the leeuwin

the leeuwin (pronounced lou-in) is a 55m tall ship, launched in 1986. it's main mast is 33m high and when it's fully rigged, the ship carried 810m of sails! it sails along the west coast of australia and offers 1-12 day sails for the adventurous. the ship is mainly run by volunteers whom have all completed at least one 3-day sail, learning the ins and outs of sailing a tall ship.

my friends and i were lucky enough to be invited aboard as guests of the captain, who happens to be a client at the clinic. myself and 2 others showed up for our twilight sail on tuesday (a few weeks ago). having only heard that it was a working ship, none of us knew exactly what to expect. we were hoping for champagne and cocktails but expecting to be put to work. instead we found a happy medium.

our sail left the fremantle port around 4:30pm. we ventured south first, then turned and headed north. turned around again and came back to the port. while this sounds like a quick ride, i assure you this was a solid 3 hours of sailing. the sea was rather rough, but didn't pose a problem to any of us. many other passengers were not so lucky! it's a bit disconcerting when, during the announcements at the beginning, the crew informs one how to get sick over the side of the boat. there is a correct and a not-so-correct manner. ie, clean vs. messy.

my friend gen got involved as we were pulling out of port. she helped to heave the sails. we found it interesting that the crew uses the following to keep time: "2, 4, heave". why not 1,2? or "ready, set". my theory is related to old-english being bastardized to "2,4" vs. perhaps what it actually meant in the past. gen's theory was that sailors couldn't count.

the rest of the sail was rather enjoyable. snacks were passed around, songs were sung (mostlyl by the crew) and we had a jolly good time. when we pulled back into port, we were presented with the opportunity to climb the mast! uhm, yes. yes i will. the 3 of us got geared up in a harness with some clasps and clips. the crew wear these harnesses the entire time, i suppose in case they need to climb the mast in a hurry or something. they're not the most flattering harnesses, and let's just say that a few of the crew left verrrry little to the imagination when the harness was secured. once we were geared up, we had to pass the "strength test" before they'd let us climb. it was a check to be sure that we could hold ourselves up for 10 seconds, just in case our clasp let go. we passed.

i scurried up the mast first, but imagine my disappointment when i reached the first plank and was told to head back down. what?! that was it. we were only allowed to climb up a few meters. urgh.

it was a good adventure overall, but i won't be signing up for the 12 day voyage just yet.
xo