morning’s climb to the Mast was really pleasurable – exciting and scary at the same time – and when I was up there, I just wanted to spread my wings and soar, but my security system just wouldn’t let me!...
Afterwards, our Mentor Chris, was really mean and forced me into leading the Blue Watch team, to set sail!...
Everything is going well until now, I am sure that many more exciting moments! Grace, PORTUGAL

The morning was not too different from the day before. We had the early breakfast, raised the flag and a tour of the ship done by the captain. Then came the interesting part! After some waiting we finally had the opportunity to climb the fore mast. In was both challenging and exciting, as the tricks with life lines and everything was not easy to get the hold off. Yet, in the end, we successfully got our mast climbing practice and went to have lunch.
Lukas, Lithuania

I am so glad because I had this opportunity to learn so many words in Bulgarian like fal, contrafal, foc, kliver, scothi, gauss, bom brau, grot and many more. I also like very much to put on the “bra” and climb up the sails but the locks were a bit trick to work with but the experience was very pleasant and I can’t wait to do it in the sea. Yesterday I was so tired that I could not even notice that.

For pictures look at: http://playingonboats.blogspot.com/

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WYLDE SWAN 6 AUGUST 2010
DAY 6 Thursday
This day we went the fastest through the whole race, 12.1 knops. It was the best time, and someone thought we were going to tip over. Because of the fast speed we arrived in Hartlepool at 2nd place, after the Mir. This was a real accomplishment. The time was about 12 pm when we arrived. The captain just slept 1.5 hours he was too excited about the speed and the placing in the race. All of the crew and the trainees got champagne to celebrate the "victory", of course after the happy-hour. When we got over the finishline we finally was able to take a shower, and some of us also took a swim in the sea. Now we just had dinner (as always Andreas maked the best food to us), and now we are going to celebrate with wine, beer and of course soda for the small "kids". Cheers g,v!

Lots of greetings,
Trainees Wylde Swan

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ASTRID - 6 AUGUST 2010
it's 2 am and we're in the middle of the night watch. It has been a difficult day. After last nights watch I was really looking forward to my bunk, but the sea was so rough that instead of sleeping I could only hang on trying not to fall out, so by dinnertime this evening I was a bit of a zombie. I did, however manage to get a few hours sleep and when we turned out at 12 we were greeted by the most gorgeous star-filled sky. The moon has just come up a nice orange colour and, yes, we even have shooting stars. The world could really not be more beautiful just at this moment. In the distance we can make out the glow from the industry in Teesside, we are currently motoring to our rendezvous with the camera crews so that our film team can finish their report with shots from outside, so it will be all hands on deck early. Losing sleep tomorrow doesn't matter though as we have the arrival at Hartlepool to look forward to.
John Yates - trainee on board Astrid.

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WYLDE SWAN 5 AUGUST 2010
DAY 5 Wednesday
Today we had a lot of fun. The day started off with a catch of 29 fishes in only 30 min. After a while we danced and had no wind. We all learned a new dance to the Madcon-song "Glow". It was so much fun! After a while the wind gained and we went just faster and faster. The top speed was 10.4 knots. When it was time for the happy-hour we turned on some music again and everyone danced along with the buckets and the brooms. We did the dish wash on the deck, again. The sun finally came up and everyone was up on deck and was enjoying it. Suddenly the dolphins peaked out too and almost teased us just jumping around and blowing water up in the air, Live music was the next on our "schedule", played by Peter on the guitar and Elie on the violin. We all sat down on the off-deck and listened and sometimes sang along. We just past the GMT and it's soon up for dinner. As always the food is going to taste really good. Andreas is such a good chief! We soon run out of water, so there is no possibility to take a shower. But the Wylde Swan is expected to get to Hartlepool at Friday so we just have to hang on and get used to the dirt. That's all for now. Over and out.

Greetings Trainees Wylde Swan

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TECLA 4 AUGUST 2010
57'05N 000'27E 16:28UTC
Wind, we have wind! After to many hours of drifting along, we are on our way to the waypoint again. Last night the wind was a bit weak and changing all the time. During the night watch we played some guessing games. I got some riddle cards from Nele from a game where you get a sentence of what happened and trough questions you have to find out what the story is behind the card. We had a lot of fun!
We went down in the race, this morning we where 4 in class and 6 overall. But with this wind picking up, we hope that we have at least our 3rd place back! Pegasus is on the horizon, coming closer! The race will stop tomorrow at 12:30 for the class B vessels. For the vessels who have not yet crossed the finish line this will mean a finish at sea. After that we plan on continuing our race as we only have to be in the harbor on Saturday!

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ASTRID 5 AUGUST 2010
They say it's better to have tried and failed, and it certainly applies this week. Ok, Astrid has had to give up and turn the engine on, but it was always going to be difficult against the wind in a square rigged ship. None the less, I wouldn't want to have missed a minute of the voyage so far, we have experienced so much and it's not over yet. We did have a short period of good sailing. During our watch from 4am-8am yesterday we reached 8 knots under full sail, and Astrid showed that she had it in her if the conditions suited, but most of the time the wind was quiet and the voyage was more pleasurable than exciting. This, however gave us time to do other things such as splicing, map-reading etc, not to mention the odd trip up into the rigging. The rest of the time you are either on watch, or sleeping ready for the next one. We are on again at midnight...
John Yates - Trainee on board Astrid

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ASTRID 3 AUGUST 2010
The weather in Kristiansand on our arrival could’ve been less rainy, but it stopped for a very spectacular firework display. Unfortunately the wind direction was such that all the paper from the fireworks fell on our deck, so the following morning we had some tidying up to do. We breakfasted early as there was a lot to be done. There was a bit of a worry as not all of the equipment had arrived for the film crew who were to be our guests on board, which could mean that the live coverage each day may not work, however all turned up just in time. Our day started with us up in the rigging releasing the sails ready for the parade of sail. It was my first time up there and I was glad of the harness. The wobbliest bit was when someone else came onto the same line under the yard that you were on, but you had work to do, so you soon got used to it. Then the time came to sail out into the bay and the welcome was amazing, there were thousands of little pleasure craft out to see us, as well as people lining the shoreline. Steering through the melee was no mean feat, but it was worth it, the tall ships made a stupendous sight all following on in line. Then we had lunch before the start of the race. The breeze was just right for the ships to show themselves in all their glory for the final rush to the start line, with lots of maneuvering allowing some wonderful views as the ships came really close to each other. As the race started, so the wind started to drop. The forecast was not good for Astrid with light winds from the wrong direction, but at least all ships had the same problems. As the race went on each captain had to choose their route, and many turned to try their luck in the North while Astrid stayed on a southerly course heading for Denmark. With the leisurely wind we had time for other distractions and the mackerel fishing was particularly successful, with our catching 5 fish on one line at one time. Obviously the dolphins were impressed, as a pod came to see what we were up to. So far, apart from a touch of mal-de-mer, it has been a wonderful trip, and even the mal-de-mer is settling down as we get our sea legs! Current position 11th in class, but if our weather gamble pays off there is still hope…
John Yates, trainee TS ASTRID

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BLOG WYLDE SWAN at Hartlepoole mail
Richard Mennear is sailing at Wylde Swan. Read his daily log via: www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk

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TECLA 3 AUGUST 2010
57'07N 003'13E 16:32 UTC
Today was a day of real racing. This morning we where in the middle of a group of tall ships, everybody racing, getting to the waypoint and doing the best they can with the wind they are given. The different rigs had their different advantages and sailing with light winds every change in wind, current and waves was vital. We tacked a few times, trying to find the course that gave us speed, but would also get us to the finish. The Wylde Swan crossed behind us, with great speed, the Sorlandet was a steady white spot on the horizon and the Pegasus was all around us as well. Now the group has fallen apart, maybe tonight we will find each other and do the same dance again when the sun comes up. Crew Tecla

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WYLDE SWAN 2 AUGUST 2010
DAY TWO, SUNDAY 1 AUG. 2010

We started of from Kristiansand we a lot of boats following us out to the starting point. The wind was quite good and we held a decent speed. Because of the wind and the waves a few people got seasick. The wind lasted until the nightwatch started at 12 pm, and then we just floated about in the rain the rest of the night. We tacked a few times to get a higher bearing and heard on the radio in the morning that we were in third place behind the Mir and the Sorlandet on handicap.

Morning now, girls are at the back of the ship catching fish, and cutting the heads off..Lovely.(for lunch) Woke up to a beautiful weather, the sun is shining high on the sky.
The mood is very relax with people laying around sun bathing. The wind is catching up. We are hoping for another memorable day at sea.

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WYLDE SWAN 3 AUGUST BLOG 4
DAY 4 TUESDAY 3 AUG 2010
This morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We had nice wind, heeling a lot. We are currently in 6th place in the race. It was a great relaxing afternoon with games and live music. We played who am I and it was quite fun. The shipmates wrote their own song about the race and our wonderful Wylde Swan who is destined to win. At the moment everyone is helping, even the seasick folks are having a dish washing party on the deck! It has been a very successful day, we are actually heading towards England. We still have everyone safe on board, a great accomplishment. People are sliding everywhere but we holding on, obviously. Some lucky people got to go up to the mast today. The food was amazing, as always. :)

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TECLA - 2 AUGUST 2010
57'20N 006'11E 16:49 UTC
Last night we lost the wind. The Pegasus and the Jolie Brise sailed away from us with the little wind we did get every now and then and in the morning report we where number 3 and 10 overall. Slowly today the wind picked up. Around 12 oclock we where doing 4 knots again. Steering and enjoying the scenery was very easy!
The youngsters started fishing this morning, as there was no wind and not a lot going on. They caught a few mackerels and we decided to keep them for dinner. The big ones where killed and gutted although one was thrown back when one of the trainees had trouble deciding to kill it or wait for someone else to do it.. Gijs made filet's, I backed them and the crew ate them.
The wind has picked up now and we are doing 7 knots. Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 1 AUGUST 2010
57'57N 007'43E 18:02 UTC
We have started the race to Hartlepool about 2,5 hours ago! The wind is about 3 bf and coming from the SW.
Our new trainees are still a bit shaky. We are now 13 in total, 3 have sailed on the Tecla or other vessels in the last two legs, the rest is new at sea and new to the Tall Ships Races. We have a group of hardworking trainees, they seem to like tacking, setting sail and playing around with the sail just before the start a lot, a promising sign! Dinner is done by now, white watch is downstairs doing the dishes and the white watch is just getting instructions on steering, compass courses and sailing close hauled. Night will fall just before my watch starts and the sun will probably rise before the watch ends, I am looking forward to seeing some stars!

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WYLDE SWAN 1 AUGUST 2010
TALL SHIP RACE 2
KRISTIANSAND - HARTLEPOOL
1 AUG. 2010

DAY ONE, SATURDAY 31 JULY 2010.
We arrived at 4:00 pm to meet the crew and all the trainees and unpack. We played speed dating to get to know each other. Afterwards, we all went out to the tall ships festival to watch the amazing fireworks over the harbor. Everyone experienced their first night on Wylde Swan and no one fell out of the hammocks! Some of the trainees had to stay up for the gangway watch, but the rest of us got to sleep quite well.

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TECLA 27 JULY 2010/2
57'00.7N 008'00.2E 10:57 UTC
Yesterday evening we arrived in Lemvig around 18:00 hours. After taking a look in the innerharbor we decided to moor along the outside quay and have our barbecue there. And round sunset the last of the dinner was finished and so was another beautiful day. We left Lemvig this morning at 06:30 and used our engine on the way out of the fjord, due to head winds. In the entrance of the fjord we set sail and then proceded under sail and engine for about and hour, this time due to no wind. Now we have the topsails up and are doing 4 knots towards Norway, without engine! We do not yet know where we are going or how long it will take us to get there, as long as we are sailing! The new crew is a bit unstable for the first day out at sea with more waves then wind, but we hope this will get better during the night.

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TECLA 27 JULY 2010
56'35.9N 008'38.1E 12:57 UTC 26/7
Finally some news from the Tecla. We are underway (using sail!!) to Lemvig, at the end of the Limfjord. We have about 10 or 15 miles to go and a little bit more because we have to tack a few times. The Limfjord so far has been amazing! Beautiful scenery, nice corners and amazing places to stay on the quay or at anchor. Yesterday we had a beautiful sailing day and we ended up along side a small dock. The owner gave us permission to come alongside as long as we did not use to much engine, as not to blow sand in his rails underwater. So this morning we prepared as best as we could, and left the quay under sail. The man smiled and waved with a Tall Ships Race tshirt in his hand. The sun is shining and we have a changing wind (every corner is different) that is between 1 and 3 bf, we are doing 5,5 knots now heading for a bridge, the 3rd and last. Tomorrow we hope to set sail towards a harbor near Kristiansand.

