Tall Ship Soren Larsen New Zealand Sailing adventure for all ages

Tall Ship Soren Larsen 2007 ~ South Pacific Sail Training Adventure for all ages

"My name is Ishmael .....

well OK then - Robin and the captain's name is Nick although he could pass for Ahab if only he had a false leg made out of whale bone. I am shipped aboard the Soren Larsen out of Auckland and this is a record of a five day trip we made around the Hauraki Gulf.

DAY ONE

We welcomed aboard the Voyage Crew at about 10am and helped them to get their bags stowed away in their cabins and gave them a tour of the ship. Each member of the Voyage Crew had been assigned by Matt the Mate, a member of the Permanent Crew to buddy up with. As I am pretty new to sailing and to the Soren, I was paired up with another new recruit Gemma who is the ship's Medical Officer. Then followed a briefing by the Captain, issue of wet weather gear and safety harnesses for going aloft, demonstration of all the lifesaving equipment aboard and finally a fire drill. My muster station is to take the deck hose and use it to fight fire and to damp down secondary areas to stop fire from spreading. The fire drill was a really good way to get everyone involved right from the start.

Gemma and I were given Bob and Karen to look after. I was a bit worried at first about whether or not I knew enough to be able to pass anything on. I could imagine Bob asking “Hey Robin shall I pull on this piece of rope?” and me saying “how should I know!” As it turned out it was fine because it was made clear to Bob and Karen that Gemma and I were new and that if in any doubt we would ask one of the more experienced crew. Bob and Karen are really great – very enthusiastic and throwing themselves into the task of running the ship.

After a light lunch alongside we headed out into the teeth of the howling tempest, the ship's Purser reading aloud psalms from the Holy Bible to raise the spirits of the newly joined crew as they battled mountainous seas, fighting for their very lives....OK it was a bit breezy but very pleasant. We motored up wind with head sails and staysails set and practiced tacking. It amazes me how the Voyage Crew who didn't know each other from Adam a few hours ago have meshed together into a unit already. I think that this is one of the special things about Tall Ships.

DAY TWO

A fantastic day's sailing today. Winds got up to about force five or so and there was some swell which made for an exciting ride! I was glad that the sea sickness tablets I took worked!! I was asked to remove the gaskets from the middle staysail this morning which was fine however being very safety conscious I found that when I had finished I had woven myself into the cranelines to such an extent that I found it very difficult to extricate myself!!

Both Bob and Karen suffered from seasickness today, but both recovered quite quickly and I think enjoyed the day's sailing. One of the rewarding things about being a part of the permanent crew is that when you see a member of the voyage crew who is a bit shy or hanging back a bit, you can encourage them to get involved in what is going on and it's nice to see them growing in confidence as they begin to take on tasks.

I'm not too sure how to put into words what it is to be sailing on a wooden ship like the Soren. On deck you can feel the the whole ship flexing and moving beneath your feet, the wind hums in the rigging, when you are on bow watch it feels like you are riding a giant plunging horse, below decks, the creaking and groaning of the timbers and dim light make it take on a womb like quality. The Soren Larsen is not an it, she is a she...

DAY THREE

We had a lazy day today! I think that after the excitement of yesterday there were a few stiff and sore people today! It was a lovely sunny day and we were at anchor off Kawau Island in th e Hauraki Gulf. We lowered the work boat and ferried the Voyage Crew ashore so that they could have wander and stretch their legs – it certainly was an idyllic spot. Some of the permanent crew also went ashore but I elected to stay with the ship and went for a very relaxing refreshing swim off the side of the ship.

After lunch it was back to work! I was greasing the foremast above the topgallant with tallow – lovely! A word on what it is like climbing in the spider's web of rigging - daunting – I think that just about sums it up. That said the more I do the easier it gets – what a liar I am, its still daunting but it is doable. After safely returning to the deck, I went out onto the bowsprit and replaced some chafe gear on the safety line. I really enjoyed that task , working with my hands, making things is such a pleasure.

In all the excitement I nearly forgot – today was Christmas Eve. We decided to celebrate today rather than tomorrow as the weather dictates that we should sail. Tatyana and Karson came up trumps with a delicious Christmas dinner which we all ate together in the saloon afterwards there were presents for all the Voyage Crew and Permanent Crew, from Steve and Rosie the Ship's owners. Also all the Permanent Crew had done a 'Secret Santa' so we all exchanged gifts which was great. I received some Lottery scratch cards and won two dollars!!

DAY FOUR

Christmas Day!

Quite unlike any Christmas I have ever experienced. I started off by removing the gaskets from the topgallant whilst underway – that certainly concentrated the mind! Today we turned around and sailed back towards Auckland. The weather gradually deteriorated throughout the day with strengthening winds. We were sailing mostly downwind today and the motion of the ship was slightly different to what I have experienced before and so I felt a bit seasick for a time, but decided to forget about it – which worked very well!

I must say that all of Port watch did very well today – we have all begun to get the hang of tacking, bracing and trimming, getting to understand a little about what line does what!!

All in all it was a really great day's sailing, I really enjoyed it then collapsed into bed and slept like a log.

DAY FIVE

A more difficult day today, motor sailing into the wind. I lost count of how many times we tacked!!
The wind strengthened to reach a force eight and although we were by now in the approaches to Auckland, we all got pretty wet from the wind chop which my guess was about four to six feet in size!

I had to laugh earlier – Gemma, one of the Voyage Crew came to relieve me on bow watch. No sooner had she stepped onto the fore deck, when she was hit by a wall of spray from a wave hitting the bow. She was totally soaked. Gemma then retired to the deck house roof but was no safer there - the next wave to hit the bow soaked her a second time!! She took it all in good humour though and I did assure her aft that I was laughing with her not at her!

When we finally came to anchor after a long tiring day I helped to hand sails but found myself on the lower topsail yard on my own. The foot rope was too low which, alothough I was clipped on, made it extremely uncomfortable. Eventually Winch very kindly stepped on for a minute, his colossal bulk raising my height relative to the yard so that I could finish what I was doing. Not a pleasant moment though and a reminder of how dangerous the rigging can be.

We finished off the day with a splendid fancy dress party and a game of 'Pictionary' which rounded things off nicely.

DAY SIX

Motored into Auckland and said goodbye to the Voyage Crew at about 10am. I think that they all had a really memorable experience, perhaps pushed themselves a bit and had a real glimpse of what life might have been like in the great days of sail.

THE END