Actually I don't know what to do with this page. It was not ment to be but this journal takes lots of hits on the net. More than the advertising pages. I gues I let them on the site...


This small journal is ment to be a souvenir and a reminder of the fantastic sailing trip we made from Portsmouth Harbour(GB) to Waterford (IE) on the Dutch brigantine Swan fan Makkum.
I promised the other passengers on the ship I put this journal on the net in English but I want to remind them that I'm not James Joyce or Samuel Beckett and my native language is Flemish. But I'll give it a try...

Day 1: Sunday 03.07.05
I wake up at 4.00h. in the morning. I'm tired from last weeks heavy work but I don't actually feel it.
Too excited...I call the rest of my family up and at 5.15h. we leave Sint-Laureins. My dad takes us to the train station in Aalter where we start our journey.
We can travel from Aalter to Portsmouth completely by train (under Channel); en route we watch the Spiderman movie on dvd.
Approximately at 13.00h. we arrive at Portsmouth Harbour:
I think it's the 5th time I'm here and it still feels great. This is paradise for old ship-lovers like me. I could be here for a week and not be bored at all. Lucky my wife feels the same.
Vessels like The Victory, The Warrior, the Mary Rose, naval musea and a salty see-smell in the air... what more does a man want.

After a good walk we arrive at the Swan Fan Makkum where Willem the captain gives us a warm welcome. The Swan is chartered by a company BAE Systems until 18.00h. We leave our luggage on board and visit the harbour.
There are naval days here and therefor a lot of tall ships are present. British Navy is showing its muscles ...it's really spectacular: helicopters, speedboats, hovercrafts, explosions, etc…
We visit a lot of marine vessels and some old sailing ships.

In the evening Willem tells us we already have to leave the harbour at night 10.25h. sharp.
We're immediately feel at home in the presence of the crew members(captain included 14) and the international group of passengers (approx. 25) seems very friendly.
The kids are excited, they're running all over the ship. They have a cabin for their own and are argueing who's sleeping in the upper bed.
10.15h. it's dark but the port is very awake.
The tall ships are preparing to leave and salute the harbour with the ships whistles. This was a nice moment: high tones mixed with deep low tones. One of the nicest pieces of music I ever heard. Very noisy too! :-)

Day 2: Monday 04.07.05:

7.30h. awake after a deep sleep, through the round window we can see superb weather.
The kids have slept well too. After a shower we had breakfast in the roundhouse.
A part of the passengers aren't present ... in bed? Seasick?
The cook is doing a great job even for breakfast. With a mug of coffee in my hand I go visit the captain at the bridge. He's not optimistic: there is a southwest wind that will stand. We'll do motoring all day against the waves. No sails... We're along the Cornwall coast.
The weather is magnificent. Sun on a shiny see. I go regularly at the front of the ship to the bowsprite. It's impressive. The waves are 4 m high...they're like dunes. Under the bowsprite there is sometimes a gap where you can put a small house in...the next moment the bowsprite touches water.
From time to time water hits deck. Hilarity amongst the passengers and the Dutch crew.
I think if we knew that the ship would go like that we'd stayed home but we'll doing fine.

The colour of the see changes all the time...now it's beautifully green. As a designer I want to look for the colour in my Pantone-colourcard at the office. But I know I won't find it...
I'm downstairs for a moment when Elise calls: dolphins! Commotion at the ship and everybody at starboardside. A small group of dolphins is playing with the ship, jumping constantly out of the water. We even notice a baby dolphin 4-5 m from the starboardside. Even the captain is putting out his sleepy head (6 hours nightwatch) to take a look.
Strange I thought they would be grey or blue...but no: there black en thick. They stay a while with us.
Few weeks ago there was a small article in a Flemish newspaper: there were sharks seen on the coastline of Cornwall from 3.5 m. Well...Wrong! an English passenger tels me there are examples here of 10 m. length, called basketsharks. We step 10 m. out on deck and were impressed! We won't go for a swim. They tell us not to be afraid unless we look like plankton!
The ship stays bumping against the waves. Jurgens the South African stearman decides to put some sails on to make the ship more stabile. Just to avoid all of the passengers being seasick.
We had a bit of rain too.
19.00h. dinner served: again the cook did a splendid job! We eat in the dining room at the main deck inside.The plates need to be held tight and a glas on the table is unthinkable. But we enjoy it a lot. Taking your plate to the table is an adventure: you don't know if you arrive with the food at the plate. Haha!
Despite the weather we eat a lot! Elise and Dries are tired around 20.00h. and go to sleep.
They sleep immediately!
Strange what the see does with the human body. If somebody told me to sleep 24h. I would do it without problem. The captain told me it's because it tires the body to work on balance.
Heleen, my wife, goes to sleep early too, very tired. At the bridge I have a nice conversation with a German lady Edith. She is really fit and sharp for her age (73). She made a carrier in patents for farmaceutical companies.
Very interesting! This evening on see is cold. I like it! The tropical heat of few weeks ago is far away! Mugs of hot chocolate, hot coffee and an extra blanket on the bed...Yes! Yes! And all this during summer! Couldn't been better!