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ASTRID 25 JULY 2010
Saturday morning, after an evening with beautifull fireworks the day starts for the new trainees on board Tall Ship Astrid with learning the ropes and going aloft. We prepare the ship and the new crew for the departure that afternoon. Slowly the port of Aalborg is getting empty, with the 70 ships taking part leaving one after the other in the parade of sail.

At 15.30 it was our turn to cast off. We did so and just meters from the shore and with a blow on the ships horn astrid was covered in her cloud of sails in less than a minute, all the sails being set at the same time. And so we left Aalborg, sailing the parade out of the Lymfe Fjord.

After passing Hals Barre Lighthouse we headed due North, towards Sweden. This morning we arrived in the beautiful small port of Skarhamn. An old small cargo port where the Astrid has visited many times in her time under Swedish flag sailing the Baltic with agricultural products.

Tommorow we will go further North through the Swedish archipelago towards Lysekil.

It promises to be a good day!

Willem - Cpt TS ASTRID

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SORLANDET 21 JULY 2010
Hello,
We are still on our way to Aalborg, if all goes well we will get there at 11 o’clock. We are having some problems with the current. So maybe it will take a little longer to arrive at the right place. Aalborg will be my last stop on this journey.

The watches have continued very relaxed, we are enjoying our time at sea. The waves are not the same we had during the race. The sea is calm, wonderful!

During my day watch I have tried to make an ocean mat, it is used to protect the block. I didn’t succeed. Once I nearly finished one but I had to undo it because I had made a mistake. I helped to pack the sails in a nice and neat way. Like I said before most of the sails were already packed, we just made them look nicer.

After dinner they gave us the opportunity to swim next to the boat. Around 10 trainees were diving from the boat deck (about three meters higher than the main deck) into the gorgeous waves. I tried to swim around the boat, but because it was moving I couldn’t get to the front. I haven’t seen any fishes, sharks or jellyfishes. Maybe that was for the best. There are poisonous fish in this part of the ocean, some trainees caught several. After I got out everything was warm. I just had my last night watch. We received a very interesting lecture about the history of the sails, types of ships and the different names. Later a fellow trainee taught me how to make a bracelet out of rope. Later we will melt it together so it will stay on my arm forever. I have been learning Norwegian for two days now. It has been the cause of many hilarious situations. I think I am going to miss my night watch, it will be weird to sleep during the entire night without a 4 hour brake.

This is probably the last message you will get from me. Tomorrow I will be in Aalborg and the sailing will be over. It has been amazing. To everyone who is thinking about participating in the tall ships race: DO IT! It is a wonderful way of spending your holiday, the experiences I lived during this race are priceless.

I hope you enjoyed my blog, I certainly enjoyed writing it for you

Sofie de Groote - trainee Sorlandet

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THALASSA 20 JULY 2010
It is again Pear’s time to write a nice note about our trip onboard of the Thalassa. Sunday morning we came on watch (12-4) and heard that the destination was Göteborg. If we would go at anchor or if there is a place in the harbour, was still unknown. But finally we got a place in Frihammen, berth 1, the nicest place that Göteborg Port Control could offer! Will be continued next night watch.

At the time that we arrived in Frihammen, about 05.15, the Thalassa was celebrating (with beer) that we did it! All crew and (most of) the trainees were toasting on deck. During breakfast/lunch (brunch) the Captain decided to should change the onboard time to local time, which means two hours forward. After brunch we cleaned the ship all together; Bananas cleaned the deck, Apples the interior of the ship and we did the dishes and cleaned the galley. Within one hour we were finished and there was time to swim in the harbour and/or go in the city. Everybody enjoyed this day in Göteborg!
The night we spend in the bar of the Thalassa and the next morning we sailed again out of Frihammen. It was beautiful sailing weather and in less than one day we arrived on the north of the island Laesö. Laesö is a small island in front of the entrance of the fjords of Aalborg. Earlier this watch (ca. 01.45), we dropped anchor and all trainees take full anchor watch of the ship as all Thalassa crew members have gone to bed. When we wake up again (still 20 July) the weather forecast says we can expect a sunny morning so we hope we can wake up with a dive in the water! More about our adventure on the Thalassa will be described by the Bananas.

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WYLDE SWAN 7-17 JULY 2010
07 July 2010
After the introduction talk by the captain, Stefan, we were divided
into three watches.
In rounds, we learned basics concerning rope handling and sailing,
rules onboard the ship, safety and climbing the rig.
After a great dinner, that Andreas, our cook, prepared we went into
the park near the ship and did two introduction games: Throwing the
hat (mainly concerning names) and The union of similarities (find out
how you are similar to your fellow trainees).

08 July 2010
The first night sleeping on the ship, for some people it was not to
easy getting to sleep (especially for the ones in the hammocks) After
breakfast, we were going into Rotterdam for real!
Besides visiting locations of cultural and historical value, we had
to a trading game; every watch had to start with a teabag, and had to
trade it for something more valuable. Back at the ship we had a great dinner, I really liked it.

09 July 2010
We had breakfast, and straight afterwards Stefan and Martin got the
engine running, and we were off! While sailing out of the canals of
Rotterdam, we didn't set sails, but shortly after we came out on open
sea, sails were being hoisted. Everywhere on board, you would hear
quartermasters yelling "PULL PULL PULL", and by the power of teamwork,
the huge sails came up for the first time on this exchange. The day
passed quickly, with the watch schedule setting in. Some people went
to bed early and missed the sunset, but on the other hand got to watch
the sun rising over the coast of Belgium.

10 July 2010
Today we sailed from Vlissingen to Antwerp.
We prepared the ship for a nice arrival , all clean and tidy.
In the harbour of Antwerp, we could have a look at all other tall
ships. We made and delivered invitations for a brunch onboard the
ship. Crew and trainees of other ships were invited, so they could see
he beauty of the swan. In the evening we discovered the city Antwerp.

11 July 2010
Today we had the brunch on board and met lots of interesting people.
Afterwards we had the crew parade and the crew party, it was fun
recognising our guests from the afternoon in the parade, we all woke
up so excited to go and join the crews of all the other boats. This
involved everyone walking in a line down the street to the prize
giving. We personally thought we made the best entrance to both the
harbour and the crew parade. Other than that it was amazing to see all
the other crews and what they had dressed up in. After the parade we were all so hot and all so thirsty, that we
decided to go to the shop and buy some drinks.

12 July 2010
After another delicious breakfast, we visited the Statsraad Lehmkuhl,
a Norwegian ship much larger than the Wylde Swan! After that we went
to the Maratime School and saw many historical artefacts and an
amazing steering simulator that cost about two million Euros to
create! At the end of the day we stood on the bridge overlooking all
the moored ships to watch some spectacular fireworks, it was a lovely
evening.

13 July 2010
A Dutch naval ship called the Uranina was moored beside us in the
harbour today, and it was very interesting to have another crew so
close. Today was the last day we had it Antwerp, so everyone went out
around the city to see what they could before we sailed off with the
other ships in the parade of sail. It was amazing to see all the
people lining the harbour to wave us goodbye. We were back on the sea
again after a great stay in Antwerp - next stop, Aalborg!

14th July
We were anchored near the mouth of the Schelde, floating around with a
lot of other ships, a strange experience as we are normally so far
apart in a race! The race itself was postponed a number of times due
to weather problems, but after a few hours we got underway and it was
very exciting to be taking Wylde Swan on her first race. In the end,
we started thirty seconds early, a very small margin considering the
days to spend at sea, but it was against the rules and we have a
penalty now - that doesn't mean we can't win though!

15 July 2010
Today we played a game where you have to think of a compliment to give
to a member of your watch, it was great for morale and made everyone
very happy! This was our first day of racing, and along with it came
our first storms, and they were very powerful. Many of us had never
sailed before, and it was incredible to see what the sea was capable
of, lifting the ship like a feather. It was difficult for those
people, and some were seasick because of the storms!

16 July 2010
Today we had a birthday onboard the ship, so we woke up singing. The
weather was better, there was less wind and the waves became smaller
during the day. That gave us the opportunity to trim the sails better
and also take the helm again by hand.
In the evening we amused ourselves with some guitar playing and
singing. Almost everybody stayed up late because the finish was just a few
miles away.

17 July 2010
This morning we finished! Around 4 o'clock the Wylde Swan crossed the
finish line. We had a small party with the crew, just to celebrate the safe arrival
of the first real race of our ship. We anchored close to Danish shore, and after a good sleep we had a
swim and left for Sweden. We arrived in Marstrands, were it was
absolutely beautifull. In the evening we discovered the place,

18 July 2010
We left the harbour of Marstrand and went to a fjord. Part of the
group would be hiking, the other part sailing. At the end of the day
we would meet again in a fjord, where the ship would be anchored.
It was beautiful to sail between all the fjords. We reached the anchor
place, the weather was still good so some people decided to go for a
swim. We could also sail around with a tender of the Wylde Swan. Meanwhile a
barbeque was being prepared. The food was excellent. We enjoyed all
this but without the other group, the group that was gone hiking. They
were still didn't arrive. Some people said we wouldn't see them until
the next morning. But they were faster, they were back around ten
o'clock.

Trainees and crew of Wylde Swan

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ASTRID 19 JULY 2010
MONDAY 19 JULY 2010

We're at the dock of the quiet harbourtown HALS, right across the ferry which connects the mainland to the island. At night it's fairly calm, in the daytime HALS is a very busy place, because many tourists visit this cosy town by bike, car or motorhome.

In the morning our experienced second captain Willem teaches us how to climb the mast. Everyone who dares to climb the mast can go up. We wear a safety belt and step by step we climb the 22 meters high mast. Some climb up the first platform, others even reach the top! On the highest yard you have a beautiful view of HALS. The sea, the beach, the dunes... wonderful!

Every time someone arrives on deck again, they are welcomed by a huge applause by the other trainees who followed the courageous climbers with camera's!

After lunch eight brave trainees take a biking trip across the Danish countryside. We drive to HOU, a harbourtown 12 km from HALS. There we eat ice cream after we return to the ship right through the wild nature.

Tired but satisfied we arrive in HALS where we enjoy an excellently prepared dinner.

In de harbour of HALS there are a lot of ships which participated in the race. Everyone has its own story of the previous stormy sailing days. It was really exciting and for many of us rather tiresome because of the strong winds and high waves.

At night there is singing, people drink beer and wine and return to their cabins really satisfied, ready for new dreams...

TUESDAY 20 JULY 2010

At 8 o'clock the motor wakes us up to start our final part of the journey AALBORG. It's a three hour trip through the LIMFJORDEN via the LANGE RAK.

By noon we arrive andK can start to enjoy the beautiful town of AALBORG which has a lot to offer: a museum, a zoo, a swimming pool a guided tour etc. We look forward to it!

Henk - trainee Astrid

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SORLANDET 19 JULY 2010
We are now on our way to Aalborg at 4 o’clock in the morning. We have been in Sweden since Sunday and left there Monday (yesterday) at 1800 hours.

The first three ships in the ranking are Norwegian, we don’t know yet has first place. Some ships had to take a time penalty because they crossed the starting line too soon. In order of who crossed the finish line first: Statsraaad Lehmkuhl, Christian Radich and sØrlandet. We are the only one of those three ships that hasn’t taken a false start.

Sunday, around noon we were allowed to leave the ship. Stepping on firm ground after having spent a week on sea was a unique experience. When climbing some stairs I felt like I was on the boot again. My head was spinning by the time a got back to the ship. Later that night there was a barbeque on Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The three Norwegian ships were all moored in Halmstad. The barbeque was really fun. There was a drinking competition for the crew of each ship. The judge was from Radich, guess who won. We did spill some soda so there is room for discussion. The next day the city of Halmstad organized a trip to adventure-land for us. There was a swimming pool, some rollercoaster’s and a restaurant. If we showed our ‘tall ships race’-pin we could take the bus (also especially for trainees) to adventure-land. Later it took us to the center of the city were we went shopping. Instead of leaving Tuesday we left yesterday, that way we can spend more time in Aalborg.

Currently there is little wind and our speed is maximum 4 knots. There is very little wind, normally we would hoist all the sails. But because we are going to cross a sea-highway we only hoisted a few square sails and the stag sails in the front. That way we go slower and we will cross the highway at daytime. Also we want to cross it when the captain is awake, so the watch was really relaxed again for the people who didn’t have to do physical watches. I wasn’t one of those.

I’m going to get some sleep, I will write to you as soon as possible

Sofie de Groote - trainee Sorlandet

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ASTRID 18 JULY 2010
zondag 18 juli 2010 12.45u.

57 graden 03 minuten NOORD
010 graden 34 minuten OOST


This night at 03.19'03" we finished the first leg of the Tall Ships Races. The people on watch woke up everybody, so we were all on deck to experience the historic moment. We were all excited, singing and shouting. It only took us three and a half days from Antwerp to the finish line! Incredible but true. It's one of the few races the Astrid participate in which such good winds!

