Uniting the Globe Onboard
By Laura HamptonMany SALTS trainees come from B.C. and Alberta but, especially in the summer, our community connects new friends from around the globe. Individuals from all backgrounds unite with an appetite for sailing, adventure, and community. One of this year’s international trainees shared her exchange experience.
In my interview for this exchange I was asked the question ‘What does Sail Training mean to you?’ I cannot fully recall my response, but I think it went along the lines of meeting new people and learning incredible new skills all of which while on a boat sailing which gives an empowerment and feeling of achievement like no other. After spending five weeks in Canada on this exchange my interview response stands, but more coherently; Sail Training is a community that isn’t isolated to just one boat or sailing body, instead, it is a worldwide group of people invested in developing young people’s attributes while prioritize experiencing nature and exploration.
As we loaded our luggage an orchestra was playing across from us on the dock which provided a rather dramatic background the classic awkward first hour of boarding a ship. The first mate came over to ask where everyone had come from and as I listened in to people ‘ohh’ at the far away distance of Texas I was ready to land the ‘I’m from Northern Ireland’ which gathered quite a response of ‘ohhs’ (once we established Northern Ireland in the UK, not North Vancouver Island as was initially interpreted). I guess it took me a while to realize just how far I had traveled to be part of this voyage – being surrounded by people with similar interests on a boat made me feel instantly welcomed and at home.
We got to work on the pre-sail briefs and were soon making way towards our first (and possibly my favourite) anchorage at Princess Louisa Inlet right beside the incredible Chatterbox Falls. On our way here, we were met by a man called Bob Goff, a Christian author whose book we had coincidentally been reading as a watch at breakfast that morning – he catapulted salt water taffy at us and wished us well. It was a unique experience and followed by cruising through the Malibu rapids at slack tide to make our way to this phenomenal anchorage. I guess I was in major awe of nature, the dramatic coast of mountains combined with old growth forests coming right up to the waterline was in stark contrast to the UK’s more rugged, rocky coastline that I’m used to!
As part of the ship's routine we had 'mug up' every evening which entailed some form of game or ice breaker followed by everyone filling the saloon for a sing a long with traybakes and hot drinks made by the incredible chefs! This provided a great opportunity for us to bond as a crew, we developed quite an attachment to the Sea Shanty ‘Farewell to Nova Scotia’ and found ourselves constantly singing it together whether during mug up or while whale watching (yes, we legit saw humpbacks!). The intentional effort made by the crew in engagement, love and enthusiasm set such an example for us as trainees and it paved the way for a very tight knit community to form – especially as we engaged in deeper, more intentional discussions during meal times with our watches.
The next morning, we were up ready to adventure over to the mighty Chatterbox Falls. This was my first Dory experience – the boat being a traditional Square Topsail Schooner carried these three rowing dories which we used to further explore almost every anchorage. There was one dory per watch and as Port watch, we soon mastered the fine art of balancing our dory and made it to the dock first (we were rather competitive in Port Watch). After hanging out in the waterfall and rowing back we rigged up two swings and had a blast jumping in surrounded by the most phenomenal scenery. This evening we began ‘secret friends’ – an age-old SALTS tradition where each of us is given a secret friend on board the boat to make things for and be kind too. It sounds a little naff, but it was so much fun surprising your secret friend/being surprised yourself with small gifts!
On Day 4 we anchored on the north side of Savary Island with the Pacific Grace. We all raced our dories in to the island for a short hike across the island followed by a massive group swim and football match with over 60 of us playing! The next day we headed to small inlet and rafted alongside the Grace in front of Cassel Lake Falls – we went to Cassel Lake for a swim and after showering in the falls went ‘slacklining’ between the sterns of the two boats. Tonight, we had a joint mug up and had everyone on deck singing together while we were treated to vanilla chai latte and were treated to Nanaimo Bars – if you’re reading this and haven’t had one, I urge you to find a recipe they are delish! This was such an enjoyable evening as 60 of us were huddled together under the stars singing away – it’s amazing how sail training accelerates you into feeling like such a community, even within four days!
We waved goodbye to our Grace friends and continued to an anchorage by Little Tahiti Lake. On our journey we encountered quite the squall coming through Desolation Sound. We rapidly took down our courses and staysails and all stayed on deck to witness the transformation from sunshine into hailstone and then almost as quickly return back into calmness; a phenomenal display of the unpredictability of the weather when at sea! We had now entered what the crew described as the ‘day 4,5,6-time warp’ in which all of these days warp together into one. The time warp is symbolic of how close we became as a crew in those 4 days, we had swum, sailed, climbed the mast, sang and shared so much of each of our lives that the three days flew by. We were blessed with good weather, however sailing-wise the wind was often not favourable for our 455nm journey right from Victoria in the South of Vancouver Island to Port Hardy in the North. As most of my previous experience on tall ships was with square riggers it was awesome to get to know more about gaff sailing and I learnt a lot through sitting the Intermediate written exam, including taking a sounding with a lead line in fathoms (vintage I know!)
On the last few days we had morning raves, weighed the anchor manually (270ft in 15 minutes after a stellar team effort) a talent show and ship Sunday; an evening where everyone took some time to do a life line activity and then we took time to share and reflect on our lives, where we are now and where we were going while the Skipper shared a story from the Bible. It was an enjoyable time to just be together and share more about our lives of all faiths and none. On day 8 we were treated to a humpback doing a full body breach followed by a show of several whale tails – this is a sight I will never forget and the buzz aboard as people clambered up ladders to see it was incredible!
As we approached Port Hardy everyone gathered contact details and we sang ‘farewell to Nova Scotia’ on the boat for one last time. While I didn’t leave the boat until later that evening I found myself in a strange position. Not only had I flown 4,378 miles across the pond to sail a gorgeous topsail schooner, met many new people who I know will be friends for life, but I had experienced what sail training truly is – a community that crosses any national or geographical boundaries and bonds those of us who love sailing and adventure regardless of background, race or lifestyle. Ultimately, sailing is a way of life – an active choice to throw away the ‘luxuries’ of living in one place and instead to be an ocean nomad meeting with new people and nature along the way.