The 4-8 watch woke up about 3.30 a.m. to get ready for our first morning watch. Everyone was sleepy and only half wake. We changed over on the main deck with the 12-4 watch, had some food from the mess. The look out went to the front of the shop for one hour before they changed. The safety watch walks around the ship twice every hour checking for any possible fire. The safety watch then changes every hour. We proceeded by climbing the mast and unpacking the main sail and afterwards we repacked it for practice. We also learnt how to set the sails and the names of some of the endless amounts of ropes. We were taught what ‘tacking’ was and how to do it as at first it seems to be quite complicated but it turns out to be rather easy. I was even allowed to steer the ship which was an amazing experience, I had to follow a course of 090 degrees which is much harder than it sounds. Finally we changed watch with the 8-12 watch on the main deck and afterwards we had a delicious breakfast. Following breakfast some people tried to get some sleep or discussed with others the different cultures they come from and the music they enjoy. At 10.30 a.m. we had a talk with the captain where everyone should be positioned when the race begins. When the race started we let down the sails and pulled on many heavy ropes. We passes the start line quite fast and now we have a good position in the race. At the moment we are surrounded de dozens of other tall ships which gives us an amazing view, plus we are always comparing our position and speed with the other ships. At the moment we are also sailing upwind which means we will be constantly beating against the wind which will require a lot of work as the boat will be frequently tacking/turning which means we have to brace/turn the yards and re-trim the sails. Luckily the weather is still very good and quite sunny. Lets hope all continues for the rest of the race!!
Joanna,
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