This is a unique and intense experience

4 april 2018

Update door trainee Sandra:
“Following seas are pushing us along on our last full day at sea through the shipping channel towards Galveston, Texas. Tankers, container ships and multiple oil rigs break up the horizon around me, reminding me of the proximity of civilization.
The ‘Oosterschelde’ has been my home for the past week, sailing on an ever-changing sea, surrounded by only the elements of water and wind. Elements that I’ve been forced to engage with; from heavy waves that caused seasickness at the beginning of the voyage, to winds that sharpened my senses while at the helm of the ship.
The crew has kept us happy and busy. Patient, kind and open, they made myself and the other sail trainees quickly feel at home. Divided into watches, times that we were to be on watch to assist with any duties on deck, we learned the ins and outs of the sails, lines and other parts of the ship. Night watches have proved to be magical, from sailing under a full moon to the sensation of flying through the dark, to the sounds of dolphins exhaling next to the ship. Daytimes are a mix of relaxing entwined with flurries of hoisting, dropping or adjusting sails and other tasks that keep us sailing and shipshape as we stay on course adjusting to the ever-changing conditions.
Richard, the wizard of a cook, has produced masses of delicious food three times a day. Homemade bread is a daily temptation as the smells of bread baking waft from below up to the deck.
This is a unique and intense experience. I am having the opportunity to engage with an amazing and diverse group of people. Soft-spoken Dutch, German and Swiss crew, fellow trainees from Holland and both ends of Canada have melded together into the upcoming end of a wonderful week.”