Unexpected visit to Lisbon

Date: 16th of November 2023
Position: Lisbon
Geographical position: 38°40,9 N 009° 12,9 W
Etmal: 87
Total: 1141sm
Ship: Pelican of London

Unexpected change of plans

After the third day at sea (without going back to Vigo), one of the generators went off. That was the message which Ben gave us last evening where all the students sat excitedly waiting for our plan. His plan was to go to Lisbon because it is the next big city near us. The plan is that we sail to Lisbon and there is someone who repairs our generator. Ben won’t risk driving to Tenerife with only one working generator. Shortly before Lisbon, the second generator went off as well so it was a good decision.

Arrival in Lisbon

In the morning, everyone is ready for the arrival. There are some teams for the Muring Lines at port and starboard side. The rib was going into the water with Luise and Gonzo and a “Pilot” came on our ship. He helped us bring us safely to the dock.

Free Shore Leave

After we finished all the things we needed to do for the arrival, we had some time to explore Lisbon. These times are named “free shore leave”. The important thing about it is that we are in groups of three people, which we need to write down on the Whiteboard because the teachers want to know where we are and in which groups. Everyone has a blue band on their arms, with the number of the project leader mobilephone. After that, the time started. Some of us went to Belém and LX Factory, that’s a little art quarter of Lisbon. Most of us ate some specialties of Lisbon: Pastel de Nata, which are little cakes with vanilla pudding and puff pastry. And we bought lots of postcards.

Interview with Gonzo, second Officer

What’s your name?

Gonzalo Jesus Mendez Blasco

Where do you come from?

Argentina

Since when have you been on the Pelican?

June 2022

What’s your job on the ship?

Second officer. I am the navigator and plan all the routes. I also take care of the charts and the communication in case there is an emergency on board. That means I help with safety and warnings. Even before actual emergencies, I plot our route, look at the forecast and look at other things that could affect our route.

What do you like the most about your job?

Sailing and just being on the wide-open sea.

What inspired you to do this job?

I worked 15 years as a diving instructor but that isn’t a job that you can do your whole life. I like the sea, the creatures and that’s basically what I do for retirement.

Greetings:

P.S.: Hallo alle zuhause. Ich hoffe, es geht euch gut. Ich hab‘ euch alle lieb und vermiss‘ euch. Jacob, ich weiß, es ist noch nen bisschen früh, aber ich wünsche Dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag. Feier‘ schön. Ich ruf‘ Dich in Teneriffa an und wünsch Dir alles Gute. Und J❤️, ich hoffe, Dein Geburtstag war schön. Ich hätte ihn gerne mit dir verbracht, aber ich hoffe, mein Brief hat Dich erreicht. Ich hab‘ dich lieb. – Charlotte

P.P.S.: Lieber kleiner, großer Bruder, ich wünsche Dir alles, alles Gute und Liebe zum Geburtstag!! Ich hoffe, Du lernst es langsam zu genießen, dass Du mal alle Aufmerksamkeit alleine bekommst:) Hab‘ dich ganz doll lieb und vermiss‘ dich. –Paulina