Our working day starts twice - depending on the watch, at 0 and 12 a.m., at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. or four hours later at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Around the clock, a shipmate is at the helm and the officer on watch looks after the navigation. There is hardly ever any traffic (and crossing less than 2km away is considered too close), but course calculation, weather forecast and sailing trim require constant attention. In addition, the safety equipment has to be maintained, the logbook needs to be kept and the hundreds of lights and alarms need a watchful eye. If the weather turns despite our “barefoot route”, we have to be quick: we close all the hatches as fast as we can, dismantle the ventilation of the foc’s’l, turn the goosenecks and when the going gets tough, at least the helmswoman puts on rainproof oilskin. Most of the time, however, we have been busy with sun protection lately, and of course, as always, with measuring the temperature of the air and water, as well as lubricating the propeller shaft every 2 hours.
During the day we also have a variety of additional tasks: setting the topsails in the morning and striking them again in the evening, washing up and helping in the kitchen, scrubbing away sunscreen. Painting, caring for the wood, beating rust, tarring shrouds and a thousand other ways to lend a hand to the boatswain. Greasing nipples, disassembling toilets, unclogging them, repairing them, praying that they work…
Fortunately, besides all this, there is usually time for a chat or some fancywork, the atmosphere is relaxed and every now and then a roar of laughter rolls over the deck.
At night, live gets quieter. Sailing manoeuvres take place in the moonlight - the basic rule is: “No light on deck! - and are limited to the bare minimum to avoid risks and to protect the sleep of our fellows off duty. Our main tasks are the respective cleaning duties - galley and aft, foc’s’l or toilets - as well as fruit and vegetable control. How diverse our Provision Store has become since Tenerife! Avocados scrimmage here alongside mangoes, citrus fruits and different varieties of passion fruit. Non-Cavendian bananas lie next to apples and pears. Pineapples and papayas, as well as a melon or two, are of course not to be missed. Besides boxes of peppers, onions and potatoes (257 small and 142 large), beetroot, cucumbers, leeks, tomatoes, garlic, pumpkin, cabbage and other familiar vegetables from the garden, there are also some more exotic vegetables whose names I don’t yet know. Delicious and always amazing how long many things last despite the hot and humid climate! Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether the hard orange something or the green spiky skin that you turn in your hands is ripe, gone or not yet ready….
At the end of the morning watch - after a usually spectacular sunrise - we give our ingenious cook Lara a hand. Chopping fruit salad, making coffee, tea and porridge, as well as eggs in all variations on Sunday and Sailors Sunday (Thursday).
In the harbour, the whole thing looks quite different again: here we have to work where we are allowed to move things ourselves - depending on the union and contract, so-called stevedores, dock workers, are responsible for handling the cargo and we are not allowed to lend a hand too early for insurance reasons. We stow the rum barrels and coffee sacks, secure them with straps and build crates to ensure the smoothest possible logistics. Not every barrel that is already loaded sails all the way to Hamburg, and what ends up on top has to be repacked several times in the worst case. You can also imagine what a light cardboard box with coffee would look like if a 70kg bag of cocoa or even a barrel with 230 litres of high-percentage alcohol were packed on top of it without a second thought… a real game of Tetris in sometimes already somewhat cramped conditions. It is also important to keep an overview of the load, which is why we usually have two tally(wo)men at work. And of course there are photos to be taken and lots of little things to do. Getting sim cards, provisioning, ship washing, repairs and maintenance. With a bit of luck, there is still enough time for a short stroll in town, a trip to the beach or even some free days with snorkelling trips and shore excursions.
