Buga: 18.10.2021
Yeah, there's a lot to do. Yesterday we removed the floor of the foxhole, or rather, we took it out. The foxhole is the place where the shipmates sleep, and I'm a shipmate. A heater is being installed there now. That's for January. It will be cold then. Well, after the pipes were laid, the floor had to be put back in. It's not okay without a floor. It was very exhausting to unscrew the plates between the stringers under the floor. I did all this with Sam, or rather, I was assigned to Sam. Sam is a deckhand, and he's only been one recently. Because he got promoted, a spot opened up for me. I like Sam.
All the rust is being scraped or cut off and the steel is being repainted.
Matthias, also a carpenter, is currently making a new bowsprit, which is for a front sail, a jib, and a spar on a ship that describes the lower leading edge of a sail. I have the utmost respect for the work he's doing there. Not sure if I would be able to do that. Planing a 4 meter long beam round and tapering it at the ends. Super exhausting.
Bele, a left-wing tick from the Harz region, is taking care of the engine. Intense person, worked on the Seawatch for quite some time. We were able to quickly chat about collectivism and Antifa.
The day is planned so that breakfast is from 8 to 9 in the galley. That's something like a dining kitchen, made of wood.
At 9 o'clock, everyone gathers at the stern, which is the back of the ship, or at the steering wheel. Tasks are then assigned there. Around 12 o'clock, sometimes an hour later, there's lunch, and depending on how long the chef takes, the workday ends with dinner, around 5 o'clock.
The chef, Vincente, is a pretty cool guy. Comes from somewhere in Spain, super friendly and likes to quote 'The Big Lebowski'. And what he cooks is super delicious. Today there were something like chickpea-vegetable patties with oven potatoes, some kind of stew, homemade sauces and salad. I have no idea, when I go to the galley to eat, it's a feast.
Food supply is the least of our problems for the next three months.
About the 'titles' on deck. Everyone knows who the captain is. The boss. Whatever Cornelius says, gets done. About Cornelius, he's really cool, I'll write more about him later.
In the ranking below Cornelius is the First Mate, or Officer. Basically, the captain has the big plan and sees everything. The First Mate, that's Felix from Berlin, is the person who passes it on. Either directly to the crew or to the Second Mate. Felix has a special task, just like the Second Officer responsible for safety on board, but I don't remember what it was.
Then there's the Boatswain, who is the ship's caretaker. Responsible for the general maintenance of the ship. The position is still vacant, so no one has been found yet.
Then there are the deckhands, they're like sailors. They know a bit of everything. And finally, there are people like me, who know very little about everything.
In general, the tone is super friendly, very equal. Of course, there's a hierarchy, but so far no one has acted superior because of it. Everyone keeps insisting that if you're unsure about something, just ask. How should you know otherwise.
Also, everyone does everything, everyone cleans the toilet at some point. At first, it feels like a pretty good deal.