I arrived very nervous on Monday 25th June to sail on the Lord Nelson which is currently berthed in Sir John Rogersons Quay in the heart of Dublin City Centre. I had never sailed on a tall ship before. However I need not have worried as I met by my watch leader David who started showing me around the ship which helped me relax and settle immediately. All forty people sat down for dinner and old friendships started to be reformed. The rookie crewmembers appeared to enjoy the chat and banter which continued after dinner in the ships bar. Several from our watch decided to try a local bar and several real pints of Guinness. It was than that I started to realise that the voyage would be very multi-cultural with members of the crew from England, Scotland and even Russia. Communication and interaction is going to be fun as no members of the crew appear to speak Russian.
I was woken up the next morning around 7.30 and my Buddy for the week was on mess duty so she dressed in double quick time and went down to help in the kitchen and dining areas of the ship. After breakfast which was full English we had health and safety training. This was very comprehensive where you were shown how to put on life jackets, how to evacuate the ship in the case of an emergency. How to use safety equipment like harness which is used when going aloft to pull in and out the sails. I watched very jealously from down below as I required an assisted climb. My watch leader stated that this would happen during the week and I can not wait with the excitement. However I had not much time to worry as we were given instruction on how to use the ropes effectively. This was good fun but posed a real challenge- how to pull rope and keep balance at the same time!
However my Buddy and Watch leader had endless patientce and a real sense of fun which really helped. This evening I am on mess duty which will bring its own sense of fun and challenge I am sure. Roll on tomorrow.
Cathy