Swimming with dolphins

2 April 2018

April 2 – We had an early start to what would become a full and fun day with the 12-4 night watch. I woke up from a nap on deck under a dark starry sky and headed back aft to check in with mate Boudewijn. James was already awake and talking to him, telling him that the ‘Oosterschelde’ was somewhat of a celebrity ship for me. My fascination with tall ships started many years ago and is manifested mostly in a large book collection. Their pages are filled with elegant photos of ships in full sail with accompanying writeups on history and impressive voyages. This ship, with her rich history and distinctive lines, always stood out to me. To be sailing on her now, even on day 5, still feels like a dream.
We were still fighting the current and motoring through the night. This meant we could use autopilot and have a more relaxed watch, conversing with each other over coffee and chocolate bars, taking in the night sea and sky around us. This was a welcomed break from our previous night watches, occupied with lots of steering and running around setting and dousing sails, learning the ship’s many lines.
Richard made pancakes for breakfast, which was perfectly suited for our newfound discovery: the Dutch delicacy of butter and chocolate sprinkles. The wind picked up again, so after breakfast we raised the sails. Eleasha and I climbed out on the bowsprit net to untie the jibs and soon they were flying free and full again.
We were on the 1400-2000 watch, but motor sailing meant that we did not have to steer, so we took advantage by planning the construction of a pool on deck. With mate Jan-Willem taking charge, we strung some lines together and draped canvas over them, filling the basin with warm Gulf of Mexico seawater. We spent the better part of the afternoon lounging in our little pool, twice interrupted by jubilant dolphins playing on our port side and dancing around the bow. We all watched in childlike excitement as they put on a extravagant show, soaring up and out of the water.
After a hearty supper, we all went up on deck to stare at the sky. We commented that despite the light pollution from the many oil rigs that now surround us, we’ve never seen so many stars. I never thought I’d have the chance to sail on this iconic ship; it has been better than anything I could have imagined from the books.