In the final hours before the finish the winds blew us in the right direction, which made it possible for us to maintain our ninth position in class A and over-all. We're really proud of this achievement!

After the finish some stayed on deck to look at the beautiful sunset, others were tired of the exciting final hours and were happy to return to their cabins for a well-deserved rest.

A few hours later we woke up from the sound of the engine! That was something we hadn't heard for a while! At 3 o'clock we arrived in Hals, a beautiful and small harbour town where we could set foot on shore back again. What a strange feeling! It was nice to see many people on the dock to welcome us!

We still have a few days before we have to be in AALBORG for the events. This will give us some rest we had to miss the previous days because of the watches. But we can also practise mast-climbing, splicing ropes, tying knots and other crafts of seamanship,...

Tired but happy we look forward to what the last days of this journey will bring. The atmosphere is still excellent: no conflicts and friendships on TS ASTRID get stronger by the minute.

Henk - Trainee Astrid

Our ALOHA project for youngsters with and without a handicap deserves a ten! All wishes were realised and we already look forward to the many trips and races still to come on all those large seas around the world.

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THALASSA 17 JULI 2010
Thalassa – Tall Ship Race 2010 from Antwerp to Aalborg

Last Monday we came onboard of the Thalassa. After a nice diner (the food onboard is delicious!) and a welcome speech of Captain Lammert we had time to discover Antwerp by night. As closing act there were fire works between the tall ships.
Tuesday we departed and in a parade of tall ships we set course to the start of the race (near by Zeebrugge). On our way to Zeebrugge the Captain decides to spend the night alongside in Flushing. The start was planned on Wednesday 14 July at 16.00. All trainees together made a voyage planning; found out where to start and what the weather forecast would be.
Wednesday was the day! After breakfast we went to the start area. In three groups we had our sailing instructions and practice, during which we all got our own task in case we needed to jibe. All trainees are divided into watches (pear = 12-4, banana = 4-8 and apple = 8-12) and in case we need to manoeuvre, we need all hands on deck!
Around 14.00 we arrived at the starting area. Where we together with 75 other ships (impressive how much!) were anxiously awaiting the start signal. The start was delayed till 19.00 because of the lack of wind, which we needed to safety cross the TSS (traffic separation scheme).
Finally we started! After two hours the wind was picking up and our wish for wind came true.
Around 23.00 a storm surprised us and (people asleep or not asleep) it were all hands on deck. At the end of the day we had already experienced all kinds of weather: with and without wind, sunny, warm, dry, rain and storm.
When passing waypoint 1 (ca. 01.00) we had to go north, so it was all hands on deck again! The rest of the night passed quietly, besides a lot of rolling around in our beds. Rolling of the ship was caused by the big waves (sea state 8) and strong wind (30 knots). Till now on the race is a success. So far the report of the pears

Thursday, we even broke the maximum speed record of the Thalassa: 16,8 knots! It was still a day of rolling around. There were people seasick, our chef got hurt because a hatch felt on his fingers. So we everyone helped out in the kitchen. At 12 o’clock some people got brainstorming about the crewparade. After dinner we got all to our tasks. The Bananas had to clean the toilets. This sounds easy but the ship was rolling al lot so it became a whole lot more difficult. This day a lot of people were a sleep all over the ship, but at one point a group of people gathered around in the saloon and tided knots, or at least they tried.
Friday, it was less windy so the ship wasn’t rolling around any more. The wind had turned a little bit so we had to adjust the sails. Because of this the ship was always leaning to the portside. So everyone at the portside couldn’t come out of there beds, and everyone at the starboardside rolled out of there beds. At the 12 o’clock we wanted to make a sunfix (celestial observation) but just at that time it became cloudy. Instead we made crewparade stuff, so the saloon is a bid of a mess, but our crewpararde will be very cool!! The ship became flat again and not leaning towards one side. The rest of the day will be described by the apple’s in the next blog.

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ASTRID 18 JULY 2010
Everyone slept very well tonight. We rounded the top of Denmark in the night, into the SKAGGERRAK, but we're still 60 miles from the finish line in SKAGEN. Many of us noticed their cell phones had a connection with the world again, which is nice, or not? It is quite special to be completely out of reach for a while. Complete freedom!

The sea is calm. The weather is bright and sunny. So we finally need our suntan lotion! From time to time there are some high clouds and there is almost no wind. Unfortunately that's not good for our ranking, because the lighter ships all pass us by...

On board there is a quiet and cosy atmosphere, but there is also a lot of activity. We continue doing shifts, some polish all the brass, some bake bread, some enjoy the sun, others read a book or write poetry. There are also more artistic activities like painting on canvas, paper and even on bottles in which we will put a message for the world, hoping to get an answer some day. Message in a bottle!

Hopefully we will pass the finish line today, but everything depends on the wind and current and they're not really in our favour today. We're even drifting a bit off course because the wind is coming from the wrong direction. But the wind is promised to shift to the west so that's what we're waiting for. After the finish it's still 16 hours to AALBORG, our end destination. Maybe we will arrive in a beautiful island and take the dingy to shore, just like the sailors did in old times...

We enjoy this trip to the fullest and look forward to discovering a beautiful part of the Danish coast!

Henk on TS ASTRID - position: 57 degrees 16 minutes NORTH - 008 degrees 48 minutes EAST - 11:00

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SORLANDET - 18 JULI 2010
Today the watches were really relaxed. The race is over and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction so we have taken down all the sails and we are continuing on motor.

We are going to visit Sweden. Tomorrow we will arrive at Halmstad and we will stay there until Tuesday. Then we go to Alborg in Denmark when the port is ready to receive all the tall ships.

During our watches we have packed the sails and done a lot of small jobs. Polishing the bell and cleaning the bathrooms are some examples. Right now we are running out of jobs to do. The physical watches still have to complete their duties, but the rest was learning some knots or watching a movie.

My journey is nearly coming to an end in only four days I will take the bus in Alborg back to Antwerp. So I really want to thank ‘het havencentrum’ (cultural center of the port of Antwerp) for giving me this amazing opportunity. I enjoyed every bit of it. Yes, even when I was feeling sick.

This message is a bit short but that is because I haven’t done much today,

I will write to you soon, Sofie de Grootte, trainee at Sorlandet

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TECLA 17 JULI 2010
57'34.4N 009'30.4E 17:48 UTC Log written by the Red watch (Stef, Robine, Cedric en Koen) with help from Julie!

Today there was not a lot of wind. At one point we where even going backwards and in circles. But Fortunately we did enjoy ourselves with jokes, songs and riddles. Other boats appeared behind us at the horizon. We hope that the wind will increase so we can make some speed and resume the race! Now it is starting to rain, time to go inside and get our rain clothes and see if the rain brings any wind! Crew Tecla and red watch.

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TECLA - 16 JULY 2010
56'27.6N 007'44.5E 18:10 UTC 16/7
This morning we where still number one in our class and now we are waiting for the results of today. The wind has died out a little only to return every now and then when showers pass us by. We had it all today, beautiful sun shine, rain, wind and now wind. We tried to butterfly our sails again, but the waves make it difficult to keep them all full. So now we are on a portside tack again doing 6 knots towards the next waypoint, about 50 miles away. The first vessels have finished the race by now, no big changes in the first 10 vessels in the race. Crew Tecla - Jet

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SORLANDET - 17 JULY 2010
WE CROSSED THE FINISHLINE! but lets not get ahead of things:

my second watch at 12:00 started really relaxed, so some fellow trainees and I decided to climb the main mast. It was awesome, we could see denmark clearly and watch the trainees walking around or sunbathing. On the way down I was asked to pack one of the sails. It was really difficult because my arms are short, so i couldn't wrap the rope around the sail. But with some help I succeeded. Later the wind was changing constantly so we had to brace a lot of sails. There was only a break for 3 minutes to drink some tea, but that is OK, it took my mind of the seasickness, then I ate, talked to some people and went to sleep.

My first watch (00:00-04:00) was actualy really nice, we crossed the finish line at about 00:45 (i don't know when exactly, we keep track of time with the bell that the firewatch is suposed to ring) everybody was congratulating each other and hugging and dancing, a moment that i will never forget! We are definitly in the best 10, but our exact place is still a mistery. We are going maybe 4 knots. The wind and the sea are a lot calmer. Then we took some sails down. When we take sails down we need to pack them. They needed everyone who could clime, it was raining and they wanted to be done as soon as possible. packing sails is hard work, these sails had to be packed really tight and they are heavy to lift. But again all went well. Except that i am now completly wet.

The port in Aalborg is ready to welcome the tall ships from the 19th. So i don't know what we are going to do. We could sail in circles, let down the anker or we could visit Sweden. Personaly I prefer the last option. I love the sea but the sea does not always love me back. Plus, i never went to Sweden before and they say you can shop cheaper there ;) Anyway, I am going to sleep a bit (it is now 4 o'clock in the morning)

I will try to write again as soon as possible, Sofie de Grootte - Belgium trainee on board Sorlandet

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TECLA 15 JULY 2010
53'53.5N 005'12.1E 19:38 UTC
Yesterday we started the first race in the Tall Ships Races 2010 and we started off without wind.. The start was delayed for 2,5 hours due to lack of wind. This was the calm before the storm. While starting the wind picked up and we soon did 6 knots, but as the night came so did the thunderclouds. All the vessels where still close together when the Eendracht reported windgusts up to 40 knots. We took down topsails and jib, set them again, gibed and tried to get out of the middle of all the 74 racing vessels. By morning we could not see anybody anymore. The first reports came back and we where 4th and 16th. We still had strong winds, 7 bf from the south west, gibed a few times to stay close to our course line and tried to keep as much sail up as possible. This evening the new reports came in and now we are 1 in our class and 12th overall..! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 13 JULY 2010
51'22.5N 003'55.6W 19:02 UTC 13/7
Today we left Antwerp. We had a great time there! We arrived on the 6th at night, and moored around 00:00 UTC. We met up with the Maybe just before entering the Royen lock in Antwerp. It was amazing that starting only a day apart from each other we managed to get into the same lock after 30 days! They moored alongside us, where they stayed for the duration of the Festival. We saw a lot of old friends and had a good time in Belgium. Now we are sailing towards Vlissingen where we will pick up some last parts and then tomorrow the race will start. The start line is about 15 miles out of the shore and will first take us westward towards a waypoint.
The new crew is very enthusiastic! The sails went up and down, we tacked, gibed and cooked dinner as if we have been sailing together for at least the last week! We are looking forward to the start of the race! Crew Tecla - Jet

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Sail Antwerp started
10 JULI 2010
At this moment we are sailing at the Westerschelde at the Wylde Swan on our way to Antwerp. Yesterday we had a great day of sailing. Not much wind but we could have all sails up and enjoying the sun. This morning the sunset was really nice. The pilot just came on board and this afternoon we will reach Antwerp. Kruzensthern is sailing close to us.
SEE YOU AT SEA

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TECLA 5 JUNE 2010
50'20.2N 000'49.3E 16:34 UTC 5/7
We crossed the Greenwich Meridian again and are back on the east side.
Last night we had some fog patches, a little bit of rain and changing winds, veering from south west to north west. We gybed a few times to stay close to the courseline and when the wind lessened and the current turned against us, we turned on the engine to keep the speed up. Now we are sailing again, we have beautiful weather and with the wind in our back we have our sails butterflyed. The mizzen on portside, the mainsail on starboard, the forestaysail on portside and the jib on starboard again. It looks amazing and we are doing almost 7 knots with the wind directly from behind! A few more miles and we will be able to luff up to the wind a little more towards Cap Gris Nez.

