A Windy Day

I rushed towards the first meal of the day so I’d have enough time to take a shower before the obligatory line-up at 8 o’clock. Once the line up began I learned that the warm shower I had just taken would be in
vain as we were going on a bus tour of the Shetland isles where there would be a chance to take a dip in the clear blue ocean.

The differentwatches worked together to clean the ship and prepare the food before we left. At ten thirty we left the ship and traveled south. The narrow roads cut into the many hills that create Shetland. The storm that made us seek cover in Lerwick instead of the Faroe islands still had its
effect on us. During the ride the rain splattered on the window. The
winds blew the hard and dull grass in every direction and the sheep on
the hills took cover behind rocks and larger piles of peat. Since the
island isn’t very big it wasn’t long before we arrived at our first
stop, a lighthouse at the most southern point on Shetland. As we stepped
outside of the bus the wind pushed us backward but the sun was finally
shining and making the soft grass a vibrant green. We stared up the
cliff that pointed at the sky. At the very top was a white lighthouse
and lookout point. It was a trek climbing the steep cliff with the wind
working against us. At the top we looked out over the edge to try and
see the famous puffins that populate the island, but we believe that
they had migrated by the time we arrived to the island.
The skilled bus driver took us to our next stop, one of the most
beautiful beaches in the world. A sea divided by a sandy beach that
connected the rich Isle of St Ninian to the main island. In the mid 20th
century a young boy had found 28 silver pieces from the 8th century next
to an excavation site.

The water was an aquamarine colour and the waves crashed violently
against the rocky cliffs. I ran towards the others who were already on
the beach to quickly change into a blue bikini that matched the ocean.
The wind was cold on my bare skin so to protect myself I ran into the
ocean and threw myself into a large wave. At first the water felt like
stinging needles all over my body but after a minute or two that feeling
disappeared and was replaced by a refreshing cold. Even though the dip
in the ocean was nice and therapeutic it was even nicer to hop on the
warm buss and finally start to make our way home.

We had to make some small stops along the way and everyone was tired
when we arrived. While some took naps, others took advantage of the free
time we had and made their way into town again. My watch group had to
work today so I had to be back on the ship by five to clean, but after
dinner I was free again. Me and my bunk mates wanted to go and buy some
snacks for the long upcoming sea leg, so we took the scenic route and
went down to a small forgotten pier where we saw two seals eating fish
for dinner, before continuing towards the grocery store. After a long
day I was finally back on the boat and ready to go to bed. I said
goodnight to the room across from mine and jumped into bed with my
warmest pair of socks on ready to be woken up at 5 a.m to have night
watch.

/Sofia Alwin, starbordside.