Tagesmeldung vom 28.02.2026
Törn 0908 | Westindische Inselwelt
nach Bermuda
Position 30°55,3′ N|067°19,0′ W
Kurs, Speed 063 | 4,8kn
Etmal 116nm
Wind SSE – 1bft
Luftdruck 1022 hpa
Bedeckung 2/8
Temp (L/W) 27°C, 21°C
Heading: One day as a bosun
Author: Sophia
Position: Between the Bahamas and Bermuda
Nautical Position: 31*09,6’N 066*44,1’W
Etmal: 116 nm
Course: 075*
Average Speed: 4 kn
Because the ship is constantly in use, there is always something broken. So the exciting question is: who fixes it? The answer is clear — the bosun or the engineer. The engineer is responsible for everything related to electronics, while the bosun takes care of everything else: woodwork, removing rust, repainting, tarring, changing ropes, and all the other tasks that need to be done. Today, I was supposed to accompany the bosun.
A bosun’s day starts with walking across the deck with a cup of tea or coffee. During this walk, you have to be slightly grumpy, a bit short-tempered, and look at everything with a critical eye. While taking this walk, I noticed that only two sails were not set, but the active watch was already unpacking them. An hour later, those sails were set as well, and for the first time we were sailing with all our sails. So cool! Throughout the day, more and more people realized that we were under full sail, and you could constantly hear: “Oh my gosh! We’re sailing under full sail!”
After breakfast, we planned the day and discussed our tasks. We intended to replace the rope of the fore top-gallant brace and sew the inner jib. That was the plan — but whether it would work out was another question.
The first thing I learned (besides the fact that a bosun has to be grumpy before breakfast and check the weather during his first walk across the deck) was what you can find in a bosun’s handbag. The contents vary depending on the tasks at hand, but there is standard equipment: pliers, side cutters, a flat-head screwdriver, a small piece of fabric, a small tin of grease, an Edding marker for marking sails or ropes, several pens, a small notebook for recording damage to the rig immediately, a lighter, and a looooot of seizing wire.
After this introduction, we got to work, and I quickly realized that preparation is key and often takes longer than the actual job. Preparing to change the brace took two hours, while the actual replacement only took ten minutes.
To replace the brace, we first had to gather the right tools. Once we had string, needles, a fid, gloves for sailmaking, and the correct rope, Bosun Amir taught me how to splice. After finishing the first splice, I made another one at the end of the 220-meter rope for practice. In doing so, we created by far the longest rope stopper on the Roald!
The bosun doesn’t have to do everything alone. You often see others busy with maintenance work around the ship. However, he is the one who assigns the jobs and gives instructions. For example, today Anton and Neele volunteered to remove rust from the bollards. First, we got the tools from the bosun’s locker and then showed them how to do the job. The two of them worked on it for two full hours.
Meanwhile, Amir and I cut the rope to the correct length and sewed two whippings onto the ends to prevent it from unraveling. To change the rope, you first have to transfer the load of the brace to a tackle, and only then can you replace it. We wanted to quickly secure the shackle with seizing wire before our lunch break at noon, but suddenly loud shouting came from the bridge: “Orca on port side!” So we had to postpone it. Later, we found out that it was definitely not an orca, but probably a fin whale.
During our break, Amir came to me and said, “Plans are nice, but they usually don’t work out… I need to help the engineer in the engine room. There’s a small problem with the generator. You can continue removing rust from the bollards and then paint them with primer.” So I continued derusting the bollards with Nienke and then painted them. This took so long that we only finished after coffee and cake. Meanwhile, Mateo and Maxim painted the ends of the bollards white and accidentally knocked over their bucket of paint. According to them, it created a thumb-sized paint stain. I’m not sure I agree — but that might be because my hand is about the same size as Maxim’s thumb.
Shortly before dinner, Amir and I sewed parts of the inner jib using a bosun’s stitch. But the day still wasn’t over — the bosun’s report was missing. It consists of making a list of all completed and outstanding tasks during the voyage.
After this exciting day, I am exhausted and need to recover so I can start fresh again tomorrow.
Grüße:
Lotti: Hey Freja, ich wünsche dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Ich hoffe du hast ein schönes neues Lebensjahr! 🥳
Maya: Eyyy Leude, ich hab gestern (glaub ich) endlich mein Pathway gehaltennn. Lief voll gut hehe
Sophia: Ganz Liebe Grüße an alle Zuhause. Der Tag heute hat echt viel Spaß gemacht. Ich freue mich schon übermorgen mit euch zu telefonieren ❤️.