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TECLA 4 JULY 2010
49'41.1N 002'10.7W 16:46 UTC 4/7
A beautiful Sunday sail, sun, wind, and landscape to admire. And we had some beautiful scenery today. We decided to take a gamble on wind and current and pass under Guernsey, to make a pass either through the little Russel or the big Russel passage. The wind decreased before we got to Big Russel, so we passed through little Russel. It was beautiful! The wind increased in the passage and with the current running with us we did 10,5 knots at times. Now we are sailing underneath Alderney, trying to find a counter current which will bring us to the other side of the island. So far no luck. The wind is in our back and prevents us from sailing in the precise direction we would like. The Maybe is right next to us, the race is on again!
Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 3 JULY 2010
48'33.9N 004'51.4W 16:27 UTC 3/7
We have just passed Ile d'Ouessant on the east side, getting a bit of the current with us. All the lighthouses on the island gave us a good opportunity for some coastal navigation and explanation.
There is little wind right now and we did not have a lot of wind last night. The weather reports now say that we will have a wind force 4 from the west coming, but so far it has not been more then 1/2bf. The waves are still there, it must have been some storm around Ireland! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 2 JULY 2010
47'10.3N 006'40.1W 17:14 UTC 2/7
We had a tough night last night. It started raining around 22:00 hours and real showers around 00:00 hours board time (UTC +2). The wind was south west force 5/6 with waves building up. As my watch came on at 00:00 hours the wind turned to the north as I was still trying to get my boots on. Sails where flapping, helmsman was confused and we had to wake up the captain. From a backstay wind to close hauled was a big difference in apparent wind. The topsails and jib where having a rough time and so we took down the topsails and planned on taking down the jib. But after we took down the topsails, the wind steadied and we left the big jib up. The blue watch went to bed and the red watch cleaned the deck, the last rope was coiled at 01:50. After that we had rain, a lot of rain. The best sailing suit could not keep the water out and so as we went to bed, we hung our wet clothes in the bathroom and stuck our feet under a warm shower.
During the day we had light winds, with still a big swell, that has only now come below 2 meters in hight.
This evening we listened to the World Championships on the radio! Holland won form Brazil with 2-1!!! We had a small party and orange pumpkin soup for dinner! This evening is definitely one to remember! And this in the middle of the Bay of Biscay!

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TECLA 1 JULY 2010
45'16.8N 008'42.5W 16:38 UTC 1/7
Sailing!! Sailing!! Sailing!! The GPS just showed a speed of 9 knots! We are heading north on a south west wind. The wind is expected to turn to the north west, so by that time we hope to make more east. It is a bit drizzly and grey, some of the crew are worried that their tan might be fading.. the things we worry about! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 30 JUNE 2010
43'26.7N 009'17.1W 16:39 UTC 30/6
Together with the Maybe we have found our way to the Bay of Biscay! We are finally sailing, although not very fast and not really towards our goal, but without engine! We started setting sail at about 12:30 board time (10:30 UTC). We had some trimming to do with the head leach of the mainsail and the trimming lines of the jib. So all in all it took until 14:45 before everything was as we wished, topsails included. After that we has some ice cream to celebrate that we are sailing again and that we are on the Bay, with pretty nice weather so far! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 29 JUNE 2010
42'10.9N 009'00.6W 16:31 UTC 29/6
Last night at around 20:00 board time (18:00 utc) the fog came back with a vengeance! The watertight doors where closed and a sharp look out was held. The dog went inside so that her old bones did not get to cold and the heater was turned on. But then at 22:00 we sailed out of the fog and lucky for us, it did not return this time. We set the forestaysail and the mizzen again and are currently motorsailing near Vigo. They expected north easterly winds, but so far we have only had north and north north westerly winds.. During the day we had a workshop about sail setting, handling and which course and sailsetting to what wind. Hopefully we will get a chance soon to practice the theory! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 28 JUNE 2010
40'10.6N 009'27.7W 16:31 UTC 28/6
Today was another hazy day. Only just before dinner did the sun come out. We still have headwinds, but they have decreased in strength and during the day we hardly had any wind. This afternoon we did a small rope game, naming and explaining what the different ropes are used for. Turned out that there was still some room for improvement and so the pinrail diagrams (a drawing of the Tecla with all the places where the lines are belayed) showed up on deck to learn them by heart. Maybe tomorrow we try again. Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECAL 27 JUNE 2010
38:32.1N 009'17.4W 16:54 UTC 27/6
Engine is still running, we still have two sails up and are staying close to the shore, where there are a little less waves and wind. Our new wind measurer says that we have between 14 and 22 knots of wind, so max 5 bf, which is very well to handle with only mizzen and forestaysail up. Today was Sunday, so no workshops. We saw some dolphins, bottlenose dolphins as well as common dolphins. The bottlenose ones seemed oversized after seeing so many smaller species along the way. They can grow up to 4 meters, where the common dolphine is only 2,4 meters. Fore those who have read our logbooks last year during the Trans Atlantic Challenge, we had a small banana crisis again, so after dinner we had a bananapuding with warm chocolate mouse. I could not help but think about the adventure we had last year! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 26 JUNE 2010
37'13N 008'58.7W 22:16 UTC 26/6
Headwinds.. we are now only a few miles out of the shore of Portugal. We passed Sagres on 4 miles, a wall where the four of us once stood, together with my grandparents looking out on sea. I don't think I was thinking of the possibility that I would be sailing there some 12 years later..! We have two sails up for support and are using the engine to get to where we want to go. The Maybe has been beside us for the last two days, a nice familiar site. They tried to sail this afternoon, but eventualy only did 1,3 knots trying to get up against the wind. The weatherrepors say we have some strong winds coming our way. We hope to make some miles north before this starts. Wind is now NNW and force 4/5. Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 25 JUNE 2010
36'03.3N 006'06.2W 16:42 UTC 25/6
Finally, the Atlantic!! We arrived in Gibraltar on the 24st around 7:00 UTC. We first took in some fuel, then tried to get a berth in one of the ports, but there was no room for a Tecla sized vessel. We tried some more, but nobody would budge. So we decided to go at anchor on the Spanish side, only a mile further. We first had to wait with crossing the from one side to another due to 2 airplanes leaving. Strange right..? For those who have never seen Gibraltar, it is separated from Spain by an airport with a runway that crosses the highway leading into Gibraltar and ends in sea. When planes arrive and or leave, vessels have to wait until they are safely in the air or on the ground. The afternoon was spend grocery shopping, getting the Tecla ready for the next half of the journey and some swimming. At night a group went to the shore to see the second half of the Netherlands/Kameroen match, but this match was not on the television. The first half we listened to on the radio, old school style. Now we are finally on the Atlantic. We have headwinds, but no more short waves! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 23 JUNE 2010
36'11.2N 004'36.5W 22:25 UTC 23-06-2010
We are closing in on Gibraltar, 32 miles to go. This evening we took away the sails. There was no wind and no expectation of wind, so all is down and ready for the harbor.
During the day we did some Medical drills. We lifted a fake brokenleg out of the front cabins with a stretcher and got her out to be transported with a fake helicopter. After that we some emergency procedures to help people suffocating and getting an unconscious person out of harms way. It was a hot day, so after that we did not do much more.
Tomorrow we hope to take an anchorage for the day, and if everything works out we hope to be on our way when the tide runs out of the straight again. Atlantic here we come! Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 22 JUNE 2010
36'26'1N 001'48'9W 15:43 UTC 22-06-2010
After 4 hours of beautiful sailing, the wind died out as my watch started at 00:00 hours.. Today we have sailed a little bit, and made the best out of no wind by having a swimstop! At noon most of us dove into the water, Nyske also took a dip or two. After that those making a bag out of the old Tecla sails worked on their pieces of art a little more with some tips and tricks of Gijs. During dinner we saw a swortfish jumping out of the water about 300 meters from the Tecla. Some of us had seen one before, but this one really gave a show away hunting after smaller fish.
It is still about 170 miles to go to Gibraltar. We are definitely stopping in Gibraltar for fuel and grocery shopping. Last stop before leaving the Mediterranean. Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 21 JUNE 2010
37'12.0N 000'09.9E 16:15 UTC
Finally the sails are up again and we are doing 5,5 knots towards Gibraltar!! The swell stayed until this afternoon and the lack of wind made us take down the mainsail and the mizzen to prevent them from flapping all over the place. There is still a swell running from the west and one from the south east. Is this possible..? Apparently so..
Midsummersnight is upon us, but here in the Mediterranean there is not a big difference. And we are about to pass the Greenwich meridian, tomorrow no more East longitude, but West! Jet - Crew Tecla

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TECLA 20 JUNE 2010
37'42.1N 002'35.9E 15:45 UTC 20-06-2010
The wind stayed all through the night and only lessened this morning. This morning at 9:30 board time we tacked and went south again and around 12:00 board time the wind veered from W to NW, bringing us back on our course line. It is Sunday, so a lazy day, except for de-reeving the main sail. Not much news to report, so siting's of sea life and hardly any vessels around, only cross sea to 'amuse' us.. Jet/ Crew Tecla

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TECLA 19 JUNE 2010
37'12.8N 003'49.4E 16:49 UTC 19-06-2010
Head winds.. first hardly any winds, about 3 hours ago up to 7bf en and now lessening by the minute. But the waves stay.
Last night we had a beautiful watch. Even 2 hours of moonlight lit the way. It was a bright night with a lot of stars and a lot of traffic going the same way or exactly the opposite way, mainly not bothering us. On our portside we saw the lights of Africa, and this morning we saw the mountains through the morning dew. Today we tacked a few times to catch the favorable winds, first changed the big jib for the small jib, then reeved the mizzen, and later also reeved the main. So we where a busy lot today. Wind is back to a force 4/5, but the short waves reaching 2/3 meters stay. Now we hope the wind will turn to the north so we can get back on course. Jet/ Crew Tecla

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TECLA 18 JUNE 2010
37'18.2N 005'20.5E 15:49 UTC 18-06-2010
Today was a blast! We decided to have a swim stop, as there was not enough wind to sail. But just as we where ready with the lunch dishes, the wind picked up a little, to much for a save swim. So we thought, why not let the dingy into the water and take some pictures from there and then maybe swim from the dingy, just a short splash. And so we did. We set out with only Jannette and Gijs left on board and made a tour around the ship under full sail, she was doing 2,4 knots at the time. As we came to the leeside of the ship, we noticed some splashing and some fins coming out of the water, DOLPHINS!! Al of a sudden we where surrounded by playful dolphins, coming up to the dingy, swimming in front of us and jumping around. Some left to play with the Tecla and as we swung round to take some pictures, they swung round as well. From the dingy we could almost touch them, it was an amazing sight and feeling. They stayed for about 20 minutes and the left us to go swimming.
We played around for about 3 hours, swimming from the dingy, jumping from the Tecla, dragging behind the Tecla on a rope and taking pictures of the Tecla from all sides. After that we had a small snack, we took a shower outside and enjoyed the sunshine for a bit. Tonight we are going to gather all the pictures on a laptop and sort them out. When we get in port, we will send some pictures. Now we are doing 4,5 knots, and 222' over the ground, heading for Africa, then tacking and heading up again, we expect to have westerly winds for the next two days, so we will have to make do. Crew Tecla - Jet

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TECLA 17 JUNE 2010
37'34.7N 007'16.9E 15:28 UTC 17-06-2010
Last night was impressive, one to remember. The 20-00 watch (Jannette, Diederik and Irene) started off with a small breeze, which gradually became a strong back stay wind. The Tecla darted around on the small bumpy waves and had speeds up to 8,4 knots. Although there was thunder and lightning all around, it did not seem to effect us. At first.. it seemed.. At the start of my watch (Daria, Matthew, Jet) the wind started turning. There where clouds forming over our heads and rain around us, although we did not get wet. We decided to gybe, but we could not due to changing and lessening winds and the waves. We then tacked and tried to get back on course. The wind increased again and followed the way the thunderclouds where heading. Luckily we could stay on the edge of it all, the lightning was on our starboard side, and stayed there. Winds did increase up to a force 6 at times and from changing directions. Steering the Tecla was difficult and intense. Only at the end of my watch did the wind steady again and after another gybe we where going where we wanted to go. Gijs had been present during most of my watch to handle the sails if necessary, we made a big pot of coffee for his watch (Gijs and Sergei) and then went to bed. A well deserved rest!
Today we have sailed all day, except for maybe 30 minutes where we had no wind. We are heading for our waypoint with 6 knots, which feels pretty good. We had cleaning day today, downstairs and outside. The rain from a few days ago had left a lot of dust on the deck, now everything looks nice again and downstairs smells like daisies.

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TECLA 16 JUNE 2010
37'59.1N 009'32.7E 16:21 UTC
We have just crossed behind the Maybe, our fellow class B Tall Ships vessel. We are both sailing with the wind, but with the sails on different sides. It was a beautiful sight, the vessel that once competed in the first Tall Ships Race ever, sailing into the sun. Last night the Maybe came up behind us, both using engine and sails up to temper the shaking due to the (irritating short) waves.
Yesterday was rainy with thunder and lightning around us and changing gusty winds, today is the opposite. Sun and a very small breeze, which became a steady force 3/4 from the east. After dinner we had a frozen watermelon as desert, only in Russian this word changes into something I can hardly pronounce and remember "Arbys" (spoken it sounds like Arbus).. So every day we learn a little more.

