Indian Ocean Crossing: Three Stories from the Crew

NEPTUN is deep into her Indian Ocean crossing: two extra weeks of engine-room work in Bali, nine days at sea to Christmas Island, seven more to the Cocos Keeling atoll, and now the long leg west toward Rodrigues. This log hands the pen to the people sailing it. Mathilde Draeger, Olive McNaney and Graham Henderson tell the story in their own words, exactly as they wrote them for the ship’s log.

Landfall: Christmas Island

By Mathilde Draeger, crew member

Bari knocked next to my bed and said.

“Mathilde… we can see land.”

Still half asleep, I couldn’t quite appreciate it. It was pitch black outside and all I wanted was more sleep, and, not feeling excited for yet another midnight to 4 am watch. But knowing land was there was enough. After nine days crossing from Bali, our first ocean passage together as a crew was almost over.

A little later Olive woke up, looked into the darkness behind us. Johanna grabs her head and moves it towards land making her yell:

“Land ahoy!”

By sunrise the green cliffs of Christmas Island were rising proudly out of the Indian Ocean. As we folded sails and prepared the boat for arrival, everyone naturally fell into their role. Somewhere during those nine days we had stopped being individuals and become something close to a real crew knowing more and more each day of the process of how to handle these massive sails and working together as a team.

We all stepped ashore wearing our different coloured Neptune T-shirts - the closest thing we have to a uniform. Australia’s border officers welcomed us in shorts and T-shirts, making the official paperwork feel surprisingly relaxed. Before long they had become our tourist guides, happily answering our most important questions: Where’s the nearest bar? Where can we do laundry? Is there a hot shower? Circling all their answers on a little paper map they have given us of the island.

After cleaning ourselves and the boat, we walked to the island’s only open Sunday restaurant for our first cold beers on land.

After a couple of beers drifting off a little away from the others with Johanna laying in the grass, smelling the freshness of how special it feels after days not having earth around us. While being in the middle of a deep conversation suddenly 4 crew members’ heads pop up around us all having switched clothes to surprise us. Asking if we want another drink.

Rumours had already spread about the “big wooden boat with the young crew,” and before long we were chatting with locals who pointed us towards everything from electricians to hidden spots around the island.

That became the theme of our stay.

A quick trip to do laundry somehow turned into a four-hour island tour with new local friend Vanda. We looked down on Neptune from the cliffs, spotted birds found nowhere else, and finally met the famous red crabs covering the forest floor.

Between preparing the boat for the next passage, we found time to snorkel. Jumping from the side of the ship still all sweaty. Moments later Connor shouted, “Turtle!” and within seconds we were all swimming after it, watching it glide effortlessly beneath us.

The people made Christmas Island just as memorable as its wildlife. Everyone seemed genuinely excited that a tall ship had arrived, the kids calling it the pirate ship. One local paddled out to Neptune for a tour, while Millie, one of the park rangers, invited me to explore one of the island’s freshwater caves. Every day seemed to end with another conversation, another invitation, or another new friend.

Before leaving, we invited everyone we’d met to a barbecue on the pier. There were beers, food coming off the grill all evening, Vanda’s pasta salad, and plenty of stories. It was hard to believe we’d only been there a few days.

The next morning, just after sunrise, we slipped the mooring lines and sailed back into the Indian Ocean.

Christmas Island may have only been a stop along the way, but it became so much more than that. I’ll remember the kindness of the people, the joy of sharing it all with this incredible crew, and the feeling of seeing land appear on the horizon after nine unforgettable nights at sea. Ready for the next island, next adventure ahead in a way of travelling not quite like anything else I’ve ever experienced.

Onward: Arrival at Cocos Keeling

By Olive McNaney, crew member

Neptun has arrived in Cocos Keeling, the second stop of our voyage. Known for its island paradise and beautiful beaches, the crew are keen to get out and explore the coral reefs and small atoll islands. The training crew and captain have spent the last month learning the ropes (literally) and becoming accustomed to the ship. We’ve just completed a 7 day passage which had all types of weather, fortunately the crew were in great spirits as it meant lots of sail handling, putting our hours of practice into motion.

We were sad to leave Christmas island as the majority of us loved it there, one crew member even coming away with a job offer when he returns back to Australia after the voyage. It was a quiet but busy island with super friendly locals, beautiful waters and a wild variety of fauna and flora, the main highlight being all the crabs everywhere. The crew spent their days off exploring all the island had to offer including their four restaurants and two pubs, but also hitch hiking with locals and finding hidden caves and viewpoints.

Our initial journey from Bali to Christmas island was relatively simple, with some big swells followed by some quiet winds. This was ideal for the crew to get used to the watch schedule and daily life at sea.

We ended up spending an extra couple of weeks in Bali for some required maintenance in the Engine room. Repairs to the generator as well as some of the water pumps meant that the crew had an extra two weeks of training, safety drills and as well as some DIY upgrades to Neptun, we really got to know her inside out.

Westward: At the Helm, Somewhere in the Indian Ocean

By Graham Henderson, trainee (Canada/USA)

Our First Mate, Bastian, nonchalantly approaches me at the helm, sipping from a freshly opened coconut.

“What’s your heading?” He casually asks.

Without breaking my gaze from the horizon, “That way, generally… ish,” I shrug with my usual subtle sarcasm, pointing straight forward beyond the bow of Neptune, finger extended making a slight left and right motion, while the other hand calmly adds a turn on the wheel.

