Are we done? - Ocean College

Ship: Johnny
Date: 28.10.2025
Position: Isle of Wight
Geographical Position: 50°30.4’ N, 002°13’ E (17:00)
Etmal: 80 M
Total: 399 M

Today was a great day!

Nearly everyone woke up with lots of sunshine and a blue sky without clouds. The watch from 02:00 to 05:00 decided to sail along the coast of England, because in front of Great Britain we got protected from the sea.

Because of this decision, we were able to recover faster and the last people with seasickness finally showed up on deck.

After lunch we took down our Klüver (the sail which is in front of the Johann Smidt) to be prepared to put on the storm Klüver (this one is smaller, which means it gives less attacking space for the wind), so that, if everything goes as planned, we’re finally going to set sails by tomorrow.

In the last two days the weather was amazing. And with that we started the tradition to lie down on the Achterdeck to enjoy the sun. Today Sören had the nice idea to make some sport and everyone who was lying on the floor did some push-ups and pull-ups.

Like always, we have to do at least two watches per day. But what are we doing in our three to four hours while we take care of the ship?

To understand, we have to start from the beginning: every watch has a mate (Steuermann) who is directing us into five different positions.

First position: steering (steuern)

We have to try to stay on the right course so we can stop in Vigo soon.

Second position: lookout (Ausguck)

For the lookout you need two people, one on the starboard lookout and one on the portside lookout. You have to look at the sea so we can react in time if you spot some dangerous stuff or other ships. If so, you have to inform the mate immediately.

Documenting the weather and the position:

One person has to check every half hour our position and the weather and write it in the Brückenkladde. Additionally, the person has to mark our position on the map so we can reconstruct the route at a later time.

Flötentörn:

In theory you have a break when you are on Flötentörn, because you have the job to stay on the bridge and listen to VHF calls (Funksprüche) to inform the mate if necessary.

But the best event today was our apple crumble cake. The cake wasn’t just super delicious, but it was also baked by the people who spent the last days seasick in the mess or in bed. That was a great sign of recovery and raised the hope that tomorrow the seasickness will find an end.

Greetings:

Mats: Lieben Gruß an meine Familie, Lina ist glaub‘ ich wirklich meine Schwester🙃

Ellena: Seekrankheit hat bei mir heftig zugeschlagen und ich war bis Montag oder Dienstag komplett ausgeknockt, mittlerweile bin ich wieder auf den Beinen. Hoffe, euch gehts besser, hab euch lieb.

Helene: Die Seekrankheit hat bei mir zum Glück nicht so dolle zugeschlagen. Ich vermisse euch alle sehr und das Wichtigste natürlich: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Ellaaaa🥰, hab‘ euch lieb.

Sophie: An meine Familie, hab‘ euch lieb, ich bin nicht tot, war nur seekrank. Aber auch gute Neuigkeiten, ich bin Kotskonigin:) Recordhalter mit 38 haha so lustig.
Aan Madelon nog een fijne verjaardag, sorry dat het zo laat is. Ik was een beetje heel erg bezig met overgeven… Maar goed nieuws, ik heb het record met 38 keer:)

Anne: Hey Leute, die erste Runde Seekrankheit habe ich überlebt, die ersten zwei Tage waren echt scheiße, also echt nicht vergleichbar mit irgendwelchen Erkältungen, aber hey, so langsam kann ich wieder unter Deck leben, endlich wieder essen, ohne zu kotzen auf das Klo gehen und meine Sachen unter den Bergen von Zeug, was auf den Boden geflogen ist, mein eigenes wiederfinden. Abgesehen davon, dass ich langsam echt mit Schlafmangel zu kämpfen habe und das Gefühl habe, dass mein Leben nur noch aus Wache besteht, ist es echt gut, aber das Wetter war echt schön, toller Sternenhimmel, tolle Menschen bei der Wache!
Ich habe euch ganz doll lieb, macht euch keine Sorgen um mich!