Category: Bark Europa

Week 2.

Week 2.

What a week!

I am as happy as I choose to be!

We have two scientists onboard and we do trawls everyday. They check what is in the water but onfortunatly we will only get their results after they studied them in the labs…. Every 6 hours the captain and myself do a meteo observation and we send them them to the netherlands where they will be analysed and transformed in weather forecasts its pretty cool…. but need to catch up on my cloud knowledge hahah.

Trawling with scientists onboard in the South Atlantic Ocean

The good thing is that we then know exactly what the water temperature is for swim calls! Over 24 degrees :))

Swim calls: a great refreshing experience!

We had Easter onboard and as i would usually want to be home with my family I realize it has been years I have not been home for that. The voyage crew did an egg competition…. there were some pretty awesome ones! People have arty farty skills onboard! 😉

Our onboard Easter Egg competition

The past week we have been sailing really nicely with our stunsails. Average 7 knots. I love those sails even though my tough challenge was being the “in between mate” good with computers and fast in correcting charts, I want to be more on deck and enjoy this sail as much as possible.

Stun’sls, known also as Stunning Sails

Keep you posted in Ascension Island! Till then, ⚓️ ♥️

Coming back to Bark Europa week 1.

Coming back to Bark Europa week 1.
Bark Europa moored at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town

Very strange feelings of déjà vus as some crew are the same but others different
Knowing some things as Europa never seems to change but still not remembering it all after 5 years gone..

After a long flight, I do not realize the chance I have to join as crew member again


Having a different position onboard makes it also strange as I used to know by heart how to run the deck, i am now trying to remember some of the tricky lines for the stunsails… it feels like a dream, where my past trips catch up with reality and i do not realize yet this is actually true, and that the sails set in front if me are indeed those from Europa. i have spent my past 5 years on another vessel. Being back feels strange and normal at the same time.

Early morning coffee on the aft deck, view on Table Mountain, a couple of hours before departure


I feel extremly lucky to o be welcomed in this family again and i am challenging myself to take evrything as it comes with a smile and without worrying too much about what will happen next.
My watch is shared with another officer, officially chief officer but not so handy with computers nor some systems onboard… my first weeks challenge is to catch up with all the systems to not oly teach myself but teach the chief how the systems work…. swallow any future possible fustrations about a not so clear position in my watch… and remind myself daily how lucky I am and how i am just happy to be here.
Placing a smile on my face and acting as happy as I can be; or better as happy as I choose to be.


When I look at the horizon with full squares sails in my view and the wind blows slightly through my hair, and the most beautiful southern hemisphere stars sparkle my night; even though I miss some of the most precious people in my life, I know I am just happy to be here and happy to be back.