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TECLA 15 JUNE 2010
36'48.9N 12'33.7E 15:35 UTC
Last night during my watch (00-04) we had a beautiful sail! Doing 7 knots close hauled with wind bf 3. We were a little of course, heading north, but it felt good to be sailing! We had taken down the topsails as a precaution because the wind at first was a bit unsteady and went up to bf5 at times. Only short blasts, but enough to want to have the topsails down. This morning we changed the big jib for a smaller one as the wind (after being gone again for 4 hours) became gusty again. But as we changed the jib, the wind was gone again... and so it was all day, wind came form all directions, stayed for a few minutes, then disappeared again to come back from a totally different angle. But it keeps us sharp!
No sun today, even a little rain and cloudy all day long. We decided to change the jib again into the bigger one and after setting it 3 times we decided that was enough workshop for the day, as it was raining, no body complained! Crew Tecla

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TECLA 13 JUNE 2010
36'23.4N 14'02.9E 15:44 UTC
I will not write about the wind again, as long as it's the same story every day, it is not really interesting is it..?
Yesterday was cleaningday and today is restingday, a real Sunday! No workshops, just doing what ever we want. Except for the crew on watch of course. We have almost past Malta and are going through the straight of Sicilia. Waves are toying with us and due to the current lack of wind we will take the topsail and mainsail down as soon as the dinner dishes are done. Hope tomorrow brings some more steady wind.

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TECLA 12 JUNE 2010
35'51.3N 16'06.1E
Wind, no wind, wind, no wind, motor, sail, motor, sail... now we sail again, last night we sailed by engine.
Last night was warm but wet and very dark! We saw a dolphin play in the water and light up the phosphorescent algae, but other then that, the night was calm. Although our crew is small, we have a lot of nationalities on board, of course Dutch (4), Russian (2), Norwegian (1) and one from Bermuda! Our language is English and the very International language hand and feet..! I am learning a few new Russian words (euh,,..) and have learned that a lot of words in Norwegian are similar to Dutch, it is just the pronunciation that is different.
During the day we saw a lot of Turtles and during dinner a group of dolphins kept us company doing a backsplash and diving in front of the boat. We hope to keep the wind we have found now, a backstay wind that gives us 4 knots speed.

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TECLA 11 JUNE 2010
35'19.5N 18'49.9E 18:15 local time
We are in open water now, during the night watch we only saw a few vessels passing by on a very long distance. Still no moon, but a beautiful starlit sky! The milky way was shown very clearly and falling stars are sometimes as bright as searchlights in the sky! During the night we kept the motor on, but in the morning we finally found some wind! Light winds, but non the less, wind! Speed went up and down between 2 and 8 knots, but with her new sails the Tecla seemed to glide over the water. For me it is the first time sailing with these new sails, and I must say, it is a delight!
During our first 'workshop' we talked about the history of the Tecla, explained the use of the STI trainee logbooks to the new trainees and started working on our diddybags. These are bags made out of the old sails of the Tecla (the old jib) and can be used for a number of things. It introduces the trainees with the needle and tread, with knots and sail making. Lets see what they come up with!

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TECLA 06 JUNE 2010
Hi everybody, hope the signal is strong enough!

10-06-2010 35'45N 21'17E 15:47 UTC (18:47 local) After we left Lavrion we set sail, but the wind was not strong enough to carry us. We motor sailed along hoping to find some wind as we came around the Greek island Kithira. Near Kithira there are a lot of unlit islands and wrecks in the water, without the moon it was a strange sight, but we found our way through. What we did not find.. was wind. This morning looked better, topsails went up and we sailed for about 5 hours with an average speed of 5 knots. When the wind turned against us we again turned on the motor. The weather forecast said NE or SE winds, 4/5 bf, so we are still looking to find them. On board all is well. Our new trainees are finding their way on board. Yesterday we held a welcome swim stop. As it had been hot all day most of us went into the water, the dog as well!
Gijs has just turned of the motor, we are doing 6,3 knots by motor, I hope it stays!
greetings Jet - Crew Tecla

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TECLA LEFT LAVRION
10-06-2010 35'45N 21'17E 15:47 UTC (18:47 local) After we left Lavrion we set sail, but the wind was not strong enough to carry us. We motor sailed along hoping to find some wind as we came around the Greek island Kithira. Near Kithira there are a lot of unlit islands and wrecks in the water, without the moon it was a strange sight, but we found our way through. What we did not find.. was wind.
This morning looked better, topsails went up and we sailed for about 5 hours with an average speed of 5 knots. When the wind turned against us we again turned on the motor. The weather forecast said NE or SE winds, 4/5 bf, so we are still looking to find them.
On board all is well. Our new trainees are finding their way on board. Yesterday we held a welcome swim stop. As it had been hot all day most of us went into the water, the dog as well!
Gijs has just turned of the motor, we are doing 6,3 knots by motor, I hope it stays!
Jet Sluik

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Tecla - 09-06-2010
Wednesday, june 09, 2010 - Tecla is leaving Lavrion today

Today the Tecla sets sail towards Antwerp. With a possible stop in gibraltar for fuel and supplies we hope to arrive in Antwerp on the 10th of july, one months time.
The harbor of Lavrion is empty, the Akela has just left, the sun is still between the clouds, and today is a good day for sailing! The wind is supposed to be good for the next week.
Our trainees are looking forward to seeing water as much as we are, anticipation is a beautiful thing. This will be my first time sailing with the Tecla in almost 5 months.. And the first time with the new sails!!!
greetings from warm Greece - Tecla Crew - Jet

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Tecla - 19 May 2010 42 06.7 N 29 10.6 E
It was a grey morning. Last night it was raining. Now the sun is shinning.
Yesterday was grey also, but sometimes the sun came through the clouds and was shinning over Istanbul, Europe capital of culture 2010. It is amazing to see such a big city laying against a mountain, full of the most beautiful buildings. All the mosques and palaces, with golden points, glittering in the sun, on top of the roofs. Next to it, the very new high buildings, with lots of glass and in between, green parks. We went in parade all the way through Bosporus, till the black sea. And there we started, at 15.00 UTC, the second leg of the race to Varna.

The start was with a NE breeze. And sometimes a SW one......The starting ship was moving sometimes a little bit, but everybody got over the starting line at the end. The little breeze was kind to the Tecla. Without swell it went quiet good. We where able to keep up with the first ones. Till this morning, after a lot of tacking, gypping and topsail changing it went good, so good, that after the schedule we heard that we where 1 and 1. Also that the other leg had a better result then we had till now, 1 in class and 3 overall.

Then after a lot of wind changes, there is a NW-ly wind. Not to good for us and the Mir, who lays next to us. first it seemed good to go to the second way point, but this afternoon the wind disappeared completely, and just now, as I am writing this logbook, the wind is going where it should have been all the time, SW, not a lot, but perhaps, if it stays, and gets more a little bit (we are doing 0.3 knots at the moment) we will ever be able to leave way point 2 on our starboard site, just 21.5 miles, on 330 degrees. I hope to tell you tomorrow.

Greetings Jannette

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40 41.143 N 27 50.633 E Marmara Sea 16 May 2010
Sorry for all who where waiting for news of the Tecla and her crew. Our radio had a lot of trouble lately to get our e-mails in the air. I hope that from now on, it will be possible to send news more often.

We finished the first leg of the race from Volos to Varna. A race with almost no wind on the first day. The start was delayed three times. At the start there was a nice breeze, but it did not stay for many hours. The first night was more or less totally without wind. Also was the wind from all sites, many boats stayed close to each other. Just a few took the nice breeze to disappear at the horizon. No wind is very hard for a crew, you try to find a breeze, you tack and gyp, close to the wind.... with the wind, the current takes the ship for a dance and before you know it, she makes a round. Then there is a little breeze, the speed goes up, you are happy to see 3.5 knots on the GPS, till it drops again and the frustration attacks you, will we ever be able to do these (only) 150 miles in three days by sail?

And then, when the first ships announce their finishing time, there is a breeze that stays and grows to a real wind, force 5 to 6. We lower the top-sails, the big jib stays on, it is a too good puller to lower, even if we think it is a little bit too much. We start leaving ships behind us and take over, others. We are sailing again, everybody on board is enthusiastic, most skip their 6 hours of sleep, with only 5 trainees onboard and three crew, we are tiered, but every body is in the winning mood again. Speed 8.9 knots, we can smell the finishing line.

At 23 56 51 UTC we finish, just before the wind drops down again. We lower the jib and set the smaller one, the wind picks up again and turns against us. The weather forecast, says: gales coming up. We enter the Marmara sea, start the engine, head winds, and on the Sea of Marmara, in a bay, we drop anchor, have a beer or wine, start the anchor watch, have a good sleep and a late breakfast, the wind is SW 7, the sun is shining, and race control gives the race results. We are number one in our class, we are happy!

Greetings Jannette

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Tecla - 27 April 2010 38 46 N 20 33 E
The wind got more and more. The sea got wilder and wilder. The swell worse and worsen. But the speed went up! 8.5 knots! The sea swept a lot of very salt water over the Tecla and her dog, but then, after 6 hours full speed, all of a sudden, the wind died out, just 8 miles out of the coast of Greece.

There it was, laying in the sun, the white beaches, green hills, white houses with pink roofs, the blue water, with millions of sunny diamonds, on this early Sunday morning.

We had to start the engine, because of the...... no wind at all, and dropt anchor near the beach of Levkas. Took the sails down, cleaned the deck and had a nice beer in the sun with a tuna salad and bread. After a shower, Gijs and Adam had a look for the bus station, Jet already had a check on the internet in Holland, wether it was possible to get to Athens by bus or train. And a good thing of Greece is, that they have a perfect, not to expensive, regular, bus connection, almost from every where, to Athens. Adam took the bus at 18.00 local time, so he had still the next morning to see a bit of the city, before his flied home, Ireland. We said goodbye, in the hope to see each other soon again.

After the goodbye, we started our anchor watch and a lot of sleeping. The next day a visit to the town for some shopping, I hope the rest of Greece has as many flowers and balconies as they have here! But we will see that very soon, because we are on our way again, sails up, and guess what....we start with no wind at all again!

Greetings Jannette

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Morgenster - 26 april

On Sunday the trainees arrived with nice weather. We had the coffee table set up on the shore and met with the parents dropping off their youngsters. As we left the marine men where there to cast away our lines.

That evening at 19:00 hours we threw anchor near Oude Schild, Texel. We had our evening meal, the Captain had a small talk and then it was time for the lessons to start. First up, familiarization with the ship and safety, climbing the mast (something everybody liked!) and the first work with the sails, it was 22:30 hours before we knew it. During the night we kept anchor watch. Next morning at 7:00 hours we had breakfast, instructions on setting sails and then getting to work and actually setting the sails. We left our anchorage with current in the back, but wind from the front, tacking our way out of the Schulpegat. A lot of work, but very educative!

We did some more lessons sailing during the day and a fire drill, searching for a victim. Everybody is having a good time, incluiding the mentors! A few have mild seasickness, we are sailing south, wind is expected to turn SW tonight, we will then tack and set sail for England.

Greetings,

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morgenster 28 april
The wind is weak, so we have to tack a lot. Sailing under full sail is a lot of work when we have to tack. The trainees have to climb in the rigging and trim the sails for maximum speed. But at 04:00 hours there is no more wind, the end off sailing under full sail and the beginning of sailing on motor. At the break of dawn we wash the deck and have some ‘tosties’ even the once who where sea sick yesterday are feeling better and digging in.
At 12:30 it is happy hours which means on the Morgenster, time to clean the ship, top to bottom and everybody helps out so where done in 1 hour.

After that it is time for a MOB practice. First with a buoy and after that we let the dinghy down and the trainees get to practice retrieving something out of the water whilst the Morgenster is sailing on.
In the distance we see some fins coming out of the water, dolphins? Purpoise?
Then the trainees practice packing away all the sails without help from the professional crew.

Trainee Marijke Zuiddam is on board the Morgenster and says:
I am having a lot of fun! It is good to see how everything works. We learn a lot in school, but now we are able to actually practice in real live. The atmosphere is also very good. The leading staff lets us do a lot our selves!

Greetings from the Morgenster

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Tecla - lazy Saturdays - 24 April 37 48 N 18 39 E
Saturday, the first day of the weekend. Saturday, long sleeps, shopping, going to the market, have a coffee with your grand dad (Jet!), work in the garden and in the afternoon, sit with a couple of friends chatting with a beer.
That's what a lot of people are doing today.

But not the Tecla with it`s crew. We are fighting an ESE-ly wind, force 6 to 7, and a sea, who is building up. The main sail is down, it is not good for the shape of new sails, to reef, there for we only sail on mizzen, for stay sail and little jib now. We have a speed of between 5.5 and 7 and we are not going where we want to go. The wind turned this morning more easterly, and that is a pity. Although the wind was going to turn to the west, but till now, no sign of it. We are totally alone, no ships around us and no dolphins. Only a pigeon, who thinks he/she is a sea bird, fly's with us for hours now. Yesterday, there was a plane, we think a weather plane, witch made three rounds, very low, around the ship, we could see the people in the cockpit, we waved to each other.

The waves take the Tecla up, and try to throw her away again. But she does not seem to care. She was build for seas like this, the only ones who complain about it, is the crew, especially when the whole content of the refrigerator, tries to kill me.

