This is about a week in the life of James Cook, a 70ft steel ocean going ketch that belongs to the sail training organisation Ocean Youth Trust North East and is painted bright yellow.
The groups we have on board come from all over the UK and have many different backgrounds. The only thing they have in common is that they all start with a clean slate as we rarely know anything about them and their past is not relevant to what we do.
When the crew arrives they find themselves bunks and lockers, unpack and settle in for a while before we play the name game. Here we all sit around the big saloon table and everybody tells us their name, their expectations and fears and what they would like to get out of the week. The hard bit is having to recall and recite the names of everybody who has gone before. Most people forget someone but at the end of the session we can all remember most peoples names, which is important. They also meet the volunteer seastaff and learn about their role during the week.
Next comes some practical sessions down below. They learn how to use sea toilets, light the gas cooker and find some waterproofs. They practice fitting their lifejackets - you can’t do this alone and they find they have to help each other – then they are each given their own safety harness. The crew is not allowed on deck at sea without being attached to special safety lines running around the boat that prevent them from falling over the side into the sea. Up on deck they learn how to tie some useful knots and how to prepare the boat for sea and for coming alongside in port. They are shown all the safety equipment and learn the ropes. There is a lot to take in. Everybody is allocated to a watch and gets a place on the cooking and cleaning rotas.
After dinner we have the Doom and Gloom chat where we brainstorm ‘all the things that could possibly go wrong at sea’. The intention is not to frighten everybody to death but to make people aware of how they could be injured and how to avoid it. This must work because we have a very good safety record. We cover in detail man-overboard, fire, collision and seasickness and how to prevent them.
Before we go to bed we sit around the table with a chart of the North Sea and I ask them where they would like to sail. This leads on to learning how to measure distance and estimate voyage time and we soon work out that going to Norway is not always an option, and anyway not everybody has brought their passport. (On some voyages we do cross the North Sea to Norway, Holland, Denmark and the Baltic and we take part in the Tall Ships Races but that is another story).
When I ask them what affects where we can go in a sailing ship they always come up with wind and weather and then someone remembers the tide. I always compare the tide to a travelator at the airport. Walking along on the travelator means your speed over the ground is faster but if you tried walking in the opposite direction you would struggle to get anywhere. We discuss the wind and where the boat can and can’t sail and the various motions the boat makes. We then get a weather forecast and decide where we can go over the next few days. They work out how long it will take them to get there and add on time for getting the sails up and down at either end of the passage. They add to this an estimate of how long it will take to get up, get dressed and have breakfast. Then they can work out what time we need to get up in the morning and therefore at what time to have some hot chocolate and go to bed.
The first day sailing is always a challenge. We tell them it will be and we warn them that they will be taken out of their comfort zone where everything is warm and familiar. They may end up tired, sick and cold but despite this there is work that must be done to sail the boat. Everybody must stand a watch. It normally takes a long time to get the boat ready and to get the sails up as it’s their first time and they are not yet working as a team. Then comes the man overboard drill. Here they learn their roles in a recovery and how to ensure not to lose sight of a person’s head bobbing in and out of the waves. Also they observe just how much other work is involved in sending out a Mayday on the radio while stopping the boat and manoeuvring it back alongside the person in the water, then physically getting the casualty back on board and treating for hypothermia and shock. The casualty might then need transferring to a helicopter or the lifeboat. The lesson is that it’s best to stay clipped on!
On passage we teach the crew how to steer a compass course or to the wind, what to look out for when they are on watch and are responsible for the safety of the ship. They learn how to complete the ship's log every hour on the hour. When we arrive at our destination everybody is involved in getting the sails down and preparing the boat to come alongside with lines and fenders. Once secured, we tidy up on deck and down below and sit down to a hot drink. It’s been a long day. Most people have, to some degree, been sick, cold and tired and are probably wondering just what they have let themselves in for.
After supper we reflect on the day, look at the chart and trace out where we have been, relating our experiences during the day to places on the chart. Then we discuss tomorrow. I ask them what they want to do. If it’s been tough they may decide they want some time ashore to look around. Sometimes they decide that in order to get to their dream destination they need an early start. They also need to learn that they can’t always get what they want. If the wind is in the wrong direction or the weather is too bad they simply can’t get there. They also learn the need to compromise because it has to be a group decision. We encourage them to talk to each other, to negotiate and to discuss, to take into consideration individual wishes and to take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the crew. For example, if its been a windy day someone who has not been sick might be really keen to go out for a long sail in similar conditions whereas someone else who has been sick several times might want to go home. In the end it is a group decision and everybody has to agree and be a part of it.
Each day we encourage the crew to get more involved in the running of the boat. They learn how to navigate, plot the ship’s position on the chart using GPS and radar and help with pilotage in and out of harbour. Of course we don’t spend all our time at sea. We explore the places we visit, sometimes going ashore in the dinghy from an anchorage to have a barbecue. We organise treasure hunts in the ports we visit and have a big stock of games on the boat. There is also some time needed for learning, for those who want to achieve their RYA Competent Crew award, and time to just chill out.
We are an RYA teaching centre and are able to award nationally recognised certificates. We take learning seriously and have a professional development programme for all our seastaff and volunteers. People who have sailed with OYT are recognised in sailing circles for being well trained and doing things in a professional manner. Some go on to have careers at sea.
Towards the end of the week, if they are keen, the crew take over the running of the boat, under the watchful eye of the seastaff, appointing their own skipper, mate and watchleaders, doing all their own passage planning and executing the plan.
At the end of the week we give the boat a thorough clean down and have a debrief. Everybody shares their high and low points and their lasting memory. We award voyage certificates to all and Competent Crew certificates to those who have achieved. Then it’s up on deck for a group photograph and time to go home. This is usually an emotional moment with tearful farewells and promises to keep in touch and to come back next season. Many do come back and stay in touch by email, visiting the boat when she is in port. Some come back as volunteers and help with refit and sail as bosun/trainee mates. Many an OYT skipper started out like this.
By the time they arrive home their photograph and a voyage report is on this web site.
We believe the challenge of the sea can help people to learn teamwork and mutual trust. We make them take responsibility for their own actions and decisions, and encourage them to develop a sense of equality and fairness with an understanding of the different needs and backgrounds of others. They will learn a range of seamanship skills and acquire an awareness of the environment. That is our mission.
In the evening the next crew arrive…
