We got straight into setting sails

Erasmus + Exchange@sea
Onboard Tall Ship Thalassa
19/07/2024 – 31/07/2024
Participating countries: Ireland, Estonia, France, The Netherlands.

19th July – Friday

We arrived at Thalassa around 11:30 am to drop our bags. The grocery stores were everywhere. I met mentors Robin and Robin to discuss the bunk plan and watch bills. After saying hello to the crew, we then headed back into Brest to explore the city. I arrived back around 15:45 to welcome everyone onboard officially. Two Estonians’ flights were delayed so they were due to arrive a bit later. I then discussed the rough plan for the voyage with the other mentors and crew members.

At 18:00 we had a whole crew meeting to introduce everyone. Then after dinner at 19:30 we played some ice breaker and name games. We did the human knot, which the trainees really enjoyed. Then we did the name remembering game, where everyone introduces themselves and then must remember everyone’s name that came before them.

Then we moved into the saloon and gave everyone time to write down their hopes and fears for the voyage. When we finished writing, we had some free time. Some of us went over to meet the crew of the Gulden Leeuw to chat about their planned voyage.

20th July – Saturday

After breakfast Berend, the first mate, gave a safety briefing with instructions about what to do in certain situations, such as man overboard and fire alarms. I then introduced the trainee logbooks.

Everyone was given one to keep for the voyage and instructed on how to use them. The remaining Estonian people joined the ship at 10:50 and we departed shortly after, at 11 am. The trainees mingled and spent the rest of the morning getting to know each other.

The trainees were then split into their watches: Red, White and Blue. Berend, Noor and Hidde gave seamanship briefings, an intro into belaying and also a demonstration into coiling ropes.

We got straight into setting some sails. The day was mainly spent talking to everyone. The weather wasn’t brilliant, so we all played cards and other board games in the saloon. After a lovely few hours of sailing, we arrived in Ouessant.

Once anchored and where everyone was comfortable, we continued our hopes and fears workshops. Each mentor sat with their watch group to encourage the discussion. When we finished discussing the hopes and fears, we moved onto the daily sea schedule, including mealtimes and the watch rotas. The last thing that was discussed in smaller groups were the rules we would have onboard for the whole group. The three groups came up with a list of rules each and read them out. Then some of the trainees wrote them altogether on a poster to hang up so everyone could read them.

After that, we moved onto learning goals. In this workshop everyone wrote personal goals that they individually wanted to achieve over the course of the voyage. This got everyone thinking about what they wanted to take from their experience.

Afterwards we took some time to relax before dinner and then we all went ashore to explore for a while. It was a super relaxing evening.

21st July – Sunday

After breakfast we all headed ashore. We crossed Ouessant to the beaches on the other side of the island, on the west coast. Judith organised a beach clean-up. We found so much rubbish, which was surprising to the trainees, as at first glance the beach had seemed pretty clean. Judith gave some instructions about what sort of things we would be looking for before we started. We then set a thirty-minute timer to see what could be gathered in that time.

Back onboard, and after lunch and happy hour, Judith gave a presentation on plastics and gave part one of the Ocean Movement Plastic Quiz.

After that, we divided into nationalities and set up different stations around the ship. One group would climb, another would practice knots, another would fill in the logbooks. The French trainees got to preparing their national dinner, so they took turns participating in the activities and being in the galley. For dinner they made galettes. They also prepared some sweet and some savoury toppings for them. Everyone enjoyed them!

22nd July – Monday

This was our last morning in France. We started with happy hour as everyone was pretty tired. The cleaning and music energised everyone. We then introduced the buddy system, where everyone has an envelope that was hung up around the mess, and throughout the voyage, you could give gifts and snacks to your buddy. This worked really well, and everyone took part. Most of the trainees said how much they liked having to find something small for their buddy when they were ashore.