Greetings Jannette

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Tecla - 22 April 2010 36 25 N 15 16 E
After a day of motor sailing, because of a lack of wind, we are now sailing again. Not really speedy yet, but we are sailing in the direction of Greece. The weather forecast said we would have south east winds, 5 to 6, some times 7. Until now, only the direction is correct. This afternoon we took the topsails and big jib down, because of the predictions, that means that with this wind, a 3 Beaufort and sometimes a little 4 Beaufort, we miss them a lot.

Sailing with four people, is amazingly quiet, after a group of 16 persons.
Jan and I do the 6 to 12 hours shift, and Gijs and Adam the 12 to 6. As it is still early in the season, we only see fishing boats and big cargo ships. Till now, we only saw a two sailing yachts near Sicily.

This morning we saw Malta, you could see the big defence buildings, or castles and the steep coast line. Also we saw a lot of airplanes, so we guess, that all planes go normal again. The wind is picking up a bit, the radio gives an alarm, we hear a Dutch war ship saying that they have finished shooting. The radar is on, visibility is getting less, it is cloudy so tonight we will have to do without the moon and the stars. Now there are only the sounds of sails, the wind through the ropes and around the masts and the singing propeller. I go for a cup of coffee, still three hours til the end of the watch, and 300 miles to Greece.

Greetings Jannette

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Tecla - 21 April 2010 37 05 N 13 11 E
The race is over, we all did the sail parade, most of the ships are now on their way to next appointments. The Far Barcelona is on her way to Barcelona, the Kaliakra to Varna, The Palinuro to Palermo and with the Palinuro, a lot of northern Italian trainees, who could not fly home. Also here, during the race and festivals, there were a lot of discussions, how to come home. Paolo, the journalist on board of the Tecla, had a flight to Milan of 1,5 hours, now he will be at home, after a ferry, train, subway, bus, in about 40 hours!

We are now on our way to Lavrion, Greece. We hope to do there some promotions for the coming Tall Ship Races of the Historical Seas.

You think back of all the good thinks there where. The very good pesto meal, one of the Genua mothers made! I got the recipe, the best pesto is made in Genua they say! ( to day we cooked a real Dutch meal, baked potatoes, salad, fresh beans and a cutlet). The very nice Parade, with people from Trapani. The ice cream, Gijs and Adam have been eating, offered by guests of the day trip, Gijs said: the best ice ever! All the parents and trainees, who where daily on board to say thanks for the great experience they had during the race.

Now, the only trainee on board, is Adam, we will bring him as near as possible to Athena, where he will fly home again, if the airplanes will ever fly again! Otherwise, he has to become a sea man, for the rest of this year, and we will bring him, later on this summer to England, on our way to the Tall Ship Races 2010. I think he would not mind, he loves the sea, the
dolphins and new places.

Many greetings to all Jannette

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TECLA - 15 April 2010 36 58 N 011 48.2 E
A sunny evening, after a cloudy day, all sails up, a speed of 6.5 to 7.0 knots, still 49.4 miles to go to Trapani, estimated time of arrival: 0:42 UTC
We just had diner on the deck, the red watch is doing the dishes now. It was cleaning day, to day. We want the Tecla to look good, if we enter Trapani, we also have open ship, tomorrow afternoon, so we have to look nice for all the people who are visiting the ships.We got a few e-mails, saying that we where number one in our class, but we are sorry to say, that we are number 2, and that the results from yesterday, where different, because not every ship had given their finish position by that time. That makes us number 2 in class and number 6 over all. The definitive ones, there still could be a protest or something like that, witch can change everything again, will come after we are in Trapani. The race director will do that after checking the "race declaration forms"We are glad to sail most of our time to Trapani, this would have been a wonderful wind for the race, also the youngsters are more interested now, then under motor. Our Sicily boys are looking a lot on the gps, to see the speed and distance to their home port. It must be wonderful their, many fishing boats and a long history of sailing. At the moment everybody is making jokes about the swallows (about ten), which try to attack the ship, by flying against the sail, we told them to fly north, they seem to be tired. The dolphins here, are the opposite, they jump roll and play all day long, Jan hit almost a turtle, a small one, it looked backwards, as if it was saying, mind your speed!

Greetings Jannette

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Kaliakra - 15-04 1200h 39'17N 011'44E 6.5knots

Preliminary placings in class A on corrected time:
> 1.Astrid
> 2.Oostershelde
> 3.Tenacious
> 4.Pogoria
> 5.Kaliakra
> 6.Palinuro - retired


Brgds
Capt.Kaludov

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Astrid - The results are in!
At this mornings radio schedule, where all the ships give their position to race control, we heard that the decision was made to finish the race at sea.
If the weather forecast is such that the fleet will have problems to arrive in the next port on time the race committee can decide to let the fleet finish at sea. At nine UTC the race was finished and 15 minutes later the finish positions were passed on to race control. The fleet placings were extra exciting for us, because we did not know how good the Oosterschelde, second in our class the day before, had sailed during a night with light winds for us. The night before we saw how different the wind can be even at a small distance, as we and Tenacious, sailing at about 4 knots, passed Kaliakra and Far Barcelona who were struggling to get their ship moving at a distance of only 5 miles!

Tonight the preliminary results are in and it is almost certain(but not yet
definitive) that Astrid is 1st in Class A! By my knowledge this is the very first time Astrid has won a Tall Ships Race, in 2008 we won the second prize in the Funchal Tall Ships Regatta, but never first!

This afternoon the trainee crew started to stow the sails in a calm sea.
We are expecting to arrive in Trapani in the early morning of the 16th.

Willem van der Wel
TS ASTRID

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TECLA - 14 April 2010 41 28 N 10 41 E
On this cloudy, all most misty day, the race ended, because of the lack of wind, now, but also in the coming days.

After a night of just laying and drifting with 0.4 till 0.9 knots in different kind of directions, we took the mainsail down. It was horrible to see the new sail shaking and hitting it self. Because of the heavy boom and gaff, she constantly went from one site to the other. We hoped that the clouds would bring us some wind, but they did not move all day. We are in a large area with the same air pressure. about 1012 mbar. We looked on different weather maps, but we did not find one, who showed us a change in the weather/wind. It is sad that we now do not know what the new sails can do. We think we are faster with light winds, but there has to be wind to get the Tecla moving. We are glad to see, that we where the third big ship ahead of the others, only the Oosterschelde and the Pandora where ahead of us.

This morning we where 2 in class and 6 overall. The yachts went up in the overall positions, except for the Pandora, who kept the 1 in class and 1 overall, we saw here a long time on the radar, last night, but this morning she was gone. And let me not forget the Astrid, she is still number 1 in the A class.

Now we are on motor again, still 184 miles to go to Trapani, where we will arrive early in the morning on Friday.

And as I am writing this, a little wind from the ESE is coming up, time to set sail...till tomorrow

Jannette

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Kaliakra - 14-04 41'39N / 10'21E / 6.5/156/
from 13.04 trere is a dead calm.
today at 0900 utc/ 1100 lt race control announced finish at sea. The ship proceeds to Trapani on engine. Acc the position at v 0600 utc the interim position on class A is:

> 1.Astrid
> 2.Oostershelde
> 3.Tenacious
> 4.Kaliakra
> 5.Pogoria
> 6.Palinuro - retired


Brgds
Capt.Kaludov

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TECLA - 13 April 2010 - 41 40 N 10 25 E
Yesterday night, was a good night. It was beautiful sailing, up till 9 knots, turning winds, good for us, we had the sails on the right side. But this is the Mediterranean Sea, the wind can drop down to nothing in minutes, and that happened at three o`clock last night. It picked up again this morning at eight, and turned from NW to NE, all hands on deck to gibe. Luckily, this is the time the watch changes, but also breakfast time, that means enough people, but hungry! Some protested, working with an empty stomach, but in a race, the ship always is the first to take care of.
The fleet is still very close to each other. We can see at least six ships, and that makes it on one hand very nice, at the other hand, it means that the placing's in the regatta differ by every mile difference, because many ships have all most the same rating. At the moment we have a speed of 0.9 knots, we are doing that for several hours now, the first ship all ready retired, the Palinuro, an Italian navy ship. More ships are whispering about it. We still hope for wind, it does not matter from which site , as long we do not have to motor, the race feeling just started, a race for two days, would be to short.
We are now 2 in our class and 3 over all, but that can change any minute, it depends on who is the fasted drifter to night.

Greetings Jannette

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Light spells - ASTRID 13 april
With a spectacular start of the day racing close to Tenacious the day was predominated by light or no wind. But the morale on board is high as we are 1st of our class! The first night of the race did us very good. During the
0-4 watch we overtook Kaliakra who was 5 miles to the west of us, becalmed, while we were sailing at a steady 4 knots.
At this mornings position report the fleet seemed to be very close, and we received the good news that we were 1st. And although at 0200 we made the first logbook entry with a speed of over 1 knot in 8 hours we seem to be doing good. As far as we can see all the ships are in the same situation.

With the trainees watching out for shooting stars I hope one of them wishes for better winds.

Greetings from a very very calm Mediterranean sea.
Willem van der Wel
TS ASTRID

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The fleet has left Genova - ASTRID
Saturday our trainees arrived, a mixture of nationalities and ages. Directly after they found their cabins we instructed our new crew in one of the most important things on board a square rigger, going aloft. They learned how to use a safety harness and how to climb in the mast. Sunday morning their newly acquired skill was needed directly after breakfast. We were getting ready to sail and this meant that the sails needed to be unpacked. And when we left Genova we manned the yards as a thanks to the port for their hospitality.

Sunday afternoon the decision was made by the race committee that we were not going to start that day. A lack of wind in the Gulf of Genova and better forecasts further south meant that the fleet sailed 60 miles in the direction of Trapani.

This morning we were able to start. The start line was opened at 1100 local time and Astrid went over the line at 29 seconds after that.
After this exciting start the winds were light and we sailed towards Trapani with a speed around three knots.
Monday evening we sailed past Elba where the wind increased and we were doing 6 knots for a while, but this did not last long.
We went through a night with the wind varying quite a bit, our speed ranging from 0,1 to 7,6 knots. Around 8 o'clock we were right besides Tenacious and Den Store Bjorn. This is the first time I have seen a race fleet stay so close together. Unfortunately Tenacious got from under our wind coverage and sailed of with 8 knots. But the battle is not won. There are three more exiting days to go.

Greetings from all on board TS ASTRID

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Tecla - April 12 Garibaldi Regatta 2010
12 April 2010 - 42 53 N 10 02 E

To day we started! After a night of motoring, early in the morning there began a little breeze. We all hoped that it stayed, and it did, so the Race Control announced the start should be between 09.00 UTC and 11.00 UTC. All the ships where at that moment, near the starting line. The weather forecast was difficult for us. It said that there would be more wind later on the morning, do we start immediately or will we start later on? Well, we started with the last ones, and the wind dropt down, it was perhaps not the best choice, because it got less and less.
The wind was the whole day NE, so we all had to sail with the wind, for some ships a nice course, but we prefer it more from the site. And because there are a lot of islands in our way, we chose to let Isola Capriaia at our starboard site. So did the Far Barcelona, who is faster then we are, with light winds with the wind. Luckily the wind picket up as the sun went down, now we are in the race again. Near Isola D`Elba, the wind turns,that means, all hands on the sheets. The young Italians like to pull robes, it was done in a minute. This evening we had the 8 for the first time on the gps.
At 19.00 UTC we got the results of the day, we are now 3 in class and 11 over all. Its the first day, and if the wind helps us a little bit, who knows

Greetings Jannette - Crew Tecla

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Tecla - April 11 - Garibaldi Regatta
11 April 2010 43 58 N 009 09 E

This day the race should start, but I am sorry to say, that we did not. No wind. The day started with SE 4 to 5, and as the sun came more and more, the wind went totally away. We are all motoring now to the second start line, 60 miles further on sea. So we will have the start tomorrow morning, or.....
Our trainees on board are except one, Italian. The exception is Adam, from Northern Ireland, who did the last part of the Trans Atlantic, with us last year. 9 Of them are from Trapani, Sicily, a nautical school, 2 of them from Genua the rest more from the north of Italy. All are between 16 and 23, except one, he is 45 years and a journalist, writing for a beautiful Italian boat magazine. He makes a lot of photo's, so we hope to show you some pictures, when we are in Trapani.
To day was not a successful day. The parade line was in the wind, so no nice sailing pictures. And, the sea is not nice to our trainees, more then half of them was, or is, sea sick, mal de mare, they say in Italy, sounds better, but the effects are the same. I hope fishes like union bread and spaghetti Bolognese. I have 300 pills to offer them, warm tea and dry bread, so lets hope that tomorrow, there is some wind, so they will all feel better very quick. Also the race feeling will get them up their feet again, and we will know if the new sails bring us, what we think they can. Our rating went up, so our speed has to do the same!

