Tag: travel

Week 12.

Week 12.

Week 12 has flown by too fast!

The past weeks have been pretty busy since Rouen: voyage crew leaving, open ship, a lot of noice and huge crouds in the quay and after leaving rouen I was pretty sick till Scheveningen which did not make my watches and the race so interesting for me.

Start of the race: no winds
Start of the race

That week went by as i was coughing and blowing my nose away, like a tissue in the bin… but as the phoenix, sophie rose again!

Europa sailing out of Scheveningen

Scheveningen gave me the opportunity to meet old friends again and taking a day on the beach enabled me to recharge for my last leg… new crew, new voyage crew….

Solo time on the beach!
Scheveningen beach
Sail out parade of Scheveningen

I am very sad because I am finally getting the hang of it and I have found my place onboard, after three month it was finally time right?!…

Scheveningen beach on departure day

I love this vessel.

Bark Europa
Bark Europa and Wylde Swan alongside in Scheveningen after the sail out parade. We will be sailing to Danemark unlike the other vessels…

We have finally cast off our lines after one week alongside and are heading to Aalborg. Another nice place I know well :). Tot ziens Scheveningen!

Week 11.

Week 11.

This week was very busy: we sailed up the Seine to Rouen where we joined a big tall ship event. It was very busy and crowdy. This event takes place in Rouen every couple of years it is called The Armada of Rouen.

The entrance of the river Seine
Arrival in Rouen
A huge international event with the American Eagle

I was so lucky to meet up with my parents that drove all the way to see me and pick up a few bags of mine from another vessel.

Big fireworks at night, for the show
French Navy Schooners Etoile and Belle Poule, sisterships from 1932, my very first tall ships

I hadn’t seen most of the other vessels since a while. Probably a year so it was very nice catching up with them.

The Bark Europa alongside
Early morning coffee on the aft deck enjoying the view

The Seine is such a beautiful river to sail on! And the sail out parade was absolutly fantastic! France is such a beautiful country!

The Patrouille de France 🇫🇷 during the Armada de Rouen 2019
The Patrouille de France flying above our heads during the sail out

Week 10.

Week 10.

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 seas
Sunsets…

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!