INTERNSHIP ~ Week 11 & 12 🚢 ⚓️✌🏻

Ok so here is the thing. I didn’t take time to post! I always wait till Sunday is over to prepare the post and Monday or Tuesday to post it! I just got caught up and procrastinated ….

Climbing up with a harness? Yes! Always in for that! 🙂

Caught up in school. I finished the last Cargo assignment onboard, which means I have already passed 5 of my written exams that had to be done onboard. The school will just check in an « interview » if I were the one writing them! I haven’t been doing so much homework because I wanted to be part of what was going on deck… to be honest, I am pretty stressed that the subject I hate the most is about cargo! But its what I love the most onboard…. I think it comes more from the fact that the books are horrible to read in dutch and the exercises are like 150 questions per subject… 📚 I feel very lonely and ready to break into tears when I am in front of that book. 😢 so I have tried to be doing a few side subjects with not much (enough) concentration. Oh well.. 😔. The other reason is that I have spent way more time with the crew in the evenings. Watching a movie together👌🏻, getting a cappuccino or talking for hours. Getting to know people better and realizing you hadn’t expected you’d probably miss them a lot more than you would have thought. I have been trying to enjoy as much as possible their presence – way better than studying! 🤓🥰

Hoisting the main engine out of the engine room

I was so lucky I have been able to meet up once with an old friend of mine, Jonno, working on a tugboat not so far from Delfzijl. It is like almost 9 years of friendship. And he didn’t change a bit! That was one of my highlights🤪.
Workwise so much has happened in these two weeks: the engine is got out with a nicely cut door to the cargo hold. It was pretty fun. I got annoyed by the shipyard foreman thinking I wasn’t strong enough…. well, you don’t tell that to me! 😂 Captain Harry repeated it made him so proud when he heard the story 😂 💪🏻 badass chick … or just a Sophie putting someone back in his place… the cargo hold is now painted again 🙂 We are getting the ship in tip-top shape before sailing out again… 🙂

I already miss it while my last days are counted…. 😢🥺
Xxx sopietje ♥️ ⚓️ 🌟 @ Delfzijl

INTERNSHIP ~ Week 7 🚢 ⚓️✌🏻

We are already Wednesday from week 8… and I am just updating my weekly post! This is to show how busy we have been the last couple of days!

Last week was mainly at sea from Ireland to Sweden. 6 days of the same routine every day and you know what? It. Felt. Good. Being on watch, writing reports, having a coffee break all together, studying and resting.

Ruyter navigating downwinds in heavy weather

Yes. 🌊 we had a lot of wind and this seems a bit scary to me: forgetting how it feels like to be outside with 30knots blowing through your hair. I do not want to forget that and feel too comfortable on the bridge… luckily our loading days in Sweden and Finland next week will be way colder and I will enjoy the bridge again. Anytime. 😆

View on our aft trail and waves coming to us!

The main challenge was to try and go as forward on my report as I could. I love learning; I hate studying and dislike at my best most (🤔) writing boring reports. And no there is no way you can make a voyage planning report fun. And I just absolutely hate it when I just have to « suck it up » and those who know me here will recognize me as having a true Sophie Moment here…

A happy trainee, considering all the reports she still needs to write for school!

Probably the best part was having a middle of the night bunkering moment in Skagen when waking uo at midnight to drop anchor and bunker 59 cubics of gasoil and heaving up⚓️ and off again! How to make people enjoy this moment and make it not too bad as it sounds! Those are my challenges! Just put the music on and let the beat start! « Boatsy boatsy boatsy … » 🎵

As often – not so different from Class Afloat’s choice of harbour either 😆 – so not for a big change, we are berthed in no man’s land in Norrköping. To enjoy a good Sunday outdoor activity, we decided to walk to town and two hours later at a good pace, we were there and could have a nice locally brewed beer 🍺 :). Felt great to stretch legs! I just love walking.🚶‍♀️

A good walk with the crew to stretch our legs

Probably important before next week starts and that the touch and go run will start and the only thing we will want to do will be catch up on some 💤… we will see. Challenge accepted!

The main shopping street of Norrköping on a Sunday afternoon

But first, let’s see how RDF smells after one week in the hold…. 🤢 not even scared! 💪🏻
Till then! XXXX Sophie 😘 ♥️ @ Norrköping, Sweden

INTERNSHIP ~ Week 6 🚢 ⚓️✌🏻

Yet another challenging week went by.

We visited two harbours: Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to discharge, the soja bean meal we had from Russia and with full ballast, sailed to Limerick in Ireland 🇮🇪. It was funny to see how they hoisted a bobcat in the hold to scoop everything! It looks like a fun toy to play with and from the deck like a little lego car! 😂 We said goodbye to our chief officer too.

Entering the river to Limerick with no wind

My first challenge was (and might still be! ) showing who I am and getting used to the new one. I find it difficult to get used to people. I do not share and do not want to because I know it is not going to last long and I do not want to get hurt by sharing, caring, and then leaving again. It always seems like it is all for nothing. Especially the ones I do care for, I can get really deeply attached to people which makes my heart feel sometimes so heavy when I think of them or miss them.

Also working wise, once again I have to show that no, I am not like a normal trainee and that I actually have experience… it feels like starting all over again.

There is always a rainbow showing up where there is rain and sun

The other challenge was that I got from school that I still had to do a few reports. Good that I asked. If I hadn’t I probably wouldn’t have known…😑🔫grrr. Always something to do on top of it. And of course, these need to be done before the last month I am onboard so…. for soon haha 😆 but I know I’ll get it done. It’s just… frustrating.

Then, when in Limerick, I was in charge of the loading: like a big girl, emptying all the ballast by myself, loading at the same time, the books, the draughts, and the voyage planning, the hatches….

Well, I had fun in the engine room again with the captain while the others were grocery shopping for the vessel… I learned a lot and even though it wasn’t difficult, and as I am a Sophie, I just want everything to be good from the first time… putting my self-pressure! 😉 but… it went more than good. A good example of my new job!✌🏻

The last challenge is that I got a year older….. and I am not so sure I like that. I feel young so I am still young. Age. Is. A. Number. 😱 but I got a great 🎂 🙂 ♥️ and I am so grateful for all the messages. 🙂

Happy Birthday ”Sopie”… Where my nickname started…

Now off to Sweden! ✌🏻♥️⚓ @ Limerick, Ireland

S O P H I E. T H E. S A I L O R.

Just another view of the world through Sophie’s eyes while working and traveling at sea

Tag: traveling by sea

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S O P H I E. T H E. S A I L O R.

Just another view of the world through Sophie’s eyes while working and traveling at sea

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