Week 14 - End of Daysail Season

This week we wrapped up daysail season. Three in a row evening sails culminating in a triple 50th birthday celebration. 

End of daysails means most of my shrimp peeling is done (we have a few events during tall ships festivals that we will be needing shrimp for). 130 kilos later I figured I'd earned some "shrimpilettes". (#galleygirl has too much off time?)

A few late starts meant that I had the chance to do some mornig runs. I found out the giant hill I've tackled (successfully) is called the Will Hill (well it's called something in Norwegian that means that). A very fitting name. Here is the view from the top. 

One morning run was quite warm and I finished with a super short swim! Must be summer!

I've been teaching one of my shipmates to knit. It's going well, she's done one mitten and working on her second. 

On Sunday we had our annual galley dinner out at a lovely harbourview restaurant. It was lovely to take our time over a delcious dinner that we didn't have to prepare!

I got a new plant from a shipmate and it's surviving quite well so far. Nice addition to the cabin! 

The last couple days have been full of things we need to do before welcoming 70 trainees - organising, putting things away, making lists and checking them twice etc. Ready or not here they come! Next installment coming from Belfast!

Week 13 - The Same and Different

This was another week of day sail arrangements. Of course no two weeks are exactly the same, this is what was different this week:

Nadia and I began the project of returning all the refundable cans and bottles from day sails. We each walked two garbage bags full up to the grocery store and fed them into the self-serve machine which we managed to jam a number of times before finishing. 

On one of the nice weather days we had a BBQ quayside. It was a great night to sit outside and enjoy a meal in the fresh air. 

I went back to the library and got out a couple more books. Not sure if I'll like them both but the beauty of the library is of course that if I don't like them I just return them!

I added a top to the tea cozy I knit a few weeks back and am now considering starting a sweater after noticing a deal running at local craft store where you could get the yarn and pattern for a sweater for 299NOK (about $45). One thing I love about Kristiansand is there are about 4 or 5 stores selling yarn and knitting supplies within easy walking distance of the ship. 

One of our arrangements started with the Jr Sorlandet Shanty Choir singing a few songs. Well I didn't realise quite how Jr they were going to be - they turned out to be preschool/kindergarten age! They did really well and clearly enjoyed the song where they got to "haul" on a rope. 

There were a few days with no arrangements this week and we used that time to do some organising and preparing. 

A few crew changes and additions this week. We're up to 20 now and more to come this next week before we leave for Tall Ships Festivals. 

And of course some things stay the same: beautiful fjords, shrimp to peel, runs to go on, letters to write, etc. 

Week 12 - Southern Norway Take 2

A lot of the same ports this week: Kristiansand, Arendal, Lillesand. More events on board, more shrimp peeling! 

Friday and Saturday were very busy - on Friday we had an evening sail with buffet dinner for 120 and then Saturday we had a lunchtime sail with finger food for another 120. Luckily we are now practised at the buffet game and while it's a super busy day we kind of have the hang of it and know the flow of things to do. The finger food went pretty well as well. Got to use up some of our toothpick supply! ;) 

Thankfully Sunday we didn't have any events and the crew worked a shorter day than usual. Nadia and I did some deep cleaning which was very satisfying and still had time to run, shower, do laundry and clean our cabin! 

The next 2 weeks we'll be in Kristiansand doing more events and getting ready for tall ships races so things are busy and about to get busier!

Week 11 - Around Southern Norway

This week we were in 4 different ports: Kristiansand, Arendal, Grimstad and Lillesand. This area of Norway sure is beautiful! We weren't anywhere for long but I had the chance to go and explore a bit. 

In Arendal:

In Grimstad:

Second largest wooden church in Norway:

In Lillesand:

A little free library made from an old charthouse. 

In Grimstad Luca, one of our mess girls from last summer stopped by the ship and when Nadia & I had our break she gave us a guided tour of Grimstad, where she lives. Grimstad, we were told, is known for bicycles, a couple authors, shipbuilding (they like to think) an having a lot of hairdressers per capita. Also having the second largest wooden church in Norway. 

In Lillesand we had a rather interesting docking spot, kinda had to come in sideways to get the yards between bits of the crane. 

In all these ports we have various arrangements with companies who hire the ship for a day or evening sail. There is usually food involved, usually our "famous" fish soup. My contribution to the soup is peeling shrimp. So far I've peeled over 70 kg. The excitement of life on a tall ship!

One arrangement was with a school, maybe grades 4-8. They weren't sail training, just having an afternoon on board as a field trip. Mostly they seemed to enjoy hanging out in hammocks in the banjer, I don't think it would've mattered to them if we'd just stayed in port the whole time! Easy to keep them happy though! 

I've now passed the half way day of this voyage. I have a feeling the last half is going to be a lot busier than the first and before I know it summer will be over and I'll be headed home. Which is lovely but doesn't include views like this:

Week 10 - a Sailing We Will Go

Like many weeks on the ship this week alternated between crazy busy and quiet times. There was time for a run or two and to watch an episode of Downton Abbey. There were social times with crew, in the "Party Palace" and at a nearby area of nature. In the town it was interesting to see the crocuses of March have been replaced by tulips. 

