LN894 09/03/2016

You sleepy sailors,

Wake up, wake up,

it’s the start of your working day.

There’s bunkering, stowage and training

then we’ll soon be on our way.

Our first full day on board Nellie revolved around breakfast, intro talks on the management of the ship, bunkering the fuel tanks, then the long hard job of stowing the stores.

There seems to be a huge amounts of milk and juices to hide away, together with meat and huge red snapper fish. The veg store is just overflowing with greenery and  yoghurts. The bar is being stocked with all the usual sinning bottles of wine and soft drinks.

More importantly, the crew seem to be bedding in well. We’ve got 4 Bo’sun’s mates on board, and a good number of cadets as well and a supernumerary cook too. The voyage crew are currently either having their helming talk, or learning how to climb the mast.

We’ll have one last night ashore until we reach the Azores, some seven days sailing away.

Has usual, Nellie’s got that snug and comfortable feel about her. Some old friendships have been reawakened, and others are being made.

There are a couple of Cape Horners and Antarctic crewmates here too. Can it really be two years since we left the ship after such epic voyaging?

Writing the first blog is always challenging. Far too early to have any adventures or tell of amazing sights and night sky’s; that all comes later, and to be told by other watches and voyage crew.

But for now, we’re ready for a last run ashore, and a departure tomorrow morning at 0930 signaling the end of Nellie’s winter season in the Canaries, and a welcoming homecoming to Blighty at the end of March.

Aft Port Watch