Then Judith did part two of the plastic quiz. After this, we spread out in nationalities around the deck to make mind maps about sustainability in our countries. This was really nice as it got everyone working and talking out in the sunshine for about an hour. Once everybody summarised sustainability initiatives in their countries, one person per country presented their findings to the others.

We then left the anchorage, and the seas were pretty rough. Quite a lot of people were feeling seasick, but the general atmosphere onboard was very positive. We saw a lot of dolphins. The Estonian Mentor Mihkel offered a class in navigation at the change of watch at 4 pm. The rest of the day and evening was spent doing watches, playing cards, and sleeping. We spent the night sailing which was a really nice experience for everyone.

23rd July – Tuesday

We woke up in the bay near Newlyn, which meant the time zone changed. That was a bit confusing. We kept the morning free to let everyone catch up on some rest. We started with activities around 11 am. Everyone appreciated the chilled-out morning in the sun. We had a chat with the trainees about water conservation onboard when everyone was ready.

Then the murder game was introduced by Robin and Robin. Everyone drew a place, a person and an item. The aim of the game is to hand the person the item in the specific place to ‘kill’ them. Afterwards, we went for a swim off the boat. This was a really nice activity for everyone as it had been quite a warm morning. We swam until lunch, at 13:30.

After lunch and happy hour, and then headed ashore. We organised another beach clean-up, which was also super successful. It was a smaller beach beside a boat yard, so we found lots of rubbish on the beach. The Dutch trainees headed back to the ship to prepare their national dinner.

When everyone got back onboard, we got the Dutch flag painted on our cheeks. We ate hutspot and meatballs. For dessert we had an apple cake. The trainees then organised a karaoke night. They really enjoyed this and took charge of the activity. It was lovely to see everyone getting along. Most nationalities sang a national song and then everyone mixed together to sing many different songs.

24th July – Wednesday

We started activities around 9:30 am, once breakfast was tidied away and everyone was ready for the day. We each drew a map outlining the voyage and anything that had happened already.

Then in the watches, we did a clearing session. Everyone said one thing they liked a lot so far, one thing they didn’t like so far and an emotion that they were feeling at the time. This was a really nice, calm start to the day.

Afterwards, Judith did the microplastic and toiletries workshop. Everyone scanned their toiletries with the ‘Beat the Micro Bead’ App. Most people really enjoyed this and were chatting about it for a while afterwards. Regular watches started back at 12 pm. We kept up normal sea routine for the rest of the day. It was a clear day, so most people spent it on deck chatting and having fun.

We did a quick happy hour after dinner. It was very foggy, which meant that the night watches were slow and not much was visible.

25th July – Thursday

It was another chilled-out morning so that people could catch up on sleep after being awake for night watches. It was pretty cold, but an all-round relaxing morning. At noon, Maarten, the captain, gave a very interesting meteorology lesson. This was really informative and made for a good introduction into tides and gyres. This led really nicely into what Judith would cover later on in her lectures.

The rest of the day was spent sailing. During the late afternoon a squall came by, and we started heeling a lot. The crew were amazing and showed everyone what to do. We quickly took down the sails and got absolutely soaked in the rain. There were some really strong gusts of wind. It was an interesting experience, and the first time anything dramatic happened with the sails.

That evening we watched a spectacular sunset. Some trainees did language lessons, music lesson and played cards. The atmosphere onboard was really pleasant and almost everyone went to bed with a smile on their faces.

The hope was to arrive at Douglas on the Isle of Mann the following morning.

26th July – Friday

Once we arrived and tied up alongside, we enquired about bus tickets to Peel, on the other side of the Isle of Mann, Judith had organised a beach clean-up with a local organisation Beach Buddies. Before the clean-up started at 1 pm we had some free time to explore. Standard Bank were also involved with the clean-up.

Beach Buddies gave us an introduction into their goals and how they were founded. They provided litter pickers, bags and gloves for everyone. We then gave a quick explanation about our life onboard the Thalassa, which our new friends found very interesting. It was really good to be able to share our project with more people who are interested in sustainability. Afterwards the clean-up, most of the trainees spent the afternoon on the beach, swimming and playing around until we had to go back to the ship.

