Ocean stories from the Eendracht

Dieuwke de Jong is a photographer and lawyer. She sailed on the Eendracht as a photographer, about which she made several stories for the site of Zeilhelden. This time a portrait of first mate Hiranya.

Name: Hiranya
Position: First mate
Age: 25
How long with the Eendracht: 1.5 years

“Ever since I was very young I have been sailing. My father is a big water sports fan and taught me. As a child, I also joined the water scouts. There I sailed every week. When I was about 11 years old I joined water scouting and when I got older I sailed a lot with friends. So my love for water was brought to me at an early age. The water gives me both peace and adventure. I think the best moment on a sailing yacht is when you have hoisted the sails and the engine can be turned off and the noise fades away. That you only have the elements, nature. That you are looking ahead at what the wind is going to do and at the same time are in the moment. Sailing worldwide takes me to all sorts of places, so I see a lot of the world. It’s my job, but it also feels like a kind of very active holiday and I enjoy that immensely.”

Exciting

“The most exciting thing I experienced on the water was not even on the Eendracht, but with friends on the IJsselmeer. We anchored for a swim and I saw on the GPS that the anchor was scratching a bit, but not so much that it worried me. We entered the water. Then I saw the ship drifting away faster and faster. So the anchor started scratching a lot more, and that while we were in the middle of the IJsselmeer, miles away from anything. There were still some people on board, but they were inexperienced and some of them were even along for the first time. Those had no idea what to do. I had to choose quickly: do I still make it to swim to the ship or stay with the people here in the water. I chose the latter and had to shout instructions from the water to the people on board. It turned out all right, fortunately, but that was quite a scare.”

Tallship race

“I sailed with the Eendracht from Norway to the Shetland Islands during the Tall Ship Races. That’s when 6,000 sailors come in on an island of 12,000 inhabitants. That is quite enormous! That whole island is then dedicated to the race. Parades were arranged with Vikings and a ship was set on fire with torches. Normally that is a tradition that only happens in winter, but especially for us they did it in summer, and much bigger. That was one of my most special experiences with the Eendracht!”

Connection

“Every voyage there is a new crew and there are new embarkees. So you meet a great diversity of people. From children to pensioners. You see people who would not easily find each other in everyday life here side by side. Everyone wants the same thing here and comes to sail. That connects.”

Source: Dieuwke de Jong on the site of  Zeilhelden
Images: Dieuwke de Jong

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