For busy times we had more daysails inluding one that was a buffet dinner for 50 or so. 

We also had a daysail with the students that sailed with us to Frederikshavn, unfortunately the weather was rough again and the funnels and scuppers were busy places. But I think overall they had fun. Those who were able to work went aloft and we tacked the ship with all available hands. 

We did some more drills and motor sailed the ship to Arendal. It was a beautiful day for sailing and the timing was right for me to go aloft to loose and later furl some sails. 

This week brings more daysails in Arendal, Grimstad and Lillesand. 

Week Nine - Back to "Normal"

Great start to the week - on Wednesday Nadia and I had most of the day off to go exploring! Might as well take advantage of these quiet times because they aren't going to last.  We were advised to go to Skagen, the northern tip of Denmark.  Took the train there and back and in between did a lot of walking.  We started off walking on the walking/shopping street and reveled in the novelty of having time to browse leisurely and not have to rush back for some food related reason.  That took up most of the morning and we made up a lunch from grocery store items and buns from a bakery.  Then we took off again, out of town and along the beach to a nature park area.  The beaches in the park were fairly busy but the ones to get there were quite deserted and we enjoyed stopping to take pictures, look at rocks, etc.  At the park we couldn't face walking all the way to the northern tip of the country but we did climb a hill (I use that term fairly loosely but Denmark is such a flat country any change in elevation counts as a hill) to at least see the tip.  We took the easier roadside walk back to town and finished off the day with an ice cream and Skype session.

creative selfie set up

The following day we took the ship out to sea for engine trials in the morning.  Everything went well and after a small crew change we headed out in the afternoon to get back to Norway.  With just 17 people on board it was a lighthanded transit but took less than 20 hours.  A lighthanded deck department means that there was more use for a galley girl on deck and I got up for an hour or so of night watch during which we set 3 triangular and 2 square sails.  Setting squares means going aloft and it though it might sound strange if you haven't done it, going aloft to work in the middle of the night, in the dark (no flashlights, it messes up your night vision) is amazing.  After all that sail handling I did a short stint on helm before heading down to get some rest before breakfast.

Once we got back it was full steam ahead to get ready for our first day/evening sail of the season.  Tables to set up, fish soup to finish off, provisions to take on, cleaning and polishing and making ready for our guests besides the usual feeding crew business.  The sail went well and people seemed to enjoy themselves as we cruised through the fjords, I didn't have much time to admire the scenery but as we'll be doing these trips for the next 6 weeks or so I'm sure I'll get a chance.

A day to recover/prepare and then into Norway Day (17th of May) madness.  We had open ship from 11-6 which included a bar and fiske soup sales on deck and a full buffet, with two seatings, in the banjer.  It was busy busy busy but overall organized chaos I think!  Lots of people came dressed in traditional folk dress and if I'd had more time it would have been interesting to talk to people about where their clothes come from (different parts of the country have different styles of dress) and if they, or a family member had made their outfit and inspect the embroidery and knitting that so many displayed.

Today (Tuesday) we did another day sail, this one just in the afternoon and all we had to serve was coffee so that was quite easy and I was able to take in some of the scenery.  At the end of the day we gathered on the dock and inflated an old life raft.  It was interesting to see how it worked and explore all the contents: drinking water from 1985, triangular bandages with instructive diagrams, short stubby paddles, rock candy, a flashlight, knife, etc. etc.

Week Eight - Still In Denmark 2.0

How can you tell when you're ship's been in port too long? When birds start building nests on your yards! (That happened.)

The most exciting news this week is that Nadia arrived on Friday! We are sharing a cabin this year and are looking forward to many good times this summer. While we are waiting here in Denmark Carsten took some time to go home but he is back and the 2014 galley team is reunited!

The cabin Nadia and I share is known as the "Party Palace" due to it's large size. We hosted social times the other evening and I think we had 12 people in our cabin  at once. Good thing the hatch can open!

Weather continues to be not that great with small intervals of sunny and pseudo warmth. Sunday was one such time and the timing worked out that I was able to go aloft and help bend on a new sail. First time I've been aloft this rotation and it was great to be back working in the rig.

 

I've been doing some woodworking this week, making "fiddles" to help contain our suicidal plates. Confused? In the banjer the plates are stowed in spring action sections like you'd have at a buffet, so as plates are removed the bottom moves up and a new plate is always accessible rather than having to reach way down. 

Great in theory but in heavy seas it all gets very exciting and plates jump onto the floor. So I've been working on some wood pieces that we can slot into the top of the springy sections and hopefully keep the plates in their place. 

Other downtime projects have included counting dishes etc on board. Found we have 31,000 toothpicks so that should be good for a while.

This coming week should see us heading back to Kristiansand and starting fjord tours - good chance to use up some of those toothpicks! (If you were wonderig I'm counting the weeks starting on Tuesdays as that's the day I started this rotation.)