Over ons

Everything was arranged so well and so impressive. And the nature in Antarctica is so beautiful. This journey changes you !!

I stood with my elbow on the starboard rail watching the ocean pass by in the middle of the Drake Passage. I thought about the traffic, the emails, texts, phone calls, and every other aspect of the busy days at home. It occurred to me that, at that moment, returning home from a trip that was beyond incredible and soaking in the peace and serenity of being completely disconnected, I was in fact the happiest I had been in a long time. And that statement is a truly inadequate representation of how incredible the journey was.

My journey on the Bark Europa, short as it may have been, was an amazing one. The trip was a nice combination of relaxation and exercise. I also learned a lot about the ship and sailing it. I owe this experience to the crew members that were always enthusiastic and eager to explain everything.

Having voyaged on the Europa in the Tall Ships Races I can happily say that this ship outclasses all the others in terms of it's design and crew. This is a sailing ship and that means we set sails 2 metres from land and didn't take them in until we arrived at Fredrikstad a week later. Few tall ships of it's class have the same amount of clear deck space and practical design. The crew were brilliant and focused on teaching all of us how to be better shipmates. It was an unforgettable experience and one I am definitely going to repeat on this ship.

Everything about being on the Europa is just pure bliss to me; the crew were very nice and welcoming, the deckhands were very patient with us newbies, I haven't been this happy for a very long time. There are a couple of things that can be done better though: 1) Better communications between the permanent and voyage crew (e.g. room change arrangements) 2) Get more and/or better fishing gear with lectures on how to fish 3) Get better squeegees for deck wash! Other than that, coming on the Europa for 2.5 months was the best decision I've ever made. I hope I'll be back on the Europa in the near future.

Several months have passed now since I disembarked the Europa in Cape Town. And I still struggle to find words for that absolutely amazing experience. I loved every single day of it and that for many reasons. Hearing stories of Antarctic explorers and following their tracks in the Weddell Sea and South Georgia, visiