Date: 12.12.2022
Author: Benjamin
Position: Mid-Atlantic
Geographical Position: 14°58.5’N 046°43.2′ W
Etmal: 4521 NM
Ship: Pelican of London

After all of us had loads of fun at the special Mid-Atlantic Ball, planned by the watchleaders, we have had some time to rest and catch up on our sleep in the last two days. But straight after the relaxing night on the middle of the ocean some of us had to repair our picnic tables which broke caused by overweight due to too many people sitting on them during the meetings.

Also, we refreshed the paint of the kevel bars with our bosuns. It is a hard but rewarding work on the poop- deck. The Pelican´s beautiful appearance is maintained by this kind of work.

Additionally, we had two unexpected flying visitors (birds), while we had our “photomeeting“ at 7pm. We saw many many many photos of us, during the different stops of our journey through Europe and the Atlantic, for example when we climbed on the Guajara on Tenerife or on our long walks to the beach in Vigo… an entertaining and comfortable evening with all members of the voyage.

Biscay vs. Atlantic

Now after we’ve seen Tenerife and made a quick stop on Gran Canaria we are currently on our longest crossing of the voyage: the Atlantic Ocean, which everyone has been talking about since we started in Amsterdam.

There are a few things that have changed since the Biscay that might be very interesting for you to know.

Something that we all instantly noticed is that the swell here is way calmer than in the Bay of Biscay, which is very good because now there is no need to worry about seasickness anymore (although most of us already got used to it).

Furthermore, while you are all halfway through the winter, relaxing on your couch and the temperatures being rather cold outside, we are slowly starting to sweat. The sun is shining bright every day and it keeps getting hotter and hotter inside the Pelican as well as on deck.

I remember sitting outside on the poop-deck during a night watch freezing although I had my “Musto” clothes on. Now the weather has changed, and we can enjoy the watches only wearing shirts during the night. But if you prefer to get a sunburn and have marks of your harness on the body (as some of us have already experienced) you can also go shirtless at daytime.

Another difference to the Biscay is the amounts of animals that we can see. Just yesterday we saw another group of ten dolphins under the bow and of course our blind passengers which I’ve already talked about earlier. Another example are the flying fish that keep accidentally landing on the well deck.

Challenges in the Galley

As I am writing this report the next day on the Pelican has already begun and just like two other times a month, I have galley duty. As I’ve already mentioned the temperatures keep rising in the last few weeks and therefore in the galley where we bake and cook it feels like in a sauna.

While doing the dishes and preparing meals it gets even more exhausting at this heat. Nevertheless, we also have our breaks in the afternoon, usually from 1pm until 5 pm, when school takes place. Of course, the galley team doesn’t have to attend those lessons but if we want to, we can. For me it’s always a hard decision because on one hand I always want to learn new things and increase my knowledge but on the other hand I also want some free time.

Something that really lightens the mood at these times is that in the recent galley duties after we’ve restocked a lot of food for the crossing, we are allowed to decide the desserts that we prepare on our own.

So often you will see cookies, brownies or cinnamon rolls which all are very popular here. Usually, they are then given out by the galley team after dinner or the Pathway presentation if there is one.

Personally, I think it is a nice distraction from the long watches to do some physical work in the galley and it´s always a good feeling to see the meals that you have helped to cook.

Greetings:

Lennox: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Oma Christine!

Fynn: Hey ihr Lieben ich vermisse euch sehr ich freue mich schon auf das Telefonieren mit euch und dir Papa wünsche ich den wunderschönsten Geburtstag. Euer Fynn!

Annbritt: Ich Grüße meine Familie. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag an meine Schwester.

Anton: Schöne und sonnige Grüße vom Atlantik an Wolfgang, Ingrid und Angela.

Benjamin: Grüße an Papa, Mama und Maximilian.
Ps: Der Adventskalender ist echt cool.