English Log – 11/4

Our day on the ship started as usual with the horrible sound of knocking on our cabin door somewhere between 03:20 and 03:30 am. The knocking was immediately followed by the door opening and a voice yelling at us to get up and get ready. We all slowly crawled out of our bunk beds and began putting on the three layers of clothing meant to protect us from the biting winds and the huge waves smashing up against the boat.

When the clock hit 03:55 am, all of the starboard watch stood lined up on deck, ready for four hours of guard duty. During the watch, we didn’t do much for once, mainly because we are now traveling by motor as the wind has changed direction and is now blowing almost directly against our bow. This wind direction makes it practically impossible to sail a boat like Gunilla. The strong winds also created enormous waves that constantly washed over the main deck. The waves completely drenched those who tried crossing the deck, which sometimes made us laugh.

The small amount of work we accomplished during the watch included slightly tightening the sheets on the three staysails that were still up and training our climbing skills in the rigging, in the dark. With about one hour left of work, we all watched the sun rise over the horizon, marking a new day.

At 07:55 sharp, we all stood lined up again for a watch change. However this time, it was our turn to return to our comfortable beds. A wet but not especially interesting watch!

When lunchtime came around, we were woken up again. But to our delight, this time it was for food. Lunch was followed by three hours of study time in the main hall below deck. Shortly after we finished our assignments for the day, we started getting ready for yet another watch. At 15:55, we lined up, and the same procedure took place.

I would say that the afternoon watch was pretty much the same as the morning one, except that we all kept our eyes open for whales. Yet again, not a very mind-blowing watch! As soon as the watch ended, we hurried to bed just for everything to be repeated again!

Ludvig Nicolajsen