That evening, we had the Estonian National Dinner onboard. The dinner was delicious. The trainees prepared grilled meat, salads and rice. Afterwards the trainees sang some national songs. They were really talented and continued playing for a few hours, which was really fun.

The French Scouts started some fun games, like La Pena Baiona, which was very entertaining. Everyone sat on the floor and passed people overhead along the line. The crew joined in as well. We then got some shore leave for the evening.

27th July – Saturday

After breakfast we planned the rest of the day. First, we headed ashore for a DIY toiletry-making workshop. Everyone could make a toothpaste or a deodorant, instructed by Judith.

Afterwards, we spent some time in Douglas, exploring and shopping. We headed back onboard for lunch. It was a really beautiful day so everyone sat out chilling on deck. At around 16:30 we left the Isle of Mann and headed towards Wales. The weather was amazing, and we all hung out on deck. Two of the Irish trainees organised a workout which was quite tough. It was just before dinner, and it was really fun. Lots of people joined in. The workout was called ‘How to get Jacked 101’. We dropped the anchor around 1:30 am in Bull Bay, which meant we got a full night’s sleep.

28th July – Sunday

We started the morning with a super early swim, which was spectacular. We used the tack rope to swing into the water. Then we went for breakfast, which we enjoyed out in the sun. Lots of small boats and kayaks came out to visit us that morning. The atmosphere onboard was incredible.

We did a bit of yoga including a sun salutation, led by some of the French trainees. For most people yoga was a new skill and they enjoyed learning it.

Once we left the bay, we motor sailed west towards Ireland.

After about an hour, we did a man overboard drill. The crew and all the mentors knew about this, but the trainees didn’t. It was very successful, and the dummy was recovered in nine minutes. The crew were all really impressed with the trainee participation.

Later on, during the day, Berend did an emergency fire pump demonstration and then the trainees got to wash the deck which they really enjoyed.

We anchored very late at night off Lambay Island in Dublin.

29th July – Monday

Waking up next to Lambay was incredible. It was like Jurassic Park. There were birds everywhere. We spent the morning doing boat tours of the island, as it was too difficult to get ashore there. Noor, one of the sailors from the crew, was a brilliant tour guide. She knows lots about birds. This was a really enjoyable morning. Some trainees also did the long-awaited engine room tours with Berend.

Afterwards, we had another opportunity to swim. Later in the day, Judith did a workshop about improving sustainability onboard the ship. Groups of people took a specific place onboard and came up with possible solutions for improving sustainability. Then the groups presented this to the crew. The crew took the feedback and discussed any possible changes they could make.

The Irish trainees then started to prepare dinner. They made an Irish Breakfast, including sausages, black pudding, fried eggs, baked beans, fried potatoes, and fried tomatoes. We left the anchorage around 7 pm and headed to pick up the pilot to enter Dublin. After dinner and cleaning up, the Irish trainees organised a Céilí (Irish dancing) on shore. It was so much fun. We also played a fun Irish name guessing game. Most people stayed up late and had a great time partying on board.

30th July – Tuesday

We planned on spending the day in Dun Laoghaire. We left the ship around 9 am and got the Dart to the seaside. Everyone got some free time to explore the place. Some people went for a swim at the forty-foot, a natural swimming spot. After a lovely day in the sun, we all headed back at 5 pm.

We did a big happy hour to prepare the ship for our departure. We ate dinner on deck. After that, everyone sat down to write the 6-month letters for themselves and everyone else. They will be sent to them by Windseeker Foundation around Christmas.

The day ended with two of the French trainees giving everyone a rock dance class.

31st July – Wednesday

We got up for 7 am breakfast to ensure we would all be ready to get off the ship by 10 am. Most of the trainees had some free time around Dublin City before having to head home. It was a tearful and emotional goodbye.