Many greetings Jannette - Crew Tecla

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ASTRID AND TECLA IN GENOVA
Genoa here we are!

The Astrid has arrived this morning around 9 o'clock local time in Genoa. The third day of the trip started with setting all the sails again and after that we sailed for two days past the Cote d'Azur; St Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo. And we met up with Tecla again, seing their two masts on the horizon!

The evening before easter the wind died and at the point where the speed went below one knot we decided to start the engine again, to arrive in Genoa on sunday before the expected SE 8 bft.

And we did arrive this morning, finding Tecla already in the Molo Vecchio, between the superyachts. You could notice that a tall ship is an unusual site fore the people of Genova, as we had quite a few bystanders when we were stowing our sails.

Now it is time for us to find our eastereggs!

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Tecla - April 3 2010
43 48 N 008 07 E 3 April

After a day of beautiful sailing, a sunset over the gulf of Lyon, a red almost full moon, the Astrid at the horizon, under full sail, live could not be better. The wind, SE 3 bft, sometimes a little bit more, but not the 5 and 6 the weather forecast was talking about. A pity, but better then a storm. Even this morning, a red sun and dolphins, a weather report saying SSE 4 to 5, Lyon gusts 8. Tomorrow NW......8. The barometer is falling slowly. In the morning the clouds are growing, and getting blacker, but the wind is what they said, SSE 4, we have a nice speed, and dreams about long sleeps, tonight in the harbor of Genoa. The Astrid we cannot see anymore, we left here behind, we think.
And then, all of a sudden, just sailing along the coast of Monaco, the land of kings, queens and movie stars, where you always see the pictures of beautiful people in bathing suits in magazines, the wind drops, till zero, then turns all the 360 degrees, stops by SW 1, and what is left from all, is a terrible cross sea.
It is time to weak up Gijs and take the sails down, a hell of a job with new sails. It takes us more then an hour. Monaco lays in the clouds, the wind turns again, now to the NNE 1, a very cold air flow is going with it.
The engine is working, the new weather bulletin is saying, Provence S 4 to 6 turning NW 7 to 8, tonight. So now we hope, they are wrong again.

Greetings Jannette - Crew Tecla

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Tecla - April 2 2010
42 38 N 005 32 E 2 April 2010

As every body already could see, the Tecla has new sails! And believe it or not, that is a hard job. Sails, good sails, have a body and a soul, so if you put them up the first time, you do not know them, its like you are a stranger on your own sailing boat. So after trimming the sails in the harbor of Benicarlo, we had a lot of trimming at sea. And as we are only the three of us, and the sails are with a lot more.....we have pain every where now, but....we think it is a real success. With a breath of 3 beaufort she went like a youngster through the water! Our new jib, more the old version cut (lower to the jib boom), is a real puller and a beauty. The main sail gave us the most trouble, but it looks like we will be best mates after some fight's.
The first hours after our departure we had some very good sailing moments, beautiful weather, sun fishes, dolphins, whales,the Astrid, who was our neighbor for a month, a head of us, so we where in good company!
The wind on the Mediterranean is not the easy steady wind, sailors like a lot, speed, but also the direction is not steady. So we jibbed and tacked till the wind died out and only an awful short swell stayed, pulled the main and mizzen down and the engine on. Now every thing is up again, the wind is southwesterly 2/3 bft, speed about 5 to 6 knots. It is a little bit cloudy and the wind is fresh. For this evening, the forecast says, the wind will be backing to south force 4 to 5, possibly 6. So we hope they are right,to see what the sails can do with a bit more wind!

Jeanette - Crew Tecla

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ASTRID ON THE MED
After a good day of sailing we went into the night(overtaken by Tecla) with still all sails on, and the sight of a whale at sundown. But just after midnight, as if an April fools joke, the wind turned 180 degrees in a matter of minutes. You can imagine that it might take quite some effort to adjust all the sails to such a wind change. It was a night with little rest for the crew. In the morning we were quite close to Tecla again, but around 8 o'clock we started our engine to cope with the head winds we were now confronted with.

The Mediterranean seems to have many surprises, from whales to its infamous wind changes.

Right now, 0100 UTC on the 2nd of April we are under sail again, slowly progressing towards Genoa using only the forces of nature. It still amazes me how a ship of 250 tonnes can be propelled all around the world only using the power of the wind in its sails.

See you in Genoa!

Willem van der Wel
On board TS ASTRID

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PRE RACE TO GENOVA
The Race has already started!

Although the Tall Ships Race season did not even start, on board Astrid we are already in full racing mode. The Astrid and Tecla just departed from the port of Benicarlo Spain and we have pointed our bow towards Genova for the Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta.
The Tecla left a few hours behind us, but are slowly catching up on us. Right now we are almost under full sails, in a few minutes we will set the main course and all our 17 sails will be set! But I can see that on board Tecla the topsails are being set, so I think we are not the only ones ready for the Tall Ships Races.

See you in Genova!

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Tecla - 25 Februari 2010 - Getting Ready for the Races!

The Tecla is moored alongside the dockyard in Benicarlo. We are working hard on getting the ship ready for her annual check. And of course to get a fresh paint job on her.

Last year we crossed the ocean, we even won the Trans Atlantic Challenge, and this year we are out to discover more!! And we have new sails coming up! On the docks we will clean the hull so no more Bermudan seaweed clinging on. And loads of new countries to visit, so nothing can stop us! The race will be on!!

The sails are made by Arjen Kooij, the cousin of Jan. They are specially designed for the Tecla and more so to race!! On our blog we have already shown a few pictures of the sail when Gijs and Arjen where still working on them. They are ready now, and as soon as they are on board (after we have docked) we will post some more pictures.

Hope to see you all on board!!

Crew Tecla

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Tecla - 1 february 2010
02-02-2010 33' 03.7' N 11' 36.9' W

We left La Palma again and are on our way to Benicarlo, Spain. There we will go to set the Tecla dry, in early march. The two month on La Palma where wonderful. The Christmas storm kept us from painting, but still we did already a good part of painting. At the moment, the weather is a bit disappointing. Our shorts are in the wardrobe again, now we have to wear our oil goods. As we left, there was a south easterly wind, so that was a nice sail, at the moment the wind is east,so we started the engine to help the sailing a bit. Around us, is a lot of thunder, some times rain, but also blue sky's, so we can take off our jackets. The first group of dolphins and gannets already said hello, also we saw an orange turtle, warming in the sun! The nights are clear, just after a full moon, Orion leads us again, but now on starboard site. It is good to be on the sea again. -
Crew Tecla

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NEW MOVIE
Martin Blouet has made a great new movie. Check: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii66AiBe3Q0

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TECLA - 3 december
At this moment, we are on La Palma, in the harbor of Sante Cruz. Our Swiss group has left the ship for a week now.
With the group, we visited after Zapata, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Puerto de Vueltas or also called, Gran Valle Rey (valley of the great king) San Sebastean de la Gomera and we finished our 10 weeks sailing trip on Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. And because of the beautiful weather, the youngsters have been swimming and body surfing a lot!
Since a few days, the weather is not so nice. There are showers during the day, it is about 20 degrees, but the nice weather will return this weekend, we saw on several weather sites.
The crew changed, Gijs is back to Holland and Jet is now on board. Till now we fill our days with clear and cleaning the ship, the engine room and other little jobs.
Jet already made our calendar for next year, together with At Sea Sail Training, in Holland. It will be a year with a lot of Tall Ship Races, a lot of countries and a lot of miles!
Gijs will help our sail maker in Holland, making new sails for the Tecla! And also about this project we will keep you informed!
For now, the ship will stay on La Palma, the island with the most palm trees of all the Canary Islands, in the coming weeks we will tell more about this also!

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TECLA - 15 november
28 31.99 N 16 07.944 W
Just a short report. We dropt anchor at Zapata, north Tenerife, yesterday afternoon. We are anchored between high, bald rocks. With only a couple of little (fisherman?) houses. It is hot, about 26 degrees, also the sea is nice warm, that means that there is a lot of swimming. If the tide is low, there even is a little, black, beach, where you can play with the ball. Everybody has a good time. Nyske is walking around again, she swims or asks for a shower, this morning she was caught by a swell and she went completely under water, she did not like that!
Our program around the Canary Islands is not definitive, but when the weather stays like this, it can not be difficult to have a nice time here!

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TECLA - 13 november
30 01’ N 15 03’ W
Still 103 miles to go before we drop anchor. The wind is now westerly, as the weather forecast already was saying, but so less that it is of no use. The sails are still up, but also the engine with 800 turnings. Again a gigantic star night. We try to recognize them, but there are so many! Orion, you can recognize very well, with its three clear stars as a belt. Also the Great Bear is no problem. But whether we see the Unicorn or Cassiopeia is already more difficult.
Sailing with engine is and will be always annoying. Everybody gets a little bit restless, the main question is all day : how long still to go? The temperatures of water and sea are getting very pleasant now, water temperature 23 degrees, so every body longs to swim and stroll along the beach. The sailing suites are in the closet now, and in the morning about 9.30 o'clock we put on our shorts. In the afternoon we have a swim stop. And even now, 21.00 hours, the temperatures are still very pleasant. The only thing we can complain about, is the short days, at 19.00 hours, it is dark. So we are forced to eat in site, because with a moonless night, it is difficult (read: sloppy) to eat at the aft deck. Our legs and arms get Charlston colors again and we are very pleased with that.
Tomorrow afternoon we will drop anchor near Tenerife and then the last part of the expedition will start. Walking, swimming, bananas, papayas, black beaches…..I am looking forward to a winter on the Canaries!

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TECLA - 12 november
32 21.380 N 13 37.840 W
Bonjour, je m'appelle Bogdan, j'ai 17 ans et je fais actuellement partie de l'equipage du Tecla.
Ca fait depuis le 15 septembre que je suis a bord et j'ai beaucoup de plaisir. Jan, Jannette et Gijs sont de tres
bons capitaines et Jannette fait tres bien la cuisine. J'apprecie beaucoup les regles et l'environnement du Tecla.
J'aurai pour ma part fini mon voyage le 25 novembre mais ca ne sera pas la derniere fois que je serai sur le Tecla.
J'aime beaucoup le monde marin et le Tecla, j'aimerai revenir a bord lors d'une course qui se deroulera en 2010.

Nous avons commence la journee avec un vent de force 2. Vers 3h00 le vent baisse et nous allumons le moteur.
Actuellement, nous naviguons toujours au moteur et comme la mer est tres calme nous avons pu en profiter pour passer
une journee assez tranquille. Les quarts ont ete tres sympas, dans le mien que je commence a 8h00, Jannette nous a appris
mes collegues de quart et moi, a nous reperer a l'aide d'une carte marine. L'apres-midi a ete consacre au
nettoyage du bateau. Cela s'est passe dans la bonne humeur et a la fin le bateau etait niquel. Les capitaines ont ete
tres contents et ont arrete le bateau pour que nous puissions nous baigner en plein milieu de l'Atlantique. Ca nous a
fait du bien parce qu'il faisait tres chaud et nous avons eu beaucoup de plaisir. Le bateau redemarre en direction
de Tenerife ,les quarts recommencent et la journee poursuit son cours tranquillement.
Nous sommes actuellement a 255 miles nautiques de notre destination et suivons le cap de 205.

Hello, my name is Bogdan, I'm 17 years old and I am actually part of Tecla's crew.
I am on board since the 15th of September and I'm having a lot of pleasure. Jan, Jannette and Gijs are very good captains and Jannette cooks very well. I do appreciate a lot the rules and the environment of Tecla. I will for my part, finish my trip on the 25th of November but it won't be the last time I will come on Tecla. I like the sailing world a lot and the Tecla, I would like to come back on board for a race that will take part in 2010.

We have started the day with a wind force 2. By 3:00am the wind decreased and we turned the engine on. At this moment, we are still navigating by engine and since the sea is calm we managed to have a quiet day. The watches have been very nice, in mine which I start at 8:00am, Jannette taught my watch colleagues and I, how to position ourselves on a sea chart. The afternoon was dedicated to cleaning the ship. That was in a good atmosphere and at the end the ship was as new. The captains were very happy and stopped the ship so that we could swim right in the middle of the Atlantic. That was very nice because it was very hot and we had a lot of pleasure. The ship's engine is on again towards Tenerife, the watches have started again also and the day continues quietly. We are now at 255 nautical miles from our destination and our course is 205.

