Normal everyday on-board vs. Karneval in Cologne

Ship: Johann Smidt
Date: 16.02.2026
Position: on the way to Bermuda
Nautical Position: 27°27,8’N 072°42,9’W
Etmal: 125 nm
Total: 8301 nm

Hello, or maybe rather Alaaf to everyone who reads this daily report. In this report, I will present our normal everyday life on a Monday on board in comparison to “Rosenmontag”, because maybe not everyone knows that in Cologne there has been a party and a great mood since Thursday.

But before I digress so much right at the beginning, I will tell you how the day here on board started for me. Namely directly with the 08:00 to 12:00 watch, because I decided that half an hour more sleep is more important than breakfast.

The watch itself was very relaxed, although we have more waves again. So everything is exhausting again, but it doesn’t matter, that’s a different topic.

While I was on watch, the other group had English lessons. The English lessons are pretty important for all of us because they prepare us for the application process for the jobs when taking over the ship.

Yes, you heard that right. Applications must be in English. That’s a whole new challenge, but I’m sure that Helena will prepare us well for it. Then there was the first physics lesson with Sören. So the attention was really demanded again, which is quite common when it comes to waves, but it has to be.

But now briefly back to my watch, because the bull was torn by our schooner sail right on the waking one. That’s not so safe at all, because the bull holds the boom and in the wind we just have, it is very important. However, the steersmen reacted very quickly and attached a new rope and thus stabilized the boom again.

But what would a morning at my home on “Rosenmontag” probably look like? I definitely couldn’t sleep in because I have to get ready and dress up for the carnival parade in my village where I’m going.

So in the morning I go to the starting point of the parade with a friend and wait with everyone else for it to start. Of course, accompanied by carnival music and sweets. When it starts, many children immediately await you with a smile on their faces and are happy about the sweets. So you’re on the road until the afternoon.

The afternoon on board looked a little different, of course. For me it started with a nap and for the school group with the self-learning time. After coffee and cake, sailing work still had to be done. At the Klüver again.

Maybe that’s just a feeling, but it feels like the Klüver is the sail that needs the most sailing work. We had to cut off the sail once and sew on new battens because some broke. This is a fiddly job, but it has to be done.

At the end we were even accompanied by a beautiful sunset. When we were done with it, I had to finish something for the biology lessons.

At that time, of course, I wouldn’t have done anything for school at home. After the end of the parade, I would have gone to the marquee in the village with my friends and probably half the village and would have enjoyed carnival until the end.

Here on board I have to stay awake until zero, but not because of a party, but because of my watch. But of course that is also important.

So we head straight for our destination Bermuda with course 055.

Greetings:

Helene: Heyy an alle zuhause. Ich wünschte, ich könnte mit euch Karneval feiern. Denkt dran, für mich mitzufeiern☺️ Habe euch alle ganz doll lieb.❤️

Nepomuk: Viele Grüße an meine Family! Wahrscheinlich seid ihr gerade Ski fahren! Genießt es. Ich denke an euch!