Msit No’Kmaq: All My Relations Warrior Update August 17th 2017

Morning Report from the Warriors of Red Road at Sea on the Gulden Leeuw

Yesterday we had a sunny day which was really needed because the day before we had a storm.We also had a watch change so we did three watches in one day which has some good and bad, the good was that I like the hours better but the bad was that I had to get used to a new sleeping schedule. We are starting to run low on water so we have a ban on showers.

When I was on watch, I was navigator for one of the watches which was great because I never really get to be navigator and I was on helm for the other two watches and while I was on my last watch, I learned how to splice rope.

Dakota

UTC DATE/TIME: 17^th August 2017, 09:00

BOARD DATE/TIME: 17^th August 2017, 09:00

POSITION: 50 00 N, 10 47 W 

COURSE: SE

DIST TRAVELLED LAST 24H: 223 nm

TOTAL DIST TRAVELLED THIS VOYAGE: 2362 nm

AIR TEMP: 16

SEA STATE: small waves

WIND FORCE BEAUFORT: 3

SAILS CARRIED: outer jib, inner jib, course, lower topsail, upper topsail, t’gallant, main staysail, main top staysail, main sail, main gaff topsail, mizzen, mizzen gaff topsail

From the Professional Crew of the Gulden Leeuw

Aug 16^th 2017

Here Comes the Sun!

Yesterday was absolutely crazy – I loved it! I was on galley duty, together with the facilitators of the group we have on board. We missed most of the fun out on deck. The inside of the Ship was a pretty exciting place to be nonetheless.

The day has started rainy and windy, with heavy heeling to the port side. By afternoon the rolling movements followed, making trainees and crew alike feel slightly queasy to totally sick. The watches would stay mostly inside, with only the necessary people on duty, changing every half an hour. There was no going outside without a harness and the sick had to take a buddy with them.

In the galley everything was flying. A mess on the floor welcomed us as we opened the door, and it only got worse from that point. One person got hurt by flying carrots in a hilarious yet slightly painful incident. We’ve found out that as long as you stay focused on a given task, the sea sickness stays at bay. Coming up with hot dishes overflowing with – miraculously – delicious food was the most difficult part, thought washing the dishes while all the time heeling to one side proved almost an extreme sport as well.

Somehow during the day all the meals got served on time, even if an occasional cry of pain (or a curse) could be heard from the galley. We even baked a sweet bread for a 4 o’clock snack. I couldn’t help but admire our Cook’s dedication to smoking when he would regularly go out in the foul weather to “relax”, coming back soaking wet but – supposedly – happy.

Through all that we have sailed quite fast, doing about 10 knots most of the time. By 07:45 we have travelled 215 nautical miles in the 24 hour span.

Today the rolling and heeling persists but the sun has finally come out. The trainees are still sick and/or tired, and admittedly we are not much better – we’re just good at hiding it. Our mizzen sail is still reefed, the flying jib had to be taken down yesterday as it got a new hole, and the forestaysail actually got ripped into pieces yesterday. Still, we sail on, and we can now almost see the shores of Ireland and the finishing line of the race. We expect to reach it in the next two or three days. That should give us enough time to stop in one port before we reach our destination in Le Havre. I wonder where that will be…?

Anna Gudarowska