SINES

The much anticipated arrival in Sines, Portugal did actually come too soon...

Wandering the quaint streets of Sines

Although by now I had huge bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and also kept falling asleep on the night watches, I did in fact want to keep sailing as now we were in Sines, it meant the wonderful journey was coming to an end. I was of course looking forward to going back to London and sharing my stories with my family and friends though the lifestyle of living in London is something, I learnt, that should not be taken lightly. The pollution, the bustle and the rudeness of Londoners was certainly something I was not looking forward to returning to. 

We arrived in Sines on the evening of the 26th April though unfortunately, the workers at the harbour had either gone home or were busy haha. We then ended up spending one more night anchored in the harbour before being escorted the following morning (27th) by the tugboats to the dock. After anchoring up and then having a crew meeting on deck of how things will now be running that we had arrived safely (no more watches thank goodness!!!) - we were free to go and explore Portugal! 

Before the meeting came to an end, the Captain announced he was to give out our certificates. One by one we shook hands and showed our appreciation to the Captain and crew for getting us there safely and allowing us aboard their home. It was a proud moment to say the least.

Giulliana, Lettie and I put on our flip flops and made a break for it!!! 

Just kidding haha. Touching concrete for the first time in a week and a half was slightly odd. I had gotten used to the smooth wood that surfaced the ship. It was however very satisfying. 'I've never been so happy to see land,' Lettie exclaimed as the three of us wandered off towards the town. The dock area was slightly industrial and not as pretty as what I had originally imagined my grand arrival on land to look like, but I wasn't complaining. After having a wander, we headed back for the BBQ lunch that had been arranged on board with everyone. Those that wished to attend were more than welcome, while some others (Old Americans- if you know, you know) were the first to pack their bags and book a hotel ashore. It was a lovely afternoon, leading up to the shenanigans of the evening to come... 'Sailors love to drink' is not just a rumor, I assure you!

You can tell this picture was taken by a sailor! Crooked!

So real celebration was overdue and now ashore, we were all allowed to drink! The ship had previously been 'dry' due to the nature of the tasks we were to complete and you had to be pretty alert whilst on watches etc. The evening of the first night was one to remember, arguably the best night of the trip. Not only was it just filled with love, and joy and alcohol but the anticipation leading up to it was what made it so great and we already had been told how crazy the Norwegians could get when there was booze involved. 

We sang and drank and danced and drank and chatted and laughed and everything in between. The poor locals of sleepy Sines hadn't known what hit them! One word... SUPERBOCK.

Our celebrations carried on into the night until the Norwegian trainees had to head back in time for their curfew. We as 'customers' technically didn't have a curfew and were left to roam the streets with the other trainees and crew members. After contemplating a trip to Lisbona for a night of clubbing, we decided to go for a drunken dip in the sea instead.
Task: Attempt getting into a hammock tipsy, whilst on a boat gently rocking with the waves- not for the faint hearted.

The following day was not received with hang overs, but rather excitement to actually see the small town. A group of us set off by foot and spent the day in and out of cobbled streets, shopping for souvenirs, eating lunch and of course a complimentary shot of sangria was involved.

Credits: Chris Williamson

We met another group later on at the beach and spent the afternoon sunbathing, swimming and once again drinking Superbock. It seemed like a nice life, sailing from pillar to post, seeing the world, meeting new people and understanding the basic needs in life (that being happiness, friendship and beer). It was a lifestyle I felt gave you real purpose as you woke up each day with a task at hand, get to your destination wherever it may be. You ate no more than you needed to as there was always food, yet you weren't ever really that hungry. You slept without problems as you worked so hard that you had no time to think about sleep, rather you just slept and of course you celebrated like it was the only cause worth celebrating because it was a true accomplishment to overcome the ocean. Many people fear the ocean because it is the unknown and so did I till it was all I could see around me, no land. When I looked around I felt a love deeper than any love I had known and a slight intrigue as I was slowly learning all about the unknown.

Once again we headed home, had some food and got ready for the night ahead. There was more of us going out on the second night and we were ready to rock it. At some point during the night we bumped into a man called John. He was a man of phew words that had sailed with us for the duration of the voyage, who in fact had a mega camera with an even mega lens. In our drunken sailor state the (approx.) 15 of us, in chorus yelled ' Johnnnn!' and next thing we knew, he was buying each and every one of us a round of drinks. Oh John, we can't forget you!

