Tall Ship Cruising: Passenger vs. Crew
This to date is the most physically and mentally strenuous event/activity I have ever completed — Sailing as a deckhand on a schooner.
With now having had the experience on both sides I can make a comparison: Sailing on a tall ship as a passenger versus as a deckhand.
Overall it breaks down something like this…
Passenger:
Eat, sleep, rest, read, chat, eat, help out the crew if desired, sleep, rest, eat, chat, see where I’m going here?
Deckhand:
Work, eat, load, haul, converse, sleep (if your lucky), fill and ice down coolers, haul said cooler to shore, drop anchor, mop, deck wash, clean heads, stand watch, boat check, converse, clean heads, eat, haul, raise sails, lower sails, learn, stand watch, tend small boat and on and on and so forth, etc… etc.
See, taking a tall ship cruise as a passenger is a pretty cushy experience. Lots of free time and no obligation to do any work of any kind unless one wants to. And most of the time the crew really does appreciate assistance from a naturally skilled helpful passenger.
Actually this was my introduction to tall ship sailing.
So how did a desert boy like myself end up on a sailing ship, you might ask? A truly large number of synchronicities pointed me in that direction: everything from family having mentioned ‘windjammer’ cruises, to the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag videogame, to personal past experiences on the water. At the end of 2013 I realized I wasn’t doing anything for myself in 2014 and since this string of synchronicities had been pointing me towards realizing just how much I wanted to be on the water again and how much I desired it to be an experience far away from technology, land, and society I researched and subsequently booked passage with Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships.
As a passenger I sailed from Nassau, Bahamas to Boston, MA for the May 2014 transit north. I headed down to Nassau, Bahamas two days early so as to have an opportunity to visit the Atlantis Resort and Casino and acclimatize to the new environment. Though I knew crashing waves on sandy beaches amidst swaying palm trees was something that really did exist, it was such a new experience for me that while standing on my balcony at the resort for the first time I really did feel as if I was on another planet. To actually see, in person, the sight of palms swaying, feel the warm humid air on my skin, in a location outside the US made me feel for just a bit like I wasn’t on Earth. Here I am having traveled almost 2000 miles in a day, on the same blue/green ball floating through space, and yet it looked completely different than the desert southwest I left behind earlier that morning. The feeling did pass, over time, however it did leave me with a sense of realizing just how diverse and amazing this planet really is. And it makes a great case for just how amazing traveling far and wide can be for the health and well being of our sense of our own existence.
Sailing on a tall ship as a passenger was one of the best experiences of my life. I found peace out on the water when no land was in sight. I didn’t feel fear being that far way from all I knew, no, on the contrary, I could stand and look out over the deep blue ocean, far as the eye could see in all directions and relax, just breath, observe, and be at peace watching the multitudes of waves and undulating ocean movement for any length of time. Fresh clean air. Sunshine. Constant flow and sway of the ship floating on the water. Really it is an equation of peace for me.
Deckhand
Now as a deckhand, well, the experience is something else entirely. A temporary opening became available May of 2016 on the same ship I sailed with back in May of ’14, the Liberty Clipper. So I jumped on the opportunity to join them for two weeks in the Bahamas and then stay on for the same two week transit back to Boston I previously completed in ’14. Though I had wanted to work for them at the end of 2014, I later recognized that the extra time away was very proper and important for me to evolve more before joining up as a deckhand.
So May of 2016 I began my month as a deckhand on a tall ship in the Bahamas.
Within just the first few days I was not sure I was going to make it for the whole month. Not that I feared for my life, or feared the water, but it was instead the most challenging physically and most strenuous mental experience I had had to date. I was not sure I could keep up the level, any level, of the required physical and mental elements for the whole month I was slated to be with them. I had to learn more and do more with less sleep than I had ever experienced before. All while accomplishing, safely, one of the most dangerous and tough jobs on the planet. Not only did I need to perform all of the physical ship sails-up-sails-down line tending duties without losing a finger or worse, but then also had to be available for guest relations. Luckily that aspect is somewhat easier for me as it is a natural talent. The whole experience was so overwhelming that I didn’t get around to any sort of reviewing/writing until the last few days of the trip.
This article began at the end of my sailing time. After I had had time to recover and get into a rhythm while transiting up to Boston I was finally able to utilize some free time and sit down, write about and review what I had experienced, how I had changed, and where I would go next with the knowledge gained.
And that brings up another comparison… Charters around the Bahamas vs Transit up the coast
Charters are their own thing. We have a full boat of 22 passengers tended by four or five deckhands while we are also ‘sailing’ the ship. Not only do we set up and tend some sort of beverage service throughout the day (coffee, coffee, coffee), transport passengers to and from islands we are visiting, but we also converse with them, assist as needed, AND tend the heads, put up sails, try to get some sleep, and any number of other cleaning and tending things you can think of. Really we were on-call 24 hours a day yet still worked a 14 hour day PLUS a 2 hour watch at night. A tough thing to do and keep one’s wits about them indeed. I quickly learned how to utilize short breaks in my day to take a breather and re-ground myself, so as to be as refreshed as possible for whatever came next. The sailing we did around the numerous Bahamian islands was pretty beautiful, the Exumas were hot, but the water was gorgeous! Point of note… If planning to visit the Caribbean be sure to bring an effective bug repellant (essential oil based or otherwise) if you want to stay near or on shore when the sun goes down. The mosquitos come out and if unprotected you very well could go home very eaten up!
Transit
Transit is a bit different. Barring any stops or delays that happen along the way, one can fairly easily get into a comfortable pattern of sleep and work. During transit I had the 12–4 shift. AM and PM. This means 4 hours on and 8 hours off, rinse and repeat, until we docked somewhere. During our off time we were not “required” to be doing anything other than caring for our own wellbeing. At least that is what I did. So did my bunkmate. He slept a lot. I don’t blame him! Really I would always try go get some sort of sleep during each of my 8 hour break times. That was what allowed me to finally, right near the end of our transit, actually take some notes and reflect on what I had experienced.
During the 4 hour shifts while on watch I along with a senior crew member, the first mate in my case, and another deckhand would tend what needed tending with our main focus being correctly navigating, including plotting our location, and hourly checking the ships status via what we call a ‘boat check’. The generators, a number of the bilges, the heads, and an array of electrical readouts would be checked, marked down as to their status, and then an overall review would be reported back to our watch leader. Dishes were another aspect of our duties as each watch fell around one of the ship’s meal times. Really this rhythm was very consistent while out on the water. Rough weather or not we could rely on our watch coming and passing, getting some sleep, and completing projects (personal or otherwise), in-between. Transit means less tending of passengers and more responsibility involving the ship, but passengers are still a focus. We couldn’t shirk our duties and relationship with them just because focusing on the ship was very important. Really some of the longer lasting friendships with passengers can be struck up while on transit.
Overall what does all this say?
Tall ship cruising is an experience I absolutely recommend to anyone with a love of open water and all its moods. But as a passenger.
If you are interested in working as a deckhand then prepare yourself for the most work you have ever done in your life. More than you ever thought you could accomplish. (First I would recommend brushing up on terminology, techniques, and safety protocols before jumping into such an intense experience.) It may be the most challenging thing you have ever done, but the reward of a job complete is well worth it.
And yes, I still find peace out on the water regardless of my position and will sail again, only very probably not as a deckhand.
Until next time. Fair winds everyone!
The information herein is for entertainment purposes only. Your experience may vary. Tall ship sailing, even as a passenger, is a potentially very dangerous thing to do. One should be healthy and fit before embarking on such a strenuous activity. Do so at your own risk.
