(Written some days ago)
Windy walk on the dike.
After one month on board, the autumn finally has come to Vlissingen with heavy winds, rain and a chill that creeps into the poorly insolated ship and forces me to wear wollen socks and scarf inside.
Vlissingen on a good day. Isn't as exciting as it might look.
Sun! Vlissingen from the inside.
No reason to complain though, because since I arrived here four weeks ago with the rising sun colouring the sails of my future home orange and pink, the weather has been better here than during the whole summer in Sauda.
Week 39 was the climax with over twenty degrees and not a cloud in sight for days. Not bad to work outside in shorts and t-shirt, sweating like hero and getting burnt shoulders in the end of september.
My cabin
Living area/saloon
My life has changed dramatically in only a few weeks. I have discovered a whole new world. My social life is reduced to three individuals, with whom I eat, work and spend my freetime, all within a very limited area. I have changed my daily activities from computerscreens in an office to hard physical work, and there is no internet connection on the ship - something I haven't really thought about, even though it is a dominant factor in my everyday life in Norway.
Home, sweet home.
Ropes are not just ropes anymore, but buntlines, sheets, clewlines and downhauls, and watching «Master and Commander» is suddenly way more interesting, because you know what it takes to turn a tallship around.
My once well maintained, soft hands are now dry and rough with cracked skin and blisters, broken and busted nails and are permanently dirty. And speaking of dirty, being all fresh and wearing clean clothes is a rarity.
Mick's attempt to explain how it's all put together
Tallship Astrid is a lovely lady. A 33 meter long brig (42 including jib-boom) from 1918. For the part of you that is not into naval names, a brig is a ship with to masts with square sails. Astrid has five square sails (course, lower topsail, upper topsail, lower topgallant and upper topgallant) on each mast, four staysails in the front, one in the middle and a spanker in back. 480 squaremeters of sail and a 340 hp engine.
...and 6,5 km of rope.
The people who now dominate my world are captain Pieter (60), a crazy old pirate, and his wife Ineke (61), and Mick (23).
Aye, cap'n!
Mick hoisting the colours.
Pieter and Ineke having morning coffee.
Mick is professional and do this for living. He also has the same music taste as me, as the first one I've ever met. Pieter and Ineke are away from the ship a lot, and they have their own apartment here where they spend the nights. That means that I spend most of my time together with Mick, working, relaxing and watching movies at night. He is my best friend and worst enemy here. We get along really well, and we fight a lot, mainly because we are equally stubborn and proud. But I am very grateful for having someone on my own age around. My days would be very sad and boring without anyone to discuss The Lord of the Rings with.
That is our favourite subject here. The first weekend we watched all three movies, and we are both reading the book. And we both know all the lines of the movies by heart. Priceless.
«Go upstairs»
«Up, up, up, until you come to the TUNNEL».
«Go upstairs»
«Up, up, up, until you come to the TUNNEL».
Fun!
Oh yeah, that's it!
Because of changes in the plans, we haven't left for the Canary Islands yet, even though we were supposed to be on our way now.
But not sailing does not mean no work. The day normally starts with breakfast at eight o'clock, and then we start working. There is a lot of maintenance work on a ship.
So far I have washed, cleaned and scrubbed floors, wall, ceilings and impossible corners of cabins, kitchen, corridors, toilets and saloon, polished more square meters of brass than I thought I would ever do, done a ton of dishes and sanded down the railing and two small staircases, painted them and lackeured several times.
I have learned to appreciate handwork, both to do it and be aware of what effort lies behind wellkept wood.
Apart from maintenance work, we have had some daytrips – one wedding party, two tours with school classes and one with tourists.
Ready to be attacked.
Tadaaa! 45 minutes and a sore arm later. Totally worth it!
Canal early in the morning
Original place to throw a wedding party.
Vlissingen from the seaside
Climbing the rigging is fun. But when you pack sails, you need your hands. Both of them. And you are standing on a very unsteady footrope twenty meters above deck, and have to pull up, furl and tie up heaps of heavy, thick and stiff fabric that does not cooperate.
The heaviest go was last Monday, after our tourist tour Sunday where we set 13 of 17 sails, and Mick and I were the only ones to pack them. It took us almost four hours, a lot of energy, pain, aggression (both on the sails and each others) and fear to get nine out of ten square sails neatly packed on their yards. No need for gyms here. There is not a muscle in your body that doesn't hurt after packing sails.