The final day was oh so bitter sweet. It was the day of the festival organised by the Tall Ships Regatta, where all the ships involved in the race would parade through the town and finally into the church yard ruins for the prize giving ceremony. 

Later that day we would return to the church yard for a huge party with free drinks and food! Woo Hoo! It was a day and night to remember.

The Sunday came around too fast and it was sadly time to go. Much like a movie it was pouring down with rain and we knew nothing about how we were getting to the airport. Greenwich council had forgotten to give us any details and so after Chis done some ringing around, we found out that they had forgotten to pick us up! Sad we were leaving our Norwegian companions we bid our farewells and walked with our heavy bags to the meeting point and eventually found the coach. We were finally on our way to the airport and absolutely drenched. 

Thank you for the pic Pierre! Haha!

It goes without saying that I made friends for life on this trip, who although I haven't seen in a while, do keep in contact with every now and then. I learnt so much from the Norwegian trainees on board about confidence, bravery and determination as they all work so hard to achieve. I also learnt a lot about myself, whether it be partially overcoming my fear of the dark or being a daredevil up on the rig. Sines was about coming together as a family. We were all once strangers and then slept, ate, relaxed and worked together to achieve a collective goal. We celebrated together once achieving this goal and formed bonds that will last a lifetime. Thank you Royal Borough of Greenwich for being my sponsor aboard the Tall Ships Regatta and thank you to beautiful Christian Radich of Oslo for this magnificent experience. 

Peace & Love,
Willow

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Rendez-Vous Tall Ship Regatta 2017 - Somewhat of a Summary...

The Tall Ships Race from Greenwich to Sines was an experience I've been finding hard to put into words. Not only because the whole experience itself was beyond sublime, but the lessons it taught me where like none I have ever come across. All in all it helped me to view life through a more relaxed and loving perspective. It is so easy to get caught up in the bustle and hustle of fabulous London... but is it really what life is about. Certainly not!

Some trainees I became very well acquainted with...

I began the race on the Christian Radich, a Norwegian Tall Ship from Oslo, on the 30th April 2017. I had signed up for this race almost a year ago now... so the fact that I was finally sat on the very ship that would take me safely to Portugal seemed insane. 

I was surrounded by the very people that may possibly become my life long friends and of course I couldn't remember anyone's names haha. There was a large mix of ages, from 18 up to I'd say 65 (there was definitely some old fogies) and we were all in the same boat. Most of us had never sailed before although there was in fact a handful that had fallen in love with life on the ocean, and had made tall ship regattas a regular thing. Aside from us trainees, there was of course the crew who made up around 1/3 of all members on board. 

Among the crew were maritime students of ages 18-24 that were training to become real life sailors ( I found this so amazing, though when I expressed my intrigue the response I received was usually along the lines of, 'We're only sailors!') and of course the fully qualified crew mates. 

12-4 watch crew, back left to right: Iver, Olave, Benjamin, Robin, Martin front left to right: Paul, Allan

It seemed like a lot of people to fit into this 73m (including Bowsprit) vessel however this was not the first regatta they had embarked upon, and it was definitely not going to be the last.
We set sail on the afternoon of the 17th April, along the Thames River and out onto the English Channel. We used the engine to motor boat it to the race start line which was located in the sunny seaside resort of Torbay. On the 19th April in Torbay the race began. 9 Tall Ships from all over the world utilised the forces of nature and sailed soley by wind from Torbay across the English channel, to Sines, Portugal.

Upon my Norwegian Tall Ship I was delighted to be surrounded by kind, intelligent, charismatic people from all corners of the world, some sponsored and some paying for the magical experience that awaited us. The journey itself pushed us to limits that I can say, I have never encountered- that including coffee drinking limits (the coffee was gross but was one of the only things that would keep you awake during night watches!) Alongside the great company came great views of blue choppy oceans, just meters below. The thought that you could potentially topple in at any given moment (whilst above deck) was a looming fear for many, I'm sure, however knowing that you are surrounded by professionals, that take their role very seriously was of course a bonus.

