Date: 06.02.2021
Author: Hannes
Position: Atlantic Ocean
Nautical Position: 19°07,5 N 082°31.3W
Etmal: 179 (8931 insgesamt)

My first day as a Watchleader

Yesterday in my watch Captain Ben told us that Clara (our normal watchleader) is going to be learn about the role of the officer of the watch for the first time.

Because of that, one of the students needs to do the watchleader role. Then Clara asked us, who wanted to do it. I said I want to, because I thought it would be exciting to see what the watchleaders do the whole time.

In the beginning I thought being a watchleadder is an easy job, but it´s not. Basically you just have to organize who is doing the lookouts, who is going on the helm and who is doing Logbook or MedOps (Weather Observation).

But if the whole watch is tired and does not want to do anything but going to bed everything is getting harder.

The biggest problem is that I am in a four persons watch (we are one person short) so I still had to go on the helm and do Logbook even though I wasn’t allowed to take a break, because that is the rule for that on the Pelican. In total I don’t like the watchleaders job and I personally wouldn’t want to be one the whole time. But I still think it was cool to try it out once.

Other persons opinions on the new experience of being a watchleader or having a student as a watchleader:

Marie: (I was her watchleader)

She thinks it was weird to ask me if she is allowed to go to the toilet and it was just unusual to get instructed by me.

Janek: (He was watchleader too)

In the beginning it was shit because he had to command the handling of the Mizzen trysail and then he had to set the Spanker and he didn´t know how to do it exactly. After that it was ok, he thinks.

Casper: (I was his watchleader)

He thinks I did well but it was weird to get commanded by another student.

Marta M. (she was watchleader too)

She really enjoyed it and she would do it for the whole time as well.

Paul: (He had Janek as a watchleader)

It was a bit funny and interesting to have other students as watchleaders.

Greetings to my family, I love you and I miss you. (not too much 🙂 )