Daily life on board

In daily life on board, there is a difference: we are either in port or at sea. When we are on the water, there are different watch shifts that we conduct. There are three watch shifts; the Alpha Watch is always on duty from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM and from 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM, the Bravo Watch is always on duty from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM and from 1:00 AM – 5:00 AM, and the Charlie Watch is always on duty from 5:00 AM – 9:00 AM and from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM. I am in the Bravo Watch, which means I have the afternoon and night shift. During the watches, we have to steer the ship ourselves, check the engine room every fifteen to thirty minutes, and write in the logbook. Writing in the logbook means recording the weather conditions and entering the current coordinates on the map. After my night watch, I always go straight to bed and usually sleep until 11 AM, and after dinner, I usually go straight to sleep again to get another 2-3 hours of rest until 1 AM. Since I basically go from watch to eating to bed and then to the next watch, I don't have much time with the others from the Alpha and Charlie Watches. That’s why I prefer daily life in port! We usually get up around 8:30 AM, and breakfast is at 9:00 AM. After that, the daily program usually starts. Around 1 PM, there is usually lunch, and afterwards, we usually do something that involves moving around. Around 7:00 PM, there is usually dinner, and afterwards everyone sits together to play games or just chat. I find the days in port significantly better because in the evening, we all do something together and grow closer together.

I also find it quite amazing to see how well we all get along and that after just one week, we are already so familiar with each other, as if we’ve known each other for ages!

If you have any questions, if something is unclear, or if you have feedback for me on what I can improve or what I should write about, feel free to write to me.

See you soon!