Two weeks aboard a fully rigged Norwegian tall ship...
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| Christian Radich of Oslo |
After sleeping for the first time in a hammock (yes it was uncomfortable), I woke up feeling excited for the day ahead. We were still docked up in the Thames but it didn't seem to matter, as this was now my home... and I couldn't wait to really get to know everyone. I had spent the previous day playing cards and eating a very tasty portion of lasagna. It had been a great welcome meal. Today was our orientation day, as we would be setting sail for approximately 4pm. Everyone aboard, including the crew had been placed into watch groups around the clock... two 4 hour shifts a day. This would ensure that the ship was safe and secure consistently, as well as not sailing into danger. Your watch would become your new family as you would be spending the majority of your time aboard together, whether it be working, relaxing or sleeping... yes, you slept in your watch groups to avoid waking the others! I was assigned watch 12-4. Some (well many) referred to it as the Dog Shift, as you found yourself having to sleep at odd times and also to stay awake during the morning shift was exceedingly tricky. Once the watches were sorted, and we had met our team it was time for safety training. Funnily enough, it was not all about life jackets, though of course they were in the mix. We learnt about the very basics of the vessel, what to do in emergency circumstances and then yes... rig training! Splitting off into our watch groups we grabbed a harness and for the first time (well second for me) climbed the rig. It must have been a peculiar sight, seeing so many bodies upon the rigging of the ship, but no one was hurt and we got to climb as high as our hearts desired. Myself, along with a few others climbed to the top (yesssss) of the 40m high sails. How thrilling!
So I want to take a moment out to tell you about climbing the rigging on board. The ship was fully rigged, which meant it had three sets of 4/5 sails, stretching as high as 40m up. When all the sails are down (after a lot of hard work from the crew) it is a very beautiful sight. The process in which it takes to get there however is one not to be taken lightly! So crew members do have to physically climb to the mast that the sail hangs from (how else would they get up there?!) and either tie up or let down the sail. Baring in mind the height these sails as they need to actually catch the winds, as well as the size of them- in order to actually power the ship across the seas, you can begin to create a picture of what one is up against. There is no time for fear of heights, just climb! I do have one very fond memory of climbing up the rig later on in the trip with Martin, one of the students. He had explained to me how confident he had grown over the 7 months they had been on board with climbing and of course other aspects of life. I couldn't resist but to praise his bravery and humbleness in which he simply returned with a laugh, 'Thank You'. None of these guys had any idea how I admired their work, their bravery and their lifestyles in general. They lived such a simple yet fulfilling lifestyle. I adored it!
Diary Entry from Rig Training
Rig training- which I climbed over 30 meters high!! How exciting ay! Although I have to admit as fun as it was going up and down, it certainly was not fun balancing on that thin piece of rope we have to share with everyone else up there (once out on the mast). Oh my, honestly it is very very scary!! Any time someone wishes to change their footing...bam, you have to be ready for the weight shift etc!! Oh anddd your harness is practically useless considering you don't actually hook it while you're climbing haha. Only once you move up/down a platform or onto a mast thingy.
We then got to chill out as we left London for Torbay, ready for the race to start... the food was soon to be ready- salmon, salad and potatoes...YUM- we all dug in and then chilled out downstairs. Side note, may I add the food here is amazing. I have not been hungry once and it is literally of such a high standard! Night snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner- alla them! I don't think anyone can complain at all!
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 Looking around, and seeing nothing but ocean for the first time was a strange feeling. By this point we had crossed the start line of the race and we were well on our way. It wasn't long of course till something went a little wrong... a fishing net had got caught in a propeller and caused the whole boat to come to a stand still. This cost us valuable wind time and was in actual fact the reason we came in 2nd place! However, once sorted but the very efficient crew members, once again we we well on our way- hot on the competitions tail! |
As mentioned before, I was part of the 12-4 watch and watches were a very big part of the whole experience. You spent 8 hours of each day on watch, ensuring the ship was secure and sailing in the correct direction haha!
