A privilege

26 april 2014

Update by Bram:
“What a privilege to spend two weeks on the ‘Oosterschelde’. Soon this ship will sail into her home port, Rotterdam. For 18 months this beautiful schooner has sailed around the world. We only sailed her to Rotterdam, a two week journey. On the ‘Oosterschelde’ there are many opportunities to learn about navigation. When we are on watch, the crew teaches us whatever we want to know about the ship, the rigging or navigation.
Especially on dogwatch it is great to observe the stars and planets or locate fishing and cargo ships in the vicinity. We are blessed to have fellow traveler Maarten on board who is very knowlegable about the heavens. Raising and lowering the sails always brings a sense of excitement and a flurry of activity. We also enjoy wonderful talks with captain, crew members and guests. The meals are everyday a surprise and very delicious. Another thing we really enjoy is the variety of books on board. There are novels, nature books, picture books about cities and countries, many nautical books, books about stars, animals, sea life, rope and sails, knots and splicing, carpentry and history. I was especially delighted to be shown the engine room, all very clean and well organized.
Yesterday we enjoyed a presentation by Bruce about Malta, his home base. It was interesting and surprising to hear about Malta’s history. It makes us want to visit there and see the temple ruins for ourselves.
We wish the ‘Oosterschelde’ many years of sailing, so that she may be a blessing to many people.”