After Horta we had a couple of weeks of good sailing.
We had to refamiliarize new voyage crew memebers and put the ones that stayed onboard since Cape Town in a leading position. It is always nice to see that some of the young voyage crew that have been working hard with us for the past two month are rewarded this way. Sometime, they even become volonteers for us and it is great because we have the feeling they accomplished something for themselves by joining the ship.
Happy chief officer
It is for sure a life changing experience for them! Lots of learning moments and the curve goes way higher on a tall ship out at sea.
Magical colours in the clouds
The trip from Horta to Europe mainland always takes a pprox 10 days and is always filled with a lot more sail handling. We also start to feel the cold … the tropics are now way behind and we have to get used to it again!
Europa sailing close hold in well formed seasSunsets…
Sailing is fun!
Europa at anchor near the isle of Wight
We are heading to Rouen in France where i am looking forward to meet my parents for half a day. But before that we might sailing along the south of England looking for some shelter for the strong winds coming!
It is always the feeling we have when we leave Horta actually. Even though it was three nights in harbour, it felt like only 1,5 days.
In the mighty Peter Sport CaféPeter Sport café by night
Always so busy when you come in, when people leave, when you clean all the cabins, get provisions and get your new guests for the next leg. And of course in the mean time there are things you can only do ashore when you have network. And its meeting the new mate and checking things with him and bang the day is gone.
A quiet beach in Horta
Time has litterally flown away and you have that strange feeling you have lost so much time doing of everyting.
Posted at Sea
It was good though. Good to have some time alone, good to go running and swimming a couple of times, good to eat delicious ice cream and send post cards :). The usual me.
The view from my runA church in HortaA happy chief officer: happy to stroll her legs, wear clean clothes and take time for herself
This sailing week started really nicely with sailing off the dock without the engines and catching up with the winds. We had some good sailing and only a day motoring with no wind at all, since we have been going from low to low flirting with showers and gusts over 35 knots, and averaging 7,5 knts … towards The channel! This isnt bad at all so far.
Departure time, leaving Horta
I have been sharing my watch again with the mate. I though I would be ok wit it. But after a couple of days I had like a melt down. Every thing I did seemed to not be ok. One of those challenging days where you think that everyone hates you and doesn’t care, and for no reason I ended up in my bubble. That was tough.
Off we go again! Till next time!
When two month of swedish watch and little rest hits you straight in the face, you just want to be left alone. And that is what happened hahah! I decided to go and to inventories in the drystores and found myself with a closed hatch! To be honest it wasn’t so bad. Besides, to motivate the crew to count all he items, mars bars were hidden and I had just found one…. so. Just what I needed. Chocolate for comfort. 😉
Bark Europa moored in the harbour of Horta
After that, Klaas, mighty Captain Klaas, gave me his watch and Neptune challenged me with all the heavy weather decisions in my watch! I litterally loved it. 🙂
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.
S O P H I E. T H E. S A I L O R. 