veter i volny ist ein gemeinsames Projekt von DRB, Interra, MitOst Hamburg und Roald Amundsen

veter i volny 2016: Kaliningrad – Stockholm

von Franka Mair, Trainee & Teilnehmerin viv

Kaliningrad. I remember standing in the rain at night, trying to explain to a russian taxi driver that the location I wanted him to bring me to was, yes, the outlines of a ship barely visible on google maps.

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Then, finally at our destination I remember the selfmade raisin cake someone handed me. It tasted pretty awesome especially taking into acount that it was the first thing I ate that day.

I remember learning sailing theory at 3 in the morning. Eating a full meal and than continuing to eat because I knew I’d need all the energy I could get. Standing on deck, sun in my face, staring at the waves feeling like nothing could make this moment any more perfect. Learning russian words, teaching german ones. Feeling like being in a pirates of the caribian movie when turning the spill.

Being more seesick than I ever thought one could be and still refusing to take any pill whatsoever against it because if you do you’re not allowed to climb into the rig. Being in the rigg, staring at the sea, it being totally worth seasickness. Freezing during midnight watch. After a long day steering a seemingly empty and quiet, peacefull Roald Amundsen into the sunset. Falling asleep the second my head touched the pillow. Constantly chewing on some homemade bread to prevent seasickness. Still being seasick. How nothing works against it but laying down. Trying not to step on people sleeping on deck.

Being in the dingi. Making the first steps on the untouched sand of our lonely island. Stumbling through the corridors at four in the morning questioning my own sanity at doing all of this out of my free will and even paying for it. Realizing a split second later that I absolutely loved it. The head of our watch randomly kicking his shoes of in the middle of our watch, starting to sing and doing the pirate dance.

Captains dinner. How we wrecked the metal fence by siting on it and bending it. How we managed to get the ship to swing back and forth by pulling on ropes attached to the masts in the middle of the night. The look in the faces of those who emerged from the swinging ship they thougt was unable to move because in the harbour. Sitting in a park at night with nothing but a guitar and some cool people singing together. Nobody using their smartphones. Stockholm.