An experience full of adventure: sailing, climbing, cooking and everything in between

Felina joined the tall ship the Gulden Leeuw, a three-masted topsail schooner more than 50 metres long, as a 16-year-old in July 2022. And that was an incredibly fun experience, as well as educational and sometimes intense, Felina says. Now, three years later, she is still excited about the adventure she confidently dived into.

Very brief introduction, who are you and what do you do?

'I am Felina, 19 years old, and studying Obstetrics in Groningen. I am now in my third year and do an internship, which I really enjoy doing. At weekends I go home and work in the catering industry. Furthermore, I like to play beach volleyball and work out.'

How did you get the idea to join the Tall Ships Races as a trainee?

'It was an idea from my mother, who saw the call passing by. She asked me: 'Wouldn't you like that?' I love being on the water, but have no sailing experience. Still, it seemed like fun. I started doing this for the adventure. I like trying new things, travelling and meeting new people. So then I signed up and started working on my own to raise the money.'

And how did that go?

'After applying, I followed the 'Dinghy' course. This is organised by the Tall Ships Races organisation. I joined a group app with other trainees and a supervisor. With that group, we followed online meetings in which we worked on our own pitch, which we then presented to each other. With that pitch we then set to work to raise the money. I visited companies to tell them why I wanted to join a tall ship as a trainee. That is how I raised the money'.

So that pitching went well for you! Which tall ship did you go on?

'I have been along on the Gulden Leeuw. It is a Dutch ship and, as a three-master, also a fairly large ship. There were many other trainees on the ship with me, from the Netherlands, but also from Denmark, England and France. A nice and varied group and a nice crew. In total, there were about sixty of us on the ship.'

What were your duties as a trainee?

'You do a bit of everything. You are assigned to shifts, which are called watches and are divided into colours. I was in the Red Watch. You alternate with the other watches, four hours on and eight hours off. So sometimes you have to get out of bed in the middle of the night. During your watch, you stand on top of the deck and have to keep an eye on ships, stand at the wheel or navigate. That changes all the time. If you don't have a watch, you can play games together and you are responsible for cooking once. You become very close with your group, but also with the others.'

Sounds a lot of fun. Were there any challenging or teachable moments?

'Navigating I found the most challenging and the most difficult, but therefore also the most instructive part. And not for me necessarily, but maybe for others, was climbing the pylons. I am not afraid of heights and enjoy that view immensely, but so I can imagine that was really challenging for some too. The first day was also intense, because you don't know each other and half the group got seasick. So then suddenly you have to start taking care of each other. In the end, that does ensure that you get to know each other quickly.'

What was it like being on a ship with such a group of strangers?

'The chemistry in the group was very good! And it's also good for your English. I found that difficult at first, but it learns quickly. You are really forced to speak English with each other during such a week. At one point, you spend so much time together on board that you also speak English to Dutch people. Very funny to notice that.

What will stay with you forever from this week as a trainee?

'You are in a super beautiful environment and meet new people. In the process, you learn the basics of sailing, you learn the language and you learn how to interact with people. Of course, you are dependent on each other, because you can't just walk off the ship. But that is also the beauty of it, because you become very close very quickly. One moment that will always stay with me was when we were lying together in the nets on the tip of the ship watching the sunset. We were all really enjoying ourselves there.'

And what was it like coming back home?

'When we entered Harlingen during the Sail In Parade, I stood at the top of the mast with a few others. So we could see everything, the whole quay filled with people. Then I also realised: 'We just managed together to send that ship here, even though most of us had no sailing experience.' That was a very special moment.'