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TECLA - 11 november
Wednesday 11th of November, 34'16.8 N - 12'33.8 W

Good evening everybody! My name is Sophie and I am 25. I finished my architecture studies in France last year and decided to do a gap year preparing and participating in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge with the two French class B schooners, Etoile and Belle Poule. This gap year is getting more and more extended because I am now sailing on Tecla since almost two months... Already! Time really flies away when you are having good fun somewhere. But my trip is almost finished because I am leaving next week, a few days before all the youngsters on board; and the only thought of it in my mind makes me sad. Hopefully I still have a few very nice and sunny days left, which will maybe be the best, who knows!

The first time I really met Tecla was last year in Vigo (Spain) in the beginning of the Atlantic Challenge. I was sailing on Etoile as the "communication officer" and so I could hear and be in contact with Tecla daily for the race control positions. I first met Jet and Gijs on a party given by the Urania in Tenerife (Canaries) and then we met in each race port call. During the last race between Halifax (Canada) and Belfast (Ireland) my captain received an email from Tecla asking if I would eventually be interested and available in sailing on Tecla, as a translator for a group of young Swiss...
Of course! who would have thought that would really happen? Me, sailing on the every time winning ship? THE ship who would always cross the finish line before us, all sails set and full of wind on both ships; with whom we would always compare our positions and try to get more miles on her daily... But that of course Tecla didn't know: she was already far ahead to see us behind!
So of course, I accepted this once in a life offer with a lot of joy! Who wouldn't have?
And that is how it all started for me here on board...

Here I try to do my best to be efficient on the deck with either holding the helm, helping in the kitchen, translating; even though most of the young try now to speak English by themselves and sometimes do not want to be helped anymore. If at sea the first hours (or more depending on the swell as you know the last few days were quite terrible!) I am sometimes seasick, there is always things to do to keep my mind off of it and smile: Jannette has a lot of little games to play to know the rigging better for the young either with words or drawings and we have to get what it is and where. I must say some drawings are not very easy to understand sometimes but then that's what makes the game funny and difficult at the same time!
On a ship like this, if you put your heart in it, you might get quite poly valent afterwards... If you like cooking, you just have to stay in the kitchen, putting yourself at work, all together, cutting and learning all the secrets of Jannette's delicious soups or Jan's Chinese meal like we had this evening: " Succulent" like we say in France for a 3 stared Michelin restaurant... Either you can stay on the deck, in the nice warm sun, to sew! Today we continued our ditty bags sewing and stitching; trying to help each other and see how one has done his to do the same and get the good ideas out. It is nice to see how some young really get involved in choosing their colored thread, the way they want the stitches to be seen... and how doing something all together during the workshop makes a day well fulfilled!

In fact to be a good sailor we have to learn all of these jobs at the time: cook out of nothing wonderful meals, sew to repair a ripped sail, to make time joyful and nice for everyone have a lot of humor and good stories.... we have still a lot to learn from the Tecla Family! But then these are only the extras. Most of all we learn how to sail: finding the wind, even if we don't feel anything breeze; the direction of the swell, even if it seems to come from everywhere; holding the helm and staying on the correct course, even if the waves makes the compass turn in all directions; being outside watching the horizon for a ship, even if it is cold and rainy and our eyes are begging to close... but then comes the shiny sun waking up in the east and going to sleep in the west, the dolphins, the falling stars, the silence of the ocean... anything you can get on a ship but not on land that makes this trip unforgettable!

Thank you for all. For sure I will do my best to come back, even if I have to sleep in the cellar or attached on a rope hanging behind the ship!

Our course is this evening 210, heading directly to the Canaries. We are at an average speed of 5,5 knots and have still 378 miles to go before arriving. This night we will be half way since we left Cascais.

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TECLA - 10 november
36 09.65 N 11 54.74 W - But, their was no going to Madeira the next day. We did the shopping, we had fresh clothes, the water tanks full and then came the last night in the city for the youngsters. And that went not that well. We needed for that more then just an hour talk together. Happily now we are on the "road" again. Yesterday afternoon, we left Cascais behind us, with an awful high sea and not enough wind to let the Tecla sail smoothly through the swell. Luckily the primmest wind force 4 to 5 from northerly directions came 20 miles out of the coast and we could enjoy the smooth Tecla speed of 9.5 up to 10.5 knots. A marvelous, moonless, star and milky way night, full sail, an old jib as mizzen stay sail, no fishermen to give way to, we rumble in to the night. Estimated time of arrival, 12 November 20.30 hours. The young are astonished about the quick arrival! Plans are made what we all can do on the Canaries, now we get a lot of extra time with this marvelous speed. Bud, we saw the weather forecasts for the next days, and that this will only stay for a short time, if we don't hurry, we will even have to face a southwest wind against us! Before midnight the wind drops heavily, the swell gets more grip on us. This means that a large part us the crew is not able to do any thing during the watch. The morning starts grey, not cold, 20 degrees, the same temperature as the ocean, the sun comes out in the afternoon , by that time the wind is gone more to the north east, so we have to gyp , lower the topsails (and mizzen staysail) and set every sail again at the other site. This course is a more comfortable one with this swell, most of the ill get collar again and want to eat again. Gijs puts the amok under the boom of the mizzen and everybody who wants to lay in it, has to tell a nice story. The shorties come out, together with the cough drinks and tablet. The wet weather brought an awful cough and cold by a lot of the crew members. Our eta is now, November the 14 th 19.35 hours, but as soon as the wind has a dip again, it takes a day extra. We are enjoying our seconde star night, this time with a lot of falling stars. The wishes we can not say lout, every body can guess, for the time being, we enjoy the sailing and the atmosphere on board, witch has improved a lot.

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TECLA - 5 november
38 42 N 09 25 W - And the wind brought us to Cascais. An old city, on the west coast, 30 minutes with the train, to Lisbon. With a NNW wind, a bit searching sometimes and getting more and less again, it was a very nice sail. In 33 hours we where at anchor, next to the marina of Cascais. After being 6 weeks on board now, the youngsters know their job better and better. Everybody has a favorite spot during the working on board, by setting and folding. Also, some start feeling the pride of getting the ropes really turned perfect, or the gaffs in line!. That makes the work easier and faster, so we are ready for the tea, coffee and coca cola more rapidly every time. During our trip, the weather forecast getting stranger by the hour. We notice that the swell is building up to more than 3 meters, by a wind of not more then 4 Beau fort. On the navtex we read that ports are closing along the west coast. It starts with small entrances, but after that the bigger once also. Aveiro, the port where we last year started the Funchal 500 Race, closes for ship up to 15 meters. After that, Porto closes for all ships and soon after Aveiro less than 35 meters. The weather forecast now does not only speak about wind, but mainly about the sea state: heavy waves. The wind is mainly over de Bay of Biskay, and the Atlantic Ocean, NW 9, but the waves are along the total west coast, all the way up to Casablanca.
We are going to get a berth in the marina. We have to take in water, a lot of eating's for a week and of course clean cloth. Out site, in the bay, container ships are at anchor, we see them go from port to starboard, they have eating problems now. In the marina we lay next to the big white motor yachts. Three double deck, double engine, double cleaning women etc. it is a little bit strange, but we get used to it very quickly. Cascais is a friendly clean town. There is a fortress with old buildings in it, witch they are restorating at moment, every where you find little beaches with rocks in the town. The fishing boats are rather small, they mainly fish with lobster traps and pots for crabs, earlier baked ones, now made of plastic. On the quay every fisherman has his own spot for all his gear. We try to find as much weather forecasts as possible, to know what the swell will do tomorrow. As it looks now, we can leave tomorrow, most of the swell must have been gone by then. Now the swell is 8 till 10 meters. We will see, it is not a disaster to be here, but Madeira is waiting for us.

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TECLA - 3 november
40 24.6 N 009 21.2 W. It took us a lot of time, 53 hours to be exact, before we could, after a lot of tacking and turning winds, enter the harbor of Leixoes. But it was not a boring journey. With a little bit more then half moon, we did not have a great star sky, but for that, we good spot the lots of dolphins very good, even by night. We will put the photo's in the logbook as soon as possible. And with a small wind you can tack with a small crew, so we did that a lot, without waking up the whole group. Leixoes is a suburb from Porto. I am sorry to say, but it will never win the price for nicest city. If you come near the harbor, you see a lot of breakers against and over the sea breaker/wall, you have to go through it if you want to enter the harbor. So we had to clean the lunch table again (we did not have the lunch yet!) to make not too much damage downstairs. After entering you sail into a bay. On port side the oil harbor for tankers, starboard the fishery harbor and more to the big bridge the container ships and ferries. Behind a big wall is the marina, and that is the harbor we want to go alongside, to have all a good nights rest. But we are to tall, they say, to come in, we should go at anchor in the bay. Gijs, who really wants a long night sleep, complains as long till the harbor master agrees we go alongside the bay side wall. So we do, big fenders are already hanging there, so we are very pleased, till one of our Urania ropes gives a gig bang and is gone, we take our orange heavy weather land-line, but the ship keeps shaking and making strange noises. So we decide to drop anchor, 40 meters, but with two lines ashore at the aft, so we only have to look after the lines a few times at night . As we are finishing the last lines, the fog signal starts to blow the horn, we can not see the entrance anymore! We are lucky, it would have been very difficult to enter the port with this weather. The group takes the bus to Porto, and Nyske is going for a beach walk and swim. The beach is beautiful, except the all waste that is lying around, Next to the beach is a kind of boulevard, on the beach are several very modern beach-bars and even a swimming pool in the ocean of grey concrete, desolated, ram shackled. At the other site of the street arise a lot of high apartment/hotel buildings, most of them empty, between this all, some lost shops for cloth or shoes, and the rest is restaurant, most of them empty, or closet and forgotten. And that is how the rest of he city looks like. Next to beautiful old merchandise houses, with fine woodwork's and tiles, but ram shackled, ugly new buildings, often as ram shackled and empty as the old ones. As the group is staying for diner in Porto, we are looking for a nice restaurant, without the plastic chairs on white tiles with a lout tv. We find a nice Italian restaurant, in one of the old merchandise houses, tasteful, a wall made of a piece of an old ship, old pictures on the wall, whine storage up to the ceiling, it is strange to know that the other three floors are all most falling down, our hands start to itch, but we are not looking for a new project yet, during the walk to the ship, through the desolated streets, we already are busy planning where the wind can bring us tomorrow.

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TECLA - 30 oktober
41 21.989 N 008 56.668 W. We arrived at Vigo!! With a horrible swell, where even I, Jannette, the first time this year!, was one of the very ill persons. Swell coming from the northwest and wind from the south/south west! Grey clouds, showers, a stormy wind and a never ending rain, falling down by lots and lots……but not cold! And that I wrote more then a week a go. Vigo is party a very old town. The fishing harbor is large, in the harbor we where berth with the TSAC race, now are many towing ships, waiting to help maneuvering the big container ships, witch have there own harbor a little bit more east. We are berth at the outer site of the marina , quit near to the center of the old city. Her our group gets a visitor from Swiss on board, so we stay for almost three days, because it is no nice sailing weather outside. A stormy south/southwesterly and rough to high seas, 4 up to 6 meters. We had the wish of seeing more of the surroundings, sinds the first time we were in Vigo, there are so many beautiful beaches and villages and of course the Islas Atlanticas de Galicia, the Parque National, that now we had the chance to see more of this all. Happelly one of our trainee from the TSAC race Vigo/Tenerife, comes by for a coffee and tells us that it is possible to get permission to anchor and to visit the islands, so after a long walk and a lot of time, we leave Vigo, with on board the licence, to visit the Archipielage de Cies, where we drop anchor, with a stormy wind and a lot of rain again. On the island live a few people, there are a few houses, and many walking routes. So we take the longest, without the dog, no dogs allowed, up the highest hill, 175 meters, in the rain. It is realy beautiful, the only missing thing was the few, up the hill, a big cloud took us the few! So the next day we leave again, with the rain and the stormy wind, but also with the sails up, for the bay of Aguete. And again, a beautiful bay, gardens full of whine trees and little tomatoes crowing on the ground. Here Jan, Nyske and I get one time again a very wet suit! It is as if the sky pours out, all the rain there is in heaven ! And I think that really happened, because the next day is dry, sunny and warm! A good day to do a man over board exercise with the immersion suit and the rest of the training. After that of course swimming time, jumping of the jib boom etc. We dry our wet cloth and study the weather forecasts, fog, no wind, rough seas, no good conditions to sail to Porto or Lissabon, where we ant to go. So we decide to go a little bit more south again to Bayona. A very sympathetic town. A real big castle wall, with in it a newer build hotel, surrounded by a big beautiful garden, an very old monastery with nuns, churches, steep narrow streets with narrow deep houses, and looking over the sea, the big white swell, falling against the stones. A good sea to surf JB and Gijs decide and so they do that afternoon. Now we are on our way to Porto?Lisboa? With a south-west/south-east wind, force 2 to 5, speed 1 to 6 knots. We are 36 hours on our way now, it goes very slowly. But we sail again!

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