Date: 9th April 2023
Authors: Manuel, Marie, Nate
Position: Amsterdam
Nautical Position: 52°28.282’N 004°40.026‘E
Etmal: 14064 NM
Ship: Pelican of London

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome!

One last time we will be sharing every second of our day with you in form of this magnificent daily report. All good things must come to an end and thou sometimes we felt like shit it has come to an end which implies that it was indeed good. Lol.

We had a wonderful time aboard the Pelican and it will stick with us forever like the tar on our skin. It has shaped us and changed us into people our parents don’t know yet. It will be interesting to discover how we will readapt to our lives back at home. Many things that we used to hate we now love – like the soothing swell when falling asleep or the constant presence of people. We have shifted our perspectives in countless ways and we don’t even know it yet. It will become apparent with time – I’m sure we will be reliving the voyage many times in our minds with photos, memories and music.

For now, let’s look at the bright future ahead. We can finally embrace our families again, spend time with old friends and devour the food we longed for for the past months. We will take our phones for granted again, not question stable ground and become less conscious about toilet paper use :D.

Heute ist der 9. April, für die meisten Menschen ein „normaler“ Ostersonntag doch für uns ändert sich heute eine ganze Welt. Die letzten sechs Monate verbrachten wir alle gemeinsam auf dem Traditionssegler Pelican of London. Von Dartmouth bis Costa Rica auf dem Nordatlantik oder der Karibik erlebten wir ein Auf und Ab in den Wellen der Meere, aber auch unsere Emotionen waren sehr stürmisch. Besonders heute: Wir sind mit einer Träne im Auge aber zugleich mit einem Lächeln auf den Lippen aufgewacht.

The last week was a final challenging step, but all in all a great end. Like you read in the other daily-reports we had a lovely trip through the English Channel, nice climbing sessions into the beautiful sunset and shared many beautiful moments in the messroom. Even though the weather was arctic and we got some frozen hands stuck to cups, we had a lot of incredible moments. For the arrival in Amsterdam, we practiced our shanty singing on the yards. That day everybody felt soar after screaming at the top of our voices. Everyone knew that Ocean College would end today, but we will make the best out of it. We will fall in each other’s arms for the last time – so far.

W H A T W I L L Y O U M I S S A T H O M E:

… the people, shanties, climbing (Simon)
… limited showers, mold (Patrik)
… the freedom of the ocean, peace of the world (Hanna)
… friends and sailing (Nicolai)
… Leute und Watch (Paul)
… keine Schule (Lennox)
… das Segeln und die Gemeinschaft (Annbritt)
… das Gefühl des Windes in den Haaren und die Community (Manuel)
… den Wellengang lol (Marie)
… das gemeinsame Kuscheln und weinen auf den Night-Watches (Nate)
… gute Luft aka. hochprozentige air (Leander)
… den weiten Ausblick auf das Meer (Carlina)
… mit Freunden neue Städte und Kulturen erkunden (Benjamin)
… you guys (Anna)
… die Leute, das immer jemand da ist mit dem man reden kann (Britta)

Thank you for this amazing voyage!

We would like to thank our marvelous professional crew who always ensured our safe arrivals to the next destination and handled our crazy group from the beginning to the end :P.

Thanks to the teachers who played a very important part in our day-to-day life – be it on shore or at sea. They planned our programs, looked after us and most importantly provided good monologues as sleeping background noises :D. We hope they enjoy their time off in Amsterdam without the responsibility for our group. L<3ve you

Thanks to Johan, Franzi, Monika, Johanna and Helena from Ocean College who brought Ocean College 22/23 to life.

Last but not least we would like to say thanks to our AMAZING community! Evidently this experience wouldn’t have been possible without us. We made this voyage unforgettable and every moment magical.

Let the shantying begin

Greetings:

I would like to thank my family but first and foremost my dear mother, who brought me onto this earth. She gave me the gift of life and I shall be eternally grateful. She is the one I can thank for gracing me with the power to overcome the everlasting and omnipresent doom of seasickness.
Additionally, I would like to thank and greet my dear father who provided me with strength to persevere in these tough times.
Mostly of course, I would like to send all my appreciations to my little brother. He had the most important job in this dilemma for he provided the mental support and gave me motivation to keep on going. His undeniable cuteness can beat each and every doubt.