The heaviest go was last Monday, after our tourist tour Sunday where we set 13 of 17 sails, and Mick and I were the only ones to pack them. It took us almost four hours, a lot of energy, pain, aggression (both on the sails and each others) and fear to get nine out of ten square sails neatly packed on their yards. No need for gyms here. There is not a muscle in your body that doesn't hurt after packing sails.
Plenty of sails, but no wind
I haven't got a problem with heights anymore, and I have slowly learnt to trust my on body. We always wear climbing harnesses when up in the rigging, even though that doesn't make you feel safer, because I wouldn't want to fall 1,5 meters from the mast and just hang there by a thread. Mick has been sailing for four years and has never needed the harness – until Monday, when he slipped and hung by his arms. Nasty shock.
Personally I had a close-to-death experience two weeks ago when we were packing sails with the schoolkids. When the sails are taken in, two of the five yards are pulled down with about a meter inbetween, so one can slide down from the upper one onto the lower. The downhauls (ropes that keep the yards straight) were not tightened, and I was out in the end of the yard, slid down, and suddenly the whole yard dropped one meter when my weight came onto it. For some reason I didn't get afraid, I just got a heavy adrenaline kick.
Personally I had a close-to-death experience two weeks ago when we were packing sails with the schoolkids. When the sails are taken in, two of the five yards are pulled down with about a meter inbetween, so one can slide down from the upper one onto the lower. The downhauls (ropes that keep the yards straight) were not tightened, and I was out in the end of the yard, slid down, and suddenly the whole yard dropped one meter when my weight came onto it. For some reason I didn't get afraid, I just got a heavy adrenaline kick.
Pretty lady on daytrip.
I have gained a lot of respect for sailors in earlier days, when they didn't have any security gear or were berthed in a quiet inner harbour when the work was to be done. I would rather not try to pack the sails at sea. A soft breeze is bad enough when you get some meters above the ground.
This is indeed a risky lifestyle. Did you know that at sea, the chance of the body (not necessarily alive) being found again and pulled back up if you fall overboard, is around 50% during the daytime. At night it is less than 10%.
I don't have to say that I like it here, do I?
It is great. Sometimes when I hate some extra nasty spots or difficult corners when sanding, or being covered in dust from top to toe, I think «Hey, I could have been in a classroom now, having tests», and then I think my life is pretty cool again.
And a few hours at sea makes up for a week of boring work. Sunday was perfect. 25 degrees, sunshine, sparkling green water, and I could sit in the net below the jib-boom in the front and be on top of the world, with the soft waves 7-8 meters below me and the sharp sunshine in my eyes.
Complete happiness.
And a few hours at sea makes up for a week of boring work. Sunday was perfect. 25 degrees, sunshine, sparkling green water, and I could sit in the net below the jib-boom in the front and be on top of the world, with the soft waves 7-8 meters below me and the sharp sunshine in my eyes.
Complete happiness.
Pure therapy
There is so much to learn about sailing. So much I have never really thought about, like how important the movements of the sun and moon are for a ship, because of the tidal currents they create.
Every day I learn something new, and get impressed by how brilliantly problems can be solved, and how clever humans can be if they have some centuries to improve systems.
How to "get away" for a while in Holland; build numerous beach houses all crammed together, five minutes from the city.
Middelburg, a nice neighbour town with an impressive city hall.
I can't wait to set sails, and have only water in sight as far as the eye can reach.
Unfortunately, we are delayed a month. Long story.
Instead of 3rd of October, we will leave the 31st , and reach Tenerife about a month later.
Good thing is, we are stopping in Cascais! Yupiii, Portugal, here I come, way before I thought I would be back.
Unfortunately, we are delayed a month. Long story.
Instead of 3rd of October, we will leave the 31st , and reach Tenerife about a month later.
Good thing is, we are stopping in Cascais! Yupiii, Portugal, here I come, way before I thought I would be back.
Freedom. Definite favourite spot on the whole vessel!
But a month more of waiting is a bit boring, at least now when the weather is getting worse, so I have been impulsive (maybe more than I kind of should be), and ordered tickets to Ireland!
So now I am sitting in Eindhoven Airport waiting for my plane to Dublin. Two weeks, no luggage, no sure destination. I am crazy.
So now I am sitting in Eindhoven Airport waiting for my plane to Dublin. Two weeks, no luggage, no sure destination. I am crazy.
ADDITION: Now I am sitting in a hostel in Dublin, and it's all fine. It's even been sunny today! After a heavy meeting with Irish nightlife yesterday, very little sleep and a lot of walking today, I think I'll take an easy evening tonight, so I can be ready to continue my trip tomorrow.