Day 3: Tuesday 05.07.05:

7.45h.: woken up by Heleen. Rough weather! We're heavily shaken in the sleeping cabins!
I don't take a shower, too heavy weather! When you're a few days at see you're a bit easier in these things!
Shipsbel rings in roundhouse at 8.00 h. Breakfast served! Dries and Elise are coming into our cabin asking if it is normal that the ship is doing what it does! ;-)
A quick pipi, jeans, fleece sweater and barefoot to breakfast!
We discuss the rough weather with strong coffee and ovenfresh bread! The german lady Edith enjoys it a lot. So do I ...but if I look around not everyone agree! I try to lower my enthousiasm.
The ship is bouncing in every direction! So far my family doesn't suffer seasickness.
(Knock on wood!) There are couples we haven't seen all voyage. There in their cabins all day! Must be terrible!
The shipscrew looks at the seasick people every 2 hours and tells them to drink!
Water is flooting from port to starboard through the roundhouse on main deck, through the doors!!!
Crew tells me it's normal! Ok! We start the day at the bridge...
This is the heart of the ship! There are always people and you here a lot of heavy stories.
You can discuss the maps and see the course on computer. Navigating these days is high tech!
It's raining and the deck is overwhelmed from time to time by waves! It's all fantastic!
Jurgens desides to put some square sails on. That means hands on deck and pulling on roops...
I must decide that I'm no big value with my 68kg! Fortunately there are a few heavy weight guys among crew and passengers like the very English Nick (always laughing and talking -especially about Nelsons victories!) who can do this easier! I don't argue with them...haha!
The ship is going more than 10 knots...and leans over a lot! I mean a lot! Gangboard on main deck takes water! But the Swan can have it all. A girl crew member stood in the middle on maindeck and was swept away against the sides. No injuries! The gods are with us!
The cook enters the bridge and asks if it is really necessary to have all these sails up!
He can't cook that way! The seats on main deck that are not sealed with lines are bouncing from one side to another!

We pass Lands' End at 9.00 h. We enter the Celtic sea! Life is strange at a tall sailing vessel. You take over the rythm from sea and ship! In my case that means that at 12.00 h. noon I feel like it's already day for 2 days...We're lucky with the other passengers: everybody is very polite and the atmosphere is good. We have quite a few nationalities aboard:
- Dutch
- English
- Scottish
- South African
- German
- Irish
- Flemish - Belgian (that's us!).
Childeren are tired from time to time. Sometimes during day they ask to go to sleep! Everybody talks English on board! Even conversating to the Dutch crew is mostly in English! Weather becomes beter. We have sun. Other passengers are sitting on poop talking or reading. The ship leans over a lot but bounces less compared to yesterday.

12.30h. The captain enters bridge with an enormously sleepy head. (nightwatches)
He said he tried hard to not cut of his nose during shaving!
Everything feels moist... I wonder how it comes that the digital instruments stay ok in that humidity!
Dries and Elise are seasick. We eat a meal on poop outside!
We think we're secure from waves but as we sit on the bench a large wave hits us. It felt like it didn't stop! Completely wet! Potato's floating on the plates. Hilarity...we enjoy it a lot!
14.00h. Heleen gets seasick too and goes to sleep! I think half of the passengers are a bit strange in stomach.
The ship feels like a family park attraction right now. Going up and down. Passengers are impressed but the crew finds it all normal They call it nice weather...
17.00h. Damned! I'm seasick! I go to bed and ignore the shipsbell calling for supper at
19.45H; I get better and see my family...I tell the captain that I missed supper.

