Rigs, Staysails and brass polishing

As we mustered we could see the lights from multiple rigs in the distance. This was the Ekofisk oil field. One of the largest in the North Sea. The main sails were furled and the engine speed increased due to changing wind direction, an oncoming storm and the need to keep a precise course to avoid rig safety zones.
Our main task involved stowing the staysails. These are sails on the stays, cables that hold the masts in place.
I held and gave out slack from the sheet for the main topmast staysail. Once the sail was down, a group of us climbed onto the galley roof to fold the sail into itself. We used the seam as a mark of the 'bag' to pack the sail up into.
We also went over some additional knots but it was difficult because we were tired.

The second watch involved cleaning the engine cover. It started nice and dry, even a peerie bit warm. But it barely lasted half an hour. For the next hour I was on helm watch. We had to keep to a course of 275°. I had a really interesting conversation with Nico. He explained the vision behind and preparations carried out for the OneOcean expedition. He had a few Holiday recommendations too. Recommending visits to New York and Austin; Cape Town, Mauritius, and Fiji.

In 2025 Statsraad lehmkuhl will be sailing the Northwest passage!
Nico's also been to Shetland 14 times.

The Statsraad is usually chartered by the naval academy then sails to Shetland, followed by fjord cruising, tall ships then back to fjords, Shetland and then dry dock.

Nico also mentioned watching the Shetland crime drama. And about wishing to watch Oppenheimer in Imax.

After Helm watch we had another round of 'rope safari' to test our knowledge.

After coffee I volunteered to do some brass polishing. All we had to do was polish the door thresholds at the entrance to the crew quarters. I worked until I could see my face in it.

Finally, we were given a talk about sailors' tattoos. Each one is linked to mileage and notable journeys such as rounding Cape horn.Read more