Underway with Eendracht: into the Storm
Lawyer Dieuwke de Jong sailed as a photographer on the Eendracht, during the Atlantic crossing from Jamaica to the Azores. She shares her experiences in diary excerpts and images on the Zeilhelden website.
6 March – evening
So. There it was, that storm I wanted so badly. During lunch, the wind picked up more and more. The ship bounces on the sea because of the waves and cups fly off the tables; glass, tea and water everywhere. From now on, you can only drink if you don’t let go of the cup. After lunch, it starts raining. Torrential rain it is. Harder and harder it pours, the wind keeps picking up.
There is a tense atmosphere on the bridge. The forecast predicted a strong wind, but not that it would be this strong. So there is still too much sail, about 5 or 6 sails. I quickly shoot some pictures of the waves crashing on the ship and feel the action coming, so I stow my camera, put on a life jacket and harness and report to the outer bridge. At gusts, we have 60 knots of wind. That’s about wind force 12! A hurricane force. Bizarre.
The staysail starts to tear and has to come down. There we go, on the foredeck, as we fly méters up on the waves and then fall back down to just above the ocean. Surprisingly smoothly, the torn sail comes down, and then we lower the mizzen and outer jib. We go like a well-oiled machine. This is SO enjoyable. I am soaked, by seawater and rain, while my heart is pounding in my body and the grin cannot be wiped from my face.
By now I am in bed, it will be around 9pm. Walking and standing have become complicated and my legs are black and blue. Sleep is also difficult, and in three hours I will be woken up for the next watch. My roommate Valerie says today was her favourite day so far, and I couldn’t agree with her more!
8 March
60 eggs have fallen. A board on the bridge came loose and blew away. Packs of orange juice broke open in the pantry. Cups broke. A tarpaulin was torn. Bruises appeared, as did lack of sleep. And today ….. the sun shines, the torn sail has been repaired and we sail as if on a beautiful summer’s day, leaving Bermuda behind. How quickly reality can change. I stare across the water as I write.
Today a quote hangs in the dayroom: ‘water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.’ Well, say that! We have been on the road for about a week and a half and the endlessness of the water is beginning to be felt. This water is relentless; if one of us had gone overboard during the storm, it would have been very difficult to find him or her again. Fortunately, everyone takes good care of themselves and each other. We are still swaying considerably from the storm and the bench on the gangway where I am sitting now is quite slanted, I have to hold on tightly every now and then to avoid sliding off. In front of me, I see dark clouds and rain. To my right, behind the ship, sunbeams coming through the clouds and drawing stripes through the sky. This moment, now, I am never going to experience again. I resolve to take it fully in.
11 March
My sense of time has been gone for days. I have bags under my eyes, am black and blue and tired and enjoying being on board. Since the storm, the wind continues to be quite strong and the waves are building. I watch sunrises out of the corner of my eye, pulling on lines and singing along to music as I stand behind the helm. Then I switch roles again and start photographing and interviewing. I continue to struggle a bit with combining both my roles but I’ve found my niche now, like the rest. Most people have now landed and are finding each other.
It is a small society, an island in the middle of the ocean, where we make our own rules, including what time it is. We sail through several time zones, and last night the clock moved forward another hour, by 20 minutes at a time. This afternoon a ship sailed by, quite close still. Funny how excited and surprised you can be by signs of other life than exists here, aboard this ship. Nothing has been around us for so long. Even the skies are empty and birdless. Dolphins we did see! Funnily enough, I don’t even have that much to say. I am just working, eating and sleeping and existing, constantly seeking a balance between photographing and sailing, observing and participating.
12 March
It’s storming again. Or well, windy. About 35 knots, Beaufort 8. Sleeping remains difficult, although now, on the wind, it’s better than on a rolling ship. Together with Valerie, I get extra bedding so we can swaddle ourselves with pillows and blankets on both sides, which act as airbags. This is kind of necessary when trying to sleep in a place that most resembles some kind of amusement park ride, including the jitters you feel in your stomach when the ship takes a hit on the waves. At first the days flew, now it feels different. Nine more days we have to go. That’s quite a lot with continuous heavy weather, because it eats up energy! At the same time, it is also very special and I enjoy standing behind the helm while the rain lashes my sailing suit and it is not always clear whether it is rain or spray until I open my mouth: sweet or salty? Today was also really enjoyable. Waiting turns, trying not to fall while serving dinner, singing loudly while cleaning the kitchen. Delicious!
13 March
In the 4-8 watch this morning, we sailed into the eye of the storm. Very special: suddenly the weather is nice, with even a watery sun and blue skies. All around us we see rain in the distance and a few hours later we are back in the middle of it. 64 knots of wind have already been measured. Hurricane strength again. At gusts only though, on average it’s more like 45 knots, wind force 9, but still. The storm will continue for some time. Fun, wonderful, exhausting, amazing, I find it to be all at once. My body is sore and I feel happy. The ocean shows us all its faces and they are hugely diverse, whimsical and bloody beautiful. There is no other place I want to be right now.
We publish Dieuwke’s experiences in successive reports.
Source: Zeilhelden (look especially for more photos of Dieuwke).
Image: Dieuwke de Jong.
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