Datum: 16th of March 2022
Author: Dana
Position: Horta, North Atlantic
Geographische position: 38∞32.3´N 028∞35.8´W
Etmal: 0nm (gesamt: 12935nm)

This daily report is going to be about 36 hours, instead of 24, because I want to talk about what it is like to be back on board after a few weeks off. First of all it’s great to be back and to see all the people again. Second, it’s exciting to hear about all the adventures the others have experienced. My first adventure on board was getting my clothes out of the bilge, which is the worst place for clothes to be in on the ship, because they’re likely to get moldy, but I was lucky and they didn’t even smell. I used the morning to climb up the mast again because I hadn’t climbed for a long time and usually you’d have to do a climbing training. Then a few hours later on the shoreleave, I discovered the Ice Factory with the best ice cream in the world. But that’s just a side information, the main topic is getting back into the daily routine on board and finding out how much I still know and how much I have to relearn. So I helped moving the ship to the fuel dock in the afternoon, which was kind of stressful.

On the fuel dock the ship was moving even more than on the Jetti, which lead to another Mooring line parting two minutes after we’d made it fast. Before we departed we had to say goodbye to Justus and since then we’ve been wondering what he’s up to. (Greetings to Justus at this point). When departing we tried to get all the lines on board at the same time, so the last ones wouldn’t part as well. Then I was on whatch and was happy to still know how helming works. In general I didn’t forget that much in five weeks and it’s interesting how fast you can get back into a routine you were in for a long time. The others sometimes forget I wasn’t there for the second Transatlantic and talk to me about things I have no clue about, and just remember by me looking at them in a strange way. That pretty much sums it up what it’s like being back in the group: It’s like I was never away and it’s great to know that. At the moment I’m in a watch that has watch from 0400-0800 every twelve hours and already experienced the typical things for these watch times: In the evening eating dinner during watch and seeing the most dolphins. And in the morning this special state of mind when the sun rises and you know you’ll go to bed soon and those strange thoughts you get at that time. For me my brain always makes up single poem lines that slowly begin to make sence but never form a real poem.

The sea is unchanged
but never the same;
untamed but beautiful and free.
White horses chasing each other,
Being ripped off by the next waves,
leaving white spotts on the black water.
And with every wave,
a sailor holds on tighter to his helm,
trying to not lose his stand
waiting for the compass to swing back
to show his way.

Obviously that was whilst standing on the helm.

P.S.: Wir freuen uns alle sehr, dass Dana wieder zurück ist!!! Welcome Back!!!