A small smirk appears on my face, turning to him I continue, “Steady on two seven zero.”

It has become just a tad more chilly, he’s started wearing a shirt regularly and pants have replaced shorts.

“So much sass,” he says, grinning in that big happy way we have all become accustomed to seeing from the Danish Chief.

“Are we there yet?” I chuckle.

It is a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon, the waves are small with a steady breeze that lazily pushes us at 4.5 knots to the west (generally…ish). Not a day for breaking speed records, but a great day to enjoy sailing. Bali lays six weeks to our stern, Cocos Islands eight or nine days; and our next destination, Rodrigues Island, Mauritius, still a week away.

As the afternoon sun approaches sunset, my eyes scan upwards to the direction of the flag on the main mast, then down the sails, out to the unobstructed horizon all around making sure no squalls are sneaking up on us, down to the compass, and across the deck where several of the crew are relaxing.

Daily domestic cleaning chores are complete, sails set for the current conditions, no pressing tasks, time to just enjoy the experience. Some chat while working on personal craft projects, others journal and paint nearby, two are discussing the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons campaign, one plays the ukulele and quietly sings to herself alone on the bow.

As the end of my watch approaches, I begin to wonder what delicious treat today’s galley crew has in store for the afternoon snack. I add a turn to port on the wheel, and my mind drifts to thoughts of dinner and the Wahoo fish poke bowl made fresh from yesterday’s catch. My stomach growls, knowing that Bari and Mathilde are in the galley preparing the meal. They are a dream team for this kind of dish, turning even a seafood hater like myself into a repeat customer.

Of course, not all days are like today. I count myself extraordinarily lucky avoiding any seasickness this entire voyage. I envy a few of my fellow trainees; not for the multiple days of absolutely brutal seasickness, but for the perseverance and determination to pull their heads from a bucket, stomachs aching and empty since the day prior, unable to keep even crackers down, and haul on a line when the moment requires. The attitude of, ‘the only way out of this is through this,’ prevails, even from the most unassuming of people. I’m not certain I could perform the same.

We are fortunate overall, avoiding any severe weather, but we certainly have rough days. At times, we roll side to side in heavy swells making sleeping a challenge and cooking in the galley (already my arch nemesis of duties) an absolute crucible for my willpower. On one such occasion, trying to use my nearly nonexistent Spanish to translate the instructions on the back of a package, a strong wave struck us, catching me off guard and off balance and tossing me across the galley, slamming me into a cabinet on the far wall. In the moment, genuinely fearing a fracture in my arm, my galley partner took over without hesitation encouraging me to take a breather and seek some medical attention. Yet another example of the crew supporting each other in difficult circumstances. Luckily, no fracture, a couple of days of pain and weak grip strength preventing me from going aloft, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

We also see a lot of growth. We gained a crew member on Cocos Islands and it seems like everyone enjoys sharing their newfound knowledge with her. I certainly tip my hat to Maz for her willingness to become the new person in an already tight knit crew and thrust herself right into an ocean crossing with no prior experience. Seriously, talk about someone who has gone full steam… errr… sails… ahead, bonding with everyone and going headlong into every task and lesson.

Personally, I’ve become quite accustomed now to climbing the t’gallant, the nerves and discomfort of climbing up to the top of the foremast with the ship rolling around give way to strong focus on the task and deep appreciation for the over-the-horizon views. And, while my aforementioned battles with the galley continue, it is not a place I shy from anymore, and the crew, ever supportive, no longer comment that they can taste the anger and frustration in the pancakes I serve. Significant growth.

We also have a bit of a rising star onboard. Olive, continues to grow Neptune’s social media presence, gaining more than 1,000 new followers and a funny video she stars in is surpassing 200,000 views! We have some pretty entertaining videos to create and share in the coming days, so if you haven’t done so already, dear reader, please like and subscribe on Facebook and Instagram, links are at the bottom of this (b)log. Also, the announcement of the voyage leg from Mauritius, around the Cape of Good Hope, to Cape Town in November/December looks incredible, so share the word! See Olive, I’m helping!

Next week we have a couple of birthdays to celebrate which will be quite nice! I can’t wait to see what kind of cakes people will make! The excitement of arriving in Rodrigues at the end of next week grows, talk of various first meals of grilled meats while catching a World Cup match have begun.

I myself will cross the 1 year mark since I began backpacking around the world. I’ve spent an hour now writing and rewriting, trying to put into words how much I appreciate our Captain, Engineer, and Officers for the training, guidance and encouragement onboard. Nothing really quite expresses my gratitude, so I’ll simply offer a hearty thank you. Never in my wildest dreams, having now been to all seven continents, could I anticipate that a year later I would be helming a brigantine somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

As the next watch arrives at the helm to relieve me, I look to the northwest at the sun, now just beginning to set. The colors of the fading light spread across the horizon and the extraordinary display of stars in the night sky are soon to arrive. It really is like nothing I’ve seen on land, the movement of the ship making it impossible to capture on camera the grandeur to share with you, and with friends and loved-ones back home. It is something that can only really be experienced.

“I have the watch.” Says the Second Mate.

My duty day comes to a close, Wahoo poke bowl soon, then a nap before duty begins again at midnight. I listen to the sound of the waves a moment and breathe in the fresh air. How could I be more lucky?

We’ve all begun talking about what our plans might be when the voyage ends in August. Like the open ocean with no landmarks, I’m not completely certain of where I’m going next. But for now, I’m going that way… generally… ish.

Hell of a day.