Our arrival in Sines came on the 27th April around the evening time, although unfortunately there was nowhere for us to immediately dock up, so we spent the entity of the night anchored a few meters away from the dock. The next morning the whole crew (trainees and shipmates alike) were above deck ready and waiting for the well anticipated arrival of the Christian Radich in Portugal! I had spent the last week and a half aboard a tall ship with strangers and we were now strutting our stuff (yaaas)... off the boat as friends for life. It was an amazing feeling. The race part of the journey was fun, yes, but what I learnt from the maritime students was priceless... and the two wonderful ladies, Guiliana and Laetitia, that I befriended have left a mark on my heart forever. The next few days were spent celebrating our arrival... although our time was limited as flights back to London Stansted were booked for 30th April. We had a huge festival to look forward to as well as lots of bar crawling...with sailors- and believe me, you have no idea how much sailors drink! Hahaha!

I haven't spoken much about the journey itself... so please, delve deeper and have a read of The Sweet Life on Deck and of course about the festivities in Portugal (and the drinking ha!) at SINES.

Peace&Love,
Willow

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Two Weeks Before My Sailing Trip

'Yes, a sailing trip... well actually a sailing race from London to Portugal,' ... 

'Really have you ever sailed before?' ...

'Errm, no but hopefully I'll enjoy it!'

Hahaha, so yes. A sailing trip and no I have NEVER sailed before unless you count a day trip on a boat in Turkey. How exciting right?!?!

Why? You may wonder and well for me...an adrenaline-loving, inquisitive soul searching almost 20 year old I guess it was just curiosity. Ha. Curiosity killed the cat. Yes, yes but I am willing to take a leap of faith. The ocean is oh so vast, swaying from side to side with open arms and it is pretty much waiting to be explored. It appears as completely foreign in my understanding and I suppose I would love to have a chance to understand it that little bit more. Two weeks is probably not nearly enough but I guess this is me dipping a toe in or testing the waters hahaha :P :P :P. Bad joke, I know. Being a part of this experience will, of course, teach me lessons and skills that I will take onboard for the rest of my journey through life and I may love it or hate it out there. However, as long as I come out of the experience with a smile, ready to tell the tail... I would have achieved something I would have never imagined I would! Yes drama queen but it is true! 

Just under a year ago, before I move to Greenwich/Deptford (I'm on the border) and before I even knew I was going to university, I applied for the Royal Borough of Greenwich's Tall Ships Regatta 2017 from London, UK to Sines, Portugal. It had said on BBC News that there were a number of sponsored places available on board the ship, or you could pay. I then proceeded to do some research as I thought, this does sound like fun! I realised that the only way to get a sponsored space was if you lived, worked or studied in Greenwich and of course I did not. I lived, worked and studied in Essex. The non-sponsored places cost around £1.5k for accommodation, food etc etc. I thought well you never know, circumstances change all the time, I could become a millionaire... not. I actually just figured that life has a funny way of working and if it is meant to be it will be! 

And for sure... it was meant to be!

A couple months later I found out that I was accepted into Goldsmiths, University of London, how exciting. As I hadn't actually decided if I was 100% taking the plunge into academia until I had been accepted (mid August), I hadn't sorted anything you're supposed to such as accommodation, student finance and anything else you can think of so I was panicking! I managed to get my ass in gear and by September I was almost ready to begin the new chapter. I was placed in student accommodation around a 20 minute walk from my university in Lewisham and about an 8 minute walk into Greenwich town centre, and for those of you who haven't been... go to Greenwich!!! It is beautifulllll.  I will give you a guided tour myself :P. 

Now around 2 months after moving into my accommodation I received an email asking me to pay the first instalment for my voyage to Sines. Oh shit, I'm not a millionaire yet and I definitely cannot afford £1.5k now... I'm a student! I had to explain that unfortunately my circumstances had changed and I may have to back out of the trip... however, I decided to slip in the fact that I am in actual fact now by complete chance, a resident of Greenwich (well borderline Deptford but I sprinkled some sugar on it)!! I explained how I've sadly become a poor student but would still be very interested if there were any sponsored places still on offer. To my luck?? the lovely man on the other end of the email replied and explained that they loved how enthusiastic I was right from the start (I had a great application) and they would be happy to offer me a sponsored place - right after my interview! Yippieeeeeeeee. From then on the only way was up baby! 

Here I am now, just under two weeks to go sat with my handbook for the Norwegian Tall Ship; Christian Radich. I've read it from cover to cover and will use it as my bible. 

For more information about the Tall Ships Festival please check out: http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/tallships

Peace&Love,

Willow

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