Erik, a crew member, hears it and suggests to make a sandwich. It's a fact: the service aboard this ship is excellent! I realise the crew is accurate selected and well trained. They have a real team spirit too.
...we can learn from our Dutch neighbours! Even Willem the captain and Jurgens (let's say the 2th captain) are doing outstanding jobs! But I suspect the captain is a superb businessman too.
After supper some passengers go upstairs in the mast: level first platform! Not the whole 44 m high.
In harnas and accompagnied. They get applause from 15m lower. And they come down as heroes.
At deck we witnessed an magnificent sunset. Heleen, Dries and Elise go to sleep at 21.00h.
I stay at the bridge to hear some more heavy stories...
The watch during night (from 04.00h. to 8.00h.) which Heleen and I signed for was too optimistic. I signed out. Sorry! It was no problem, hands enough!
Instead I helped with sails untill 24.00 h.
We're already in the Irish sea. Far away I can see lights on the coast line.
Before I go to sleep I put life jackets at the side of the childrens beds so they can't roll out.
During night I wake up often to take measures not to roll out of bed.

Day 4: Wednesday 06.07.05:

7.45 I wake up. I decide to let my beard grow! For sure I'm not the only man doing this!
The weather is magnificent. We're sailing along the Irish coast. Splendid view.
Breakfast is taken on deck outside. Eggs with beacon and fresh fruit. I see Martin, an Englishman with roots in Eeklo - Flanders, Belgium for the first time this journey since we left Portsmouth. He seems ok! Commotion on the ship again. The dolphins now are different from the ones we saw earlier: blue and small and jumping out of water like their life depends on it. My digital camera is too slow to take pictures. The best result was a lot of water with a small fin above water. Up to digital reflex camera. First do some more jobs in the office!
We're arriving at Waterford bay and putting out ancre half a mile out of coast.
There are let's say 5-6 tall ships arriving too some miles away, some of them close to us.
At the bridge there is a funny discussion between Nick the English guy and an Irish man (Emmets father -I don't know his name (pity!))
Point of discussion: should they raise the English flag or the Irish flag! Jurgens tells them the Irish flag is not available on the ship yet!
Jurgens says they're going to clean up the ship...We joke about it but a bit later lots of crew members are working polishing cupper at bridge and on deck. (on a volontary base!) I escape by writing this journal.
The whole ship is covered with seasalt and needs cleening. Within an hour the ships looks clean and shines like it should take part on Waterford naval days. Many hands make light work...
Some small yachts are welcoming us and take pictures. On deck I practice "the Call" with my new whistle bought in Portsmouth. I succeed and Elise too. The call is a mark of respect to pipe the captain or special visitors on board, or for emphasising important orders.

A small fisherman boat comes sailing next to us. Two fishermen (type George Clooney but 5 levels rougher!) throws enormous Irish crabs on deck. Nice welcome gesture...
One of the crabs smashes on the balustrade and is lucky to fall into the water again.(with 2 paws less).
One (not moving) crab is 70 cm long!! It's picked up by Elise. She plays with it and shows it to everybody on board. 15 min. later she diagnoses the crab is alive and well!

We bring the crabs into the caboose(cook's house). The cook has nice plans with the 5 large and 30 small crabs! I wonder if Willem the captain will receive an invoice for that one... :-)
I tell the cook I want to take them home to draw them but he could'nt resist ... a few hours later
he tells us they're cooked and have become a nice soup for supper.
We go on motor into the Waterford bay and arrive at the quay under a lot of interest.
We're moring next to the American Eagle and the Russian Mir (Russian for 'peace').
The end of a fine sailing trip!

 

18.09.05:
Thanks for the many comments! See you again on one of the seven seas!

D&Family!

back to homepage