Tall Ship Soren Larsen Sailing adventure for all ages

Home from the Pacific -
Sally brings the ship back in to her Auckland berth: Pics here

Landfall Norfolk
Heidi Wilde returned to Soren for the Vanuatu to New Zealand trip;
here are her impressions of our visit to Norfolk island.
"As we sailed south on the open ocean from Vanuatu, we all marveled at the grace of huge Royal Albatross and Wandering Albatross as they glided close by the ship.

Tanna Revisted
Hamilton Voyage Crew Brian B. returned to the southern Vanuatu island of Tanna with Soren to face the volcano again and meet the our friends at Port Resolution.
It had been two years his his last visit with the ship and he was interested to see the progress.

Vanuatu Discovery II
Voyage Crew Mark explains why bow watch can be quite a ride..
"An hour into the 4 – 8 watch, inky darkness had descended. An unexpected 50 knot head wind tore into the rigging and howled like a banshee.
My watch mates, Stuart and Olaf, were aloft, heroically attempting to furl the course sail. The ship was pitching like a bronco and horizontal rain cut into our faces"

Vanuatu Discovery voyage 2006 -
Janet, from the UK, joined the ship at this far flung Pacific destination:

"I joined the Soren Larsen at Santo on 16 October 2006 for the Vanuatu Discovery Voyage.
I was born in 1937 and had never sailed before. From the moment I stepped on board, I was transported to another world, one of warmth, ropes, sails, spray, wind, rain, humour, laughter, muscles, companionship and respect.
The crew were inspiring and the voyage crew an amazing mix of people."
MORE

"The warmth and friendliness of the islanders are what made the experience wonderful. They seemed a hard working and cohesive community and most had no experience beyond the island and only primary school education, - their current teacher, Evelyn, is an islander with secondary school education and one week’s training to be a teacher. Nevertheless she was very bright and capable and all the children respected her... MORE

Vanuatu Banks Islands
Jerry, Carole and daughter Erica came from NSW, Australia to the Banks Islands in northern Vanuatu for their first voyage aboard Soren Larsen.

"We signed up for 'Island Cruising' in northern Vanuatu, and got all that plus lots more.
In Palikulo Bay on our first night, there was so much bioluminesence in the sea that it seemed we were floating in the Milky Way ...
MORE

Fiji to Vanautu
Nick's voyage from Fiji:
"Then came Tuesday, the next day of the week. More sail handling, maintenance and eating and thats right, once again the 4 til 8 caught a fish straight after we'd finished a fire drill (which was quite considerate as usually they hook themselves during the fire drills!).
This one was a whopper!

The Yasawas
"Joining day dawned with its usual fun
Plans were twice layed then changed on the run
Once all were aboard and everything stowed
Our new Captain Sally our course to us showed

through Tonga, Vava'u and southern Fiji.
" Like a lazy humming bird, the ship fluttered between the northern islands of Tonga engaging in the royal pursuits of swimming, snorlkeling, whale watching and sight seeing. After visiting the island of Unonukuhahaki for an Australian traditional feast we proceeded to the island of Ha'ana which seemed to be run by pigs, chickens, dogs and horses... MORE...

Logs and Pictures from Tahiti to the Cooks Islands
Voyage Crew Logs and Pictures from Tahiti to the Cooks Islands -
10-27 July 2006 Part One - from Jill Douglas: "The weather is variable. In fact that evening a swirling wind whips up as we’re all singing and playing songs and shanties. The crew disappear and suddenly we are all on the move. The deck is cleared in seconds as we prepare to move out of the bay –

A Sailmaker's Tale
Sailmaker and Deckhand Sarah Sjøgreen looks back on her life aboard Soren Larsen over the last year.

Et aar ombord Soren Larsen.
"Jeg har nu veret ombord Brigantinen Soren Larsen der tager gaester der kommer ombord for at faa en anderledes ferie. Jeg arbejder som sejlmager og deckhand ombord. Som deckhand, staar jeg vagt og laere vores gaester om at sejle en raasejler og et leve livet paa et sejlskib.

Tahiti, tallships and tallow ... Anne's Polynesia
Back in NYC, I find myself constantly checking my watch and subtracting 6 hours to imagine where the ship and all my dear friends might be. I am insanely jealous of the present VC!

Happiest Place on Earth.. News Flash -
THE most deservedly happy place on the planet is Vanuatu.
The Happy Planet Index, published yesterday, was compiled by the New Economics Foundation and Friends of the Earth using three factors: life expectancy, human wellbeing and damage done by a country's "environmental footprint".
Vanuatu comes tops because its people are satisfied with their lot, live to nearly 70 and do little damage to the planet.

See BBC report

But those of us who have visited there with Soren could have told them that!

Kris and Joel's Society Islands feedback
"When we booked our adventure aboard the Soren Larsen we had hoped to fulfil two or our fantasies.
To visit French Polynesia and to sail aboard a tall ship.
Combining the two has truly been a dream come true.

'Le Soren Larsen fidele au rendez-vous'
The following newspaper article appeared in "La Depeche de Tahiti" on Saturday 17th June 2006:
Avec deux croisieristes francais a bord..

Rosie's 12-4 and the Tuamotos
I'm enjoying this watch immensely. On waking I'm not happy about getting up, but as soon as I am out on deck the quietness and calm of the evening take hold. The night sky has been clear and filled with stars - since Barry's talk on celestial navigation we are avidly watching the stars' passage across the sky.

Memories of Marquesas landfall
June 2006 - Permanent Crew Nick Sambrooks gives this extract from his journal:
"This anchorage revealed a beautiful deserted beach with breaking waves and a ring of coconut palms . Getting in and out of the boat was slightly hampered by crashing waves but nothing the crew of the Soren Larsen couldn't handle. Voyage crew and permanent crew spent the day ashore in the blissful pursuit of relaxation, swimming, hiking and body boarding..

What to do when becalmed in the South Pacific
“8 – 12 watch aft for the main sheet, and when the sail's sheeted in you're on the braces!”. Oh... wait a minute... that's me, my watch... I'm on the 8 to 12... pay attention... Our watch gathers on the poop deck. Ok, we're ready!
We're sailing off the anchor...

Pitcairn – Small island with a big heart!
Voyage V233 Easter island to Pitcarin and Tahiti;
Crewman John B. recalls his impressions and photos: "We made our landfall at Pitcairn Island at first light on Tuesday 9th May, and anchored in Bounty Bay. A party of Pitcairners came out to the ship in one of their longboats to transfer the voyage crew to shore..

Destination Easter Island.
Deckhand Cara Wilson recounts her time at one of the world's ultimate destinations: Rapa Nui...
"We sighted land on the 26th April at 0345, and it was a strange feeling having seen no land since we left New Zealand 31 days before. We dropped anchor at Hanga Roa which is the capital of the island later that morning, the coastline is very rugged and there are not too many sheltered harbours apart from the small ones the locals have built up.

A Long Day's Journey Into The Night
Voyage Crew Heidi Wilde says of square rig sailing -
I found this in Eugene O'Neill's classic American play A Long Day's Journey Into The Night.
He says it a lot better than I could...

Barefoot Southern Ocean Sailing
Here's permanent crew Nick's account of the passage to Easter Island.

Memoirs of a former landlubber.
Voyage Crew Maggie L. from New York
- on her first Soren sailing: "The Auckland to Easter Island voyage is the “cold” voyage, with the ship sailing South to the Roaring Forties to pick up the westerlies. The Roaring Forties were relatively calm for this voyage and the normally calm leg North to Easter Island turned out to be quite roaring, as we met with a squall that had us all at attention and called to action.

Auckland Refit Feb-March 2006
Deckhand Trevor Orsztynowicz's view of maintenance life... and the meaning of hard work.
"Everyone, no matter their age, has memories of the anticipation associated with the bell at the end of school.
The bell would be signal the end of your school day, the end of repetitive classes and more importantly allow you to
reclaim your freedom.

To add your contribution to the Soren Larsen Voyage Log send us words and pictures to
Tallship Soren Larsen - email escape@sorenlarsen.co.nz

We'd also be keen to have your feedback about the Voyage Log - with views, commendations, brickbats and suggestions about the website.