Tag: new life

INTERNSHIP ~ Week 1. 🚢 ⚓️ ✌🏻

INTERNSHIP ~ Week 1. 🚢 ⚓️ ✌🏻

As you can see this has been a new week full of firsts! I am off discovering a whole new world and everyday of this week has been full of nice encountries! Someone seems so be checkin on me from up there… 😇

Last sunday I was off for three months with my sailing bag but almost no sailing item in it for a change. Instead: study books 📚 , quite a bit of fear of leaving my comfort zone and a lot of absolutlynoideawhereiamgoing feeling. 😱… Now you see the picture, right?

A Happy New Trainee

Landing in Spain and joining a small cargo vessel for my next three months of internship. Yep… there i was; and guess what? I totally survived this first coming week!🎉

Early morning sunrise in harbour with the forward hatches open

First of all, I was super well welcommed by the officers. We are 7 onboard and we are two girls!! 💪🏻 🙌🏻 They are also young and it seems that they are very kind and great fun to be around! Upon arrival I discovered a huuuuuuuuuuuge cabin waiting for me (no pictures, I didn’t want to get some jealous here… 😉 ) and a nice schedule enabling me to get into my study books and all the assignments that I need to get done to get school out of the way asap 🤓… I keep on saying “this will be my last study” but it seems I always get back to it as there are so many interesting things the world can offer!

My first cargo: loading steel coils in Santander

I survived my first discharging and my first loading, my first biscay crossing in just over 24hrs in the most straightest line ever… I am glad to be back at sea and point France 🇫🇷 out on the coast, enjoy the sunrises and sunsets again and all the beautiful amazing colours and stars ⭐️ life at sea has to offer.

View from the porthole in my cabin

After my first day, I realized how much I enjoyed it and my first titanic version of dolphins 🐬 on the bow of a cargo ship reminds my how just the sound of the waves is also nice.

Dolphins playing on the bow: always nice!

I started a small challenge that a few friends of mine picked up with me…. to remind myself how beautiful small things can be and how having fun is important in your job, take an honest fun and smily selfie a day… 📷 🙂 you are the only one that can make your day nice fun and enjoyable! Just highlight those moments! And replay them once in a while! 🙂

Thank you mom and dad for being the best ♥️ oh and Imiss our black and white furry zoo too.. 😘

G O I N G. H O M E.

G O I N G. H O M E.

My last week onboard Europa came as fast as i thought it would and I turned the page last week already. I do not know yet when I will join again. In september I am starting my all ships course with anninternship onboard a cargo vessel for three month. Hopefully after that I will be back! Who knows!?

It has been such a great life experience. Again and again I keep on learning how to live with others in such small community.

Leaving a great few days sailing ⛵️ with a great friend in lovely danish waters 🇩🇰 behind to finally soon put my bag down.

Between 30knots wind, swimcalls 🏊‍♀️ in freezing cold water (i really enjoy that!), unlimited fish buffet, full day sailing and nice walks… quite a few challenging moments, as usual, of course otherwise life would be so boring right 🤪 ?

It turns out I actually also do like small boat sailing too! And someone said it “suited” me! In that case…. 😂 I still wouldnt mind dropping all those challenges for some time, together with my bag and having nothing even close to sophielike happening to me!

A last sunset in harbour

thank you all for reading me these past weeks! I am going home to rest now :)✌🏻 ⚓️ ♥️

Heading to the airport!

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.