Apia, Samoa - Soren Larsen, 11h00 August 11 2008

Apia, Samoa - Soren Larsen, 11h00 August 11 2008

The first day on the Soren Larsen, having boarded yesterday evening at 17h00. The boat is very impressive, both from the shoreline but also aboard. The scale is quite incredible, as it doesn't feel too cramped even with 30 people on board - 12 professional crew and 20 or so fellow passengers. The nationalities are, as ever, mixed, both from the perspective of the crew and the other passengers. Yesterday evening we had dinner on deck being introduced to everyone. We are still at anchor in Apia harbour, and some of the crew slept under the stars on the deck last night, but I decided to check out the cabin experience: small and a bit cramped, but comfortable nonetheless.

This morning we have had the whole range of safety briefings and the first of sail training, including climbing the rigging to the first vantage point - forgotten the name already! You have a harness, the main part of the climbing you do without being clipped in, hanging on to the rigging as you - slowly in my case - inch your way ever higher. I am not particularly good at heights, but I wanted to see how far I could go! The first part wasn't too bad, but to get to the first bridge you have to swing out around the platform, easing your way up the steps as you go, clinging onto the nearest mast for dear life! It was pretty nerve-wracking, but I managed it and was able to enjoy a few minutes on top taking in the horizon. The way down was tough too, as you have to swing out over the edge, dangling your leg looking for the first step which of course I missed, but a crew member was on hand to guide me back into place! A great experience once you get over the fear - though not sure I will be trying it at sea.

Off the coast of Apia, 14h00, August 11 2008

We have just set sail off the coast of Apia! Quite an experience to see the sails being unfurled by the crew, hanging and dangling from the masts and yardarms.

The original plan had been to go to another anchorage around the island, but in the end the winds conspired against us so we have set sail for Tonga, or the Friendly Islands.

Not quite sure how long it will take, after all one doesn't predict these kind of things on a sailing ship!

We have all been put in four watches, I'm in the 8-12 group meaning a watch in the morning and evening - so the first one later on this evening. You do the normal watch thing, patrol of the ship, steering, attending to the sails and that kind of thing. So it should be fun this evening on the first one!

I have just found out from the cook that I have been the subject of much debate prior to my arrival as the travel agent initially had me down as a female passenger, before correcting it to male - apparently they all wondered what was going! I was happy to put in a clarification.

So, on that bombshell, I guess I will enjoy the rest of the afternoon as we sail calmly along the coast of Samoa: the sea is blue, fresh trade wind and not too much of a roll - perfect conditions, if this novice sailor may so himself.

Rob

Arrived in Samoa - 9 August 2008

Samoa - 14h00 9 August 2008

So here I am in Samoa! I finally arrived yesterday morning after the flight from Sydney via Auckland. On Friday afternoon I managed to catch up with Ben Wilson who I know from his time at Reuters and is now working at the University of Sydney. A very impressive campus, it oozed an Oxbridge atmosphere. Unfortunately it took me longer than expected to get there thanks to a forgetful Sydneysider bus driver omitting to tell me when we had arrived - on the flip side I saw much of Sydney’s suburbs! I also checked out the centre of town, seeing Hyde Park and visiting the Museum: they have a good exhibition on indigenous Australians, interesting to learn of the recent developments around the Australian PM’s apology to the aboriginals (I travelled in the Northern Territories in 1993 so it brought back memories!).

Later that day I took the flight from Sydney to Auckland and then on to Samoa; arriving here yesterday morning - my second Friday of the week - for sunrise and an interesting bus journey into town with a chap who said he was a village chief and was very proud of how clean and democratic the island is! One of the first things I saw upon arrival in Apia, the capital, was the Soren Larsen - at least I’m pretty sure it is - moored in the harbour. It must be the same ship, how many brigantine Tallships can there be anchored off the coast off Apia!!? I was feeling shattered yesterday after the flights, but I decided it was best to keep going in the day time so I took some time to visit the town, have a long lunch and seek out a beach: the latter being easier said than done, I get the impression most of the beaches - where there are beaches - by the town are not public! (the thing to do if you’re here for longer is to get one of the beach side « fales », but my time didn’t really permit). Saying that I did eventually find a spot, until jetlag finally got the better of me and I crashed back at the hotel.

This morning I got up at the crack of dawn to see if I could get a local bus to the other side of the island: People here are very friendly, often disarmingly so, and at the bus station I quickly got into conversation. First up was a missionary who told me about a series of recent bus accidents and advised me not to be shy in telling a driver to slow down!! Perfect… One thing about Samoa is how religious the place is, there are churches everywhere with the range of denominations present. The missionaries did - and apparently still are - doing an efficient job. After the advice from the missionary I got chatting to two locals who quickly found out the bus I intended to get wasn’t actually running at 7am (yes that early) so I had a rethink and decided to head out west and see if I could get a boat to another smaller island nearby. This turned out to be more complicated than I had imagined, mainly because there wasn’t a fixed schedule of boats and I was a bit dubious about being stranded on an island one day before the cruise… so I contended myself with a trip part way round the coast and back. Lovely landscape and you drive through all the villages with the traditional houses, and even more interesting to watch the people on the bus. The driver loved Caribbean music varieties and assaulted his public with the loudest bass I have heard outside a nightclub!!! Two hours or so later I was just about getting used to it! On the way back, it felt like most of the local village population got on, sardines in a tin, but we made it back, despite the missionary‘s warning!!

Now I have come back to Apia and taken a walk out on a peninsula to see the Mulinuu burial grounds as well as British and German memorials. So far, not much success but I have stopped in a bar for a drink and lunch, and while writing this I am looking out over the South Pacific, bathed in sun (yes, for a change - it’s been raining!) with a few dinghies passing by. Bliss - except lunch is taking some time and it’s only a salad!

Rob

One day in Sydney - 8 August 2008

Sydney - 09h00 8 August 2008

It's fair to say I'm a bit knackered, having arrived here at 5am! But I am now down at the Quays having breakfast and enjoying the views out over the harbour, bridge and opera house to boot - well sort of; if you crane your neck around the corner! Flight on to Samoa is later this evening so I have some time to explore Sydney and hopefully catch up with a friend of mine for lunch.

Asides from that it's cold and wet, a typical late winters day I guess.

In fact the menu in front of me is all about winter specials and I am watching people walking by in coats and scarves...whereas I am sort of prepared for the South Pacific!! I'll stop here as this laptop looks like its about to run out of juice...

Rob

Travel to Sydney - August 7 2008

Brussels Airport - 18h40, August 6 2008

Ok, well I was planning on doing a first blog entry in the most interesting of places - Brussels National Airport! Initially my attempts to connect to the blog were blocked by the weakest of internet connection in the bar - I think it was a trade off between the beer and the internet - and now at the departure gate it was a trade off in terms of the fee required for a connection and the time I have. Let’s face it 20 Euros for what shouldn’t be more than 5 minutes (fingers crossed) seemed excessive. I have also just realised how crap I am typing on a French keyboard - it feels like a long time since I wrote French dissertations this way - already I have been at this meagre entry for 10 minutes!! Oh dear. Well it is meant to be a relaxing holiday, so let’s not rush. However, while I’m on the IT points, Ajsel, this machine keeps telling me I have weak memory - what have you done to it??? Only kidding, fingers crossed it survives the next few weeks.
Ok, so it looks like we’re late already, but I have some hours in Frankfurt to sample typical German gastronomie! I guess I should log off now, in the events that the (non-striking) Lufthansa deign to get the show on the road….

Rob

Frankfurt Airport - 23h00 August 6 2008

Ok, so not quite the German gastronomie I had in mind, there being a choice between McDonalds and Mexican. I’ll give you one guess to think what we opted for - remember American, but Texan. Apart from that gastronomic excitement not a lot else to say really, what can one say about Frankfurt airport??? Apart from that, I’m now sitting out at the gate waiting to get the plane. I think it is finally hitting home that I’m off to the South Pacific. Bizarrely as it might seem, I didn’t quite register today what with being at work and all. Hmm can’t even say anything interesting about my fellow passengers yet…. Oh! Boarding. Here’s to Sydney and the South Pacific!!! Saved by the bell as they say….

Rob

Singapore Airport - 18h30 7 August 2008

Just arrived in Singapore in a storm, torrential downpour and lakes of rain on the runway. A good flight, and now just having breakfast at the usual time of 18h00... I am just realising how far it actually is to get to the South Pacific, I bet we’re only just over half the way there now! Anyway, a good flight. Was sitting next to a German nurse who told me how on a previous flight he had to give medical assistance to someone who had lost their finger on a sailing boat - and hadn’t been to the hospital!! Scary stuff. So, on that bombshell - I shall log off and conserve laptop power, the « souci » does not have a great battery life I can confirm….

Rob

South Pacific Tallships - August 5 2008

Another summer and another trip - this time to the South Pacific for a spot of tallships sailing on the Soren Larsen. A change of travel style and environment, from the train and China, to the open blue sea of the south Pacific!

I'm joining up with the crew of the Soren Larsen, originally a Danish tallship, in Samoa on Sunday afternoon for 18 days worth of sailing between Samoa and Fiji, via Tonga.

The boat has quite a history, including staring in a British TV programme in the 1970s and more recently completing several voyages around the globe. I should be able to sound more clued up on this once I have spent 3 days on the plane getting there reading the blurb and background.

In any case, the boat has a website

http://www.sorenlarsen.co.nz/

which has more pictures as well as a satellite tracking location function if you want to keep a tab on the trip! Navigation skills are something I would like to learn on the ship, given my usually appalling sense of direction!

I actually do sign up as part of the ship's crew - there is a professional crew of 15 and then 15-20 paying passengers.

They give you a choice of the kind of activities you do on there, from the (obligatory) ship's watch to handling the sails and climbing the rigging for the more adventurous...we'll see if I am crazy enough to get myself into this kind of position! :)

I leave Wednesday evening and should be in Sydney Friday, before flying on to Samoa via New Zealand, also arriving Friday thanks to the nifty date line!

Rob