We have set sail! The Noorderlicht and Wylde Swan left Harlingen for Spain. Our crew worked extremely hard the past few weeks to get the ships completely ready for a new Masterskip season, and they succeeded! Masterskippers Quirijn and Pelle helped with the maintenance, and are now sailing the Noorderlicht. While at anchor off Falmouth, England, they wrote this blog about what they think is the difference between our Tall Ships: Noorderlicht and the Wylde Swan.
Hi all, here Quirijn and Pelle!
The both of us where introduced to Tall Ships-sailing in 2020 (Quirijn joined voyage 1 of Masterskip, Pelle voyage 3. Both on the Wylde Swan).
Since a month and a half we both enjoy working on both the Swan and the Noorderlicht during the maintenance period. With a good atmosphere and hard work we started to get both ships ready for the upcoming Masterskip season. And after that month and a lot of work, it was clear to us: we wanted to sail again! BUT… This time on Tall Ship Noorderlicht whilst sailing her to the departure point of Masterskip in Spain.
We immediately noticed that on the Noorderlicht we sleep in a 2 person cabin, this is of course different than on the Wylde Swan where you sleep in a large main holt. Sleeping in a 2 person cabin gives a bit more space for yourself, which can be very nice.
Furthermore, the interior of the Noorderlicht is more cozy because of the boat being a bit smaller. Also, it’s decorated less like a classroom compared to the Wylde Swan.
On deck the boat is very uncluttered, from the aft deck you can see the rest of the deck all the way around. You also learn tallship sailing a little faster than on the Wylde Swan. This is because the boat is more clearly arranged on deck: you can immediately see what each line is for and there are of course a little less lines than on the Wylde Swan.
With an average wind force of 6-9 Beaufort and waves about 5 meters high, we crossed the Channel in 24 hours. After that we waited in England for the winds and depressions of the Bay of Biscay to pass by, and find a gap to sail on to A Coruña. And we succeeded!
Right now we’re at anchor at A Coruña waiting for the trainees to step aboard. Then the Noorderlicht will set sail to warmer places then she has been since a long time!