Position: somewhere between Britain and Denmark
Weather: still sunny and nice
Last Day at Sea/End of the Race
Our last full day at sea the weather suited my mood exactly – overcast for part of the day and then sunny and bright again later on. The only reason I could possibly have for gloom this trip is from realizing I’ll have to leave the ship soon. Luckily it was my day for backschaft and I was able to keep busy serving at meals and doing light cleaning, and on breaks running up on deck to be with my watch. I snagged another turn on the helm in the light rain while I was on deck and it had me standing tall doing my best old salt impression. We warmed up with coffee and a beautiful cake at 1500 for the tasks ahead.
Our race ended at 1600 after which we dropped the sails and started our engines to carry us to Esbjerg on schedule. It was all hands on deck, orchastrated chaos. By the time we were done there were lines covering the decks. We packed the staysails then and cleared the decks, leaving the rest for tomorrow.
We’ve done well, and are proud of our work, especially with so many first-timers in the crew. In keeping with tradition we had our Käpt’ns- Dinner tonight to celebrate the end of the race.
Now I was thrilled to discover that my backschaft chores included helping to decorate the mess. Most of the crew was barred from the Mess so it would be a surprise. Green table runners and streamers appeared and the tables were set for six courses. Then we were released to spruce up.
Our crew cleans up nicely and we hung around on deck waiting to be called below to eat, previewing the feast by the smells wafting through the air vents. Our watch leaders would be serving this time, a fact Bjorn underscored by borrowing the “Assistance Required“ flag for his apron.
What an evening! There were so many wonderful surprises. Captain Mike wore full uniform and Bernhard, Klaus, and Andreas topped their pervious culinary delights, a feat I didn’t believe was possible. Between courses our Captain led us in cheering for those who made special contributions to the voyage. Our engineers Gerd, Rudolf, and Joachim especially were working hard, rising several times during the meal to check on our systems. We were serenaded and led in song and we had a reenactment of our tacking manouver complete with audience participation. Germans throw excellent dinner parties.
We continued long into the night extending our celebration with music on the stern. We sang songs in each of our languages and sea chanties too. We lingered, caught up in the magic of music.
Best wishes, captain Mike, Shelly and the crew