Here is a diary entry of my first night watch...
Writing the morning of the 18th. My goodness, it is now pretty much 5AM and my first watch ever was pretty much close to torture. I was very cold despite having 4 fairly warm layers on... but only when I realised it was my turn to go on LOOK OUT did I become slightly worried. Those two words will haunt me for this entire journey. My mindset is things can only get better as we are moving into warmer waters... and weather I pray. I was the lucky one though, as I left my hour position (2-3AM) it began to rain heavily and the wind was blowing so hard that it felt as though I was being shot in the face 1000 times. Note to self... next time bring a warm f****** raincoat and waterproof trousers. You can never over pack, as a wise Norwegian told me on board!!!! I felt so sorry for the poor bastard that followed me on the final lookout watch. He must have got it bad. Aside from being cold, I was alone in pitch darkness at one of the highest above deck areas of the ship...alone...surrounded by what was now becoming the English channel. Fek. I was so scared. I was scared of the dark as it was and next thing I turn around and think I see a man standing there... meanwhile it was the ventilation system pipe thing- not a human. I had even started shouting out to see if it would respond. Obviously not. My gosh...if I had (caught a shock and) jumped back I could have tripped over a rope and fell into the sea. You best know I clung to the centre ropes for dear life...ensuring a body part was always in contact with the ropes while looking out for tiny lights in the distance- that could apparently mean danger or something- it was a very hard job I must admit. I was so glad when the next guy came on time!!
Afterwards we (those who didn't have a job to do) sat and drank water, tea and coffee and chatted... politics of course. A poor lady began to feel sea sick and I felt so bad for her. I am currently in my hammock praying I don't get it too, even though I am currently feeling a bit woozy. Humph.
I need to sleep though as I am up at 11:15am, for my next watch. Yippee. Ciao x
I woke up this morning around 8AM after having 3 hours sleep, yet I feel refreshed! Maybe it was the shower last night or maybe I'm just feeling more confident, now being a member of the team on board... whatever it is, I feel good! I have another shift watch at 12-4PM where I will likely have to climb the mast and open up the sails...very nervous as it is so cold and windy once you're up there. Plus, as I said your footing on that tiny rope is not great. Once I had gone out after getting ready for the day, I was happy to see a bright and welcoming morning. It was now around 8:45AM and the sky was a beautiful blue! The waves were a dark green/blue colour, teal maybe? And boy, were they crashing against one another! This is what it is all about! Beautiful! The sun was also beaming to add the the lovely scenery. A good morning...now for brunch :D and then on to my next watch.
These two diary entries were from the first days on board and as you can see it wasn't always plain sailing. The trip, I soon realised was about pushing my own limits and overcoming my fears. Nature is (most of the time) on our side and the sooner we try to work with it- rather than against it- the better! Nature was what was taking us from London to Portugal... and I trusted it with my life! My fear of the dark soon vanished (as I had no choice haha) and becoming closer with the people on board really heightened my overall experience. I fell in love with sailing that morning, and I definitely knew it wasn't going to be the last trip I made by boat.
The food continued on to be flavoursome, inventive and satisfying throughout the whole trip, although I had definitely had my fair share of cured hams and cold meats. One of the highlights with regards the food was the 3PM snack times. From freshly baked Danish Pastries and Cinnamon Rolls to juicy Melon and Pineapple- we were all in for a treat.
The chefs did not spare us of their love and passion in the kitchen, that was for sure! Even when it was one of the trainee's 60th birthday, two very large fresh cream sponge cakes were ready and waiting for us to sing and send our blessings. Every single dish was made with great ingredients and an even better heart, but why was I surprised?! I had been told by Greenwich council that Christian Radich was had the best food!
Our days were spent eating and climbing, yes but also relaxing and enjoying the time we had together as a crew. There were over 10 nationalities on board, with everyone interested in everyone's lives. It was fantastic. There was of course some characters in the mix but it was all part of the fun.Here are two diary entries about these lovely souls;
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Giulliana
I remember first meeting Giulliana on the bow and she just had this radiant smile and glowing skin. I was like oh great, she is gorgeous and I bet she is a super nice person too. Of course I was correct hahaa. On a serious note, she is literally one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Her heart is so gentle and kind... and her looks are jaw dropping. We have really began to bond and are basically in a girl group with Lettie. We are also kitties (don't ask haha). I love that she is calm and mature yet she has this playful streak that amplifies her youth? I admire her a lot and I really do hope we stay friends for a very very long time.
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Laetitia
I first met Lettie on the press thingy at Woolwich before the voyage. She was so so funny and naturally beutiful! Being on the ship together has made me feel as though I have come on board with a true friend, and we are experiencing every step together. She says stuff sometimes that I was thinking and I' there like tha fuqqq. Girl I agree 1hunna. Hahahaha. She is so genuine and I feel we too are really bonding. She is also one of the 3 kitties and one of the girl band members :P. Fun times hahaa. Lettie is such a kind person who's sarcasm gets me every time and I really can't wait till we go out in London together.
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| My good friend Bum Bum ;) |
In the evenings after dinner, all the young people plus Pierre (a handsome Swiss 50 year old living in Sao Paolo) would snuggle up with our snacks and watch movies in the homemade cinema club. American Pie was usually the theme though on occasion we would switch it up...
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| My best hammock Buddy <3 |
My nights were mostly spent on watch, and this although to begin with seemed like a curse, turned out to really be a blessing. There is nothing like looking up at the nights sky and seeing the entire galaxy... and the milky way staring right back at you! You then look down into the water and all of a sudden hundreds (yes hundreds) of dolphins are splashing in and out of the dark blue water, playing in the waves. One night for about 45 minutes we were joined at approximately 3AM by what looked like 150 playful dolphins, all going crazy! The plankton in the sea water made sailing through the waves a magical experience in itself, as it lit up the water with thousands and thousands of little florescent lights dancing in the waves. Along with our visitors, who also done their part in lighting up the ocean as they cut through the waves, it meant that I was somehow caught up in my own magical fairy tale at sea. I could have dropped down right then and there, and I would have been able to say I was at my happiest.
I don't have any pictures of this fantasy like experience, but sometimes, somethings are best kept to ourselves... with words filled with passion and emotion, being the ultimate way to share an experience.
Diary entry about the Norwegian trainee sailors [23/4/2017]:
Yesterday during the day, once again the watch was a lot of fun. Our watch was not at all busy and we pretty much lay in the sun the whole time. I did go up to a really high mast though, once again with Martin who I wished I had taken a picture of up there. He was clinging onto that yard with every muscle in his thighs and stomach I swear. He was like it for around 20 minutes too while he taught me how to tie a certain knot around the sail, so high up in the sky. I remember looking at him and thinking you're so extraordinary. All of these guys here are. They don't even realise it. Some still struggle to talk to girls, some are typical immature boys- but in the best way of course, but all are pushing themselves above and beyond while making this trip special for us! The funniest thing is I am sure they are all looked at and stereotyped in different ways yet no one would ever think that they do the things they do and have seen the things they have seen. The are all so modest about it as well! I have SO much respect for each and every individual on this ship. Each person is really really special. Thank you Martin for giving me that moment of reflection 35 meters above.
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| Arthur and I high in the sky! |
After around a week and a half of sailing, sleeping in the hammock had actually become very comfy however my sleeping pattern itself had worsened as me, along with the others did not want to miss out on the last couple days of fun. We would soon be docking up in Sines, Portugal and be getting ready to celebrate, with our experiences on board slowly becoming memories of what once was our time at sea.
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| Sebastian's hair cut |
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| Lil ol Me |
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| Ken Doll |
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| Colgate Model Giullianna |
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| Credits to this beauty: Lettie Inett! I hope youdon't mind I used ya pics haha <3 |
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| Giullianna's bella piece |
Peace&Love,
Willow
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