Tot ziens Oostende and Bonjour Boulogne sur-mer

Ahoy everyone, or should I say Bonjour? But let's start from the beginning: I'm Anna, 17 years old, and currently right in the middle of a great adventure on the Regina Maris. It's hard to believe that we've only been sailing together for five days, as we've already bonded so much and experienced so much. But I'm sure you're wondering what we've been up to! After our stop in Oostende, Belgium, where we waited out the storm and enjoyed some cool activities that were organized especially for us—like the interesting trip on the traditional sailing ship Mercator, which has now been converted into a museum ship—it was time to say "Tot ziens Oostende!" (Goodbye, Oostende!).

For me, that also meant getting up early, as I'm on watch, which starts at 5 a.m. Still a bit tired and bundled up warmly, we went up on deck in the dark to help with the departure – making everything seaworthy, hauling in the buoys, and then we were back out to the open sea, and the swell started up again! Nevertheless, we were in good spirits and as soon as we were out of the bay, we turned on the music! Yeah! There were still many lights visible in the harbor, but the further we got from it, the darker it became, and then we could actually see the stars shining in the sky! Simply beautiful! One of us on watch is always at the helm; we take turns. The others keep watch or take care of other things on board, like setting the sails. Every hour on the hour, we go to the wheelhouse to enter the information in the logbook. Logbook? – Some of you might be wondering, because I hadn't heard of it before the trip either. It's simply a small logbook where you record your current location: the coordinates, your speed (in knots, of course), whether you're using the engine or sailing, the wind strength, and so on. It's just so you can always check your course and, in an emergency, if the technology fails, track your route back and make predictions about your future position. But you learn all that very quickly on board. It was gradually getting lighter, and what totally surprised me was that we even saw dolphins, or at least porpoises, swimming alongside us! That was really cool! Later, we could see two countries at once: England and France! Crazy, right? I couldn't believe the English Channel is so narrow! Leaving the famous white cliffs of Dover behind us, we heard "Land ahoy!" and "Bonjour Boulogne-sur-Mer!" in the early evening. In small groups, we went ashore and explored the area, sampling some French specialties along the way! Delicious! After a good night's sleep in the safe harbor, we started the next day relaxed. Following breakfast, we participated in a group reflection exercise to take stock of our feelings, and then gained valuable insights into navigation on the ship right there in the wheelhouse. We received not only theoretical explanations, such as how an AIS device works, but also practical demonstrations, including how to plot the current coordinates on a paper chart. After lunch, the next activity was already on the agenda: our teachers had come up with something special: a city rally! In small groups, equipped with cameras and task sheets, we enthusiastically set off, first to the tourist office to get a map, since we didn't have our cell phones with us. Ultimately, it was a very fun activity that allowed us to get to know the city better, connect with locals, and hear interesting stories and experiences firsthand! That's something that always happens on a cruise anyway: experiences! We ended the evening beautifully, first taking a nighttime walk on the beach together, feeling the wind on our faces, and then gathering around the keyboard on board and singing together until we all fell into bed, exhausted. Those were truly wonderful moments that brought us even closer together! I'm already excited and really looking forward to what tomorrow brings!

See you soon and warmest regards to everyone, especially of course to our dear families on land!

Anna :)