Hooray for climbing – to the masthead. Today we have a gentle breeze but quite a bit of swell left over from the storm. It’s been sunny and warm, and may even be our last full sailing day before we drop anchor in South Africa. My ambition to reach the … Continue reading
It’s very windy here right now. We have been in 40-50 knot winds since about 2200 last night, or some 12 hours. The seas are huge but magnificent. There is a lot of spray breaking over our poop deck and all watches are cancelled. I was one of the last … Continue reading
Fifty-four people. Fifty-five days. Fifty-six meters of boat. Five thousand miles (and counting). We all have days when we have enough of the people around us, even in our land-based lives and families. I see different ways the people here on board deal with those moments. Earphones in. Deep diving … Continue reading
Today I gave a small talk about women on tall ships in the age of sail, especially in the far south. On these long passages, Europa has a practice of asking voyage crew if we have any topics to cover, so sailing women was mine. Most of what I said … Continue reading
Our brief flirtation with the Roaring Forties is almost over: we are finally able to trim the sails to a north-easterly course. Don’t let that fool you into thinking we have been having sub-tropical weather. This morning we had 30 to 35 knot winds which were slowly backing so by … Continue reading
In ‘the old days’ there were no communications from here, midway between Tristan de Cunha and Cape Town. Ships left, and maybe they arrived. Letters were sent and received at ports, courtesy of poste restante. Radio might enable communications at sea, whether line of sight or long distance. Now satellites … Continue reading
Last night we, the voyage crew, were given a night off by the skipper. No watches! White watch was especially pleased as it meant we missed the unpopular 0000 to 0400 rotation. We were under engine all night and much of the morning. Yet by lunchtime, here in the Roaring … Continue reading
The map is not the geography. Its presentation, our knowledge, is always partial, biased and incomplete, in the process of becoming. We measure the unknown on maps, progress towards a new geography. Our inching forwards (or backwards) takes us to a new place, or an old place seen again for … Continue reading
Clothes washing – or ‘private laundry’ in on-board parlance – is an important topic on Europa. Instructions made clear we should bring enough clothes for two months and not rely on the possibility of washing. In practice none of us have quite enough underwear for that option. The ship does … Continue reading
Wednesday was a busy day; the swell was low enough to get into the tiny harbour at Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the (only) settlement on Tristan de Cunha. The island has only been settled for 200 years but it’s been eventful. Lots of shipwrecks have brought people in, and … Continue reading
