Date: 01.04.2021
Author: Elisa
Postion: Dartmouth, England
Etmal: 0 NM
My story with Ocean College begins almost exactly three years ago. Without knowing how much this journey was going to change my life, I applied and got in. I was totally thrown into cold water, as I have never been on a sailing boat before, but I fell in love immediately. Nothing could take that love from me. I dealt with seasickness, survived the enormous heat when the air con wouldn’t work and didn’t mind flying out of my bed during massive storms. When I came home my main goal was to go to sea again so I changed school and did two years in one to finish off sooner. It was a very hard, exhausting year but I didn’t have much time to relax afterwards.
Almost directly after getting my final degree I left to the Netherlands to join the Bark Europa during their maintenance period. It was extremely fun and I could expand my sailing knowledge that I gained on the Pelican. We did lots of rust busting, painting, exchanging sails, rope work, carpeting and general seamanship training.
All these skills that I gained during my six weeks on board the Europa I can now use back here on board where I am again getting much more experienced every day.
Ocean College never lets you go! My biggest dream came true when I got the opportunity to join this years voyage in Costa Rica as a leader because due to Covid19, the students couldn’t go to individual host families and the teachers still needed to go on holidays. Every thing was still the same: Same, same, but different! At the beginning I was expecting to see my former crew when walking into the saloon and I was confused that someone else sleeps in „my“ old bunk. So many memories came back and I often had to giggle, when seeing that this years students behave exactly how we did two years ago.
I tried to compare the two voyages and I am often being asked how it was during my voyage. But comparing doesn’t work. Every Ocean College is unique and every student/watchleader and every voyage makes their own unforgettable memories that only they share and only they can understand.
Now after the big arrival in Emden I will head to Rostock to do my Basic Safety Training, so I can get my AB able seaman certificate that I need to work as a deckhand on all tall ships. Hopefully I can continue working on a tall ship in September. I have already a work offer from the Europa and I will also apply to work on the Tres Hombres (https://www.treshombres.at), the wooden barquentine we met in Horta.
All these dreams and goals only exist because of Ocean College. Ocean College opened the doors for me. Who knows what I would be up to now if I wouldn’t have joined Ocean College. But I am certain that it wouldn’t be as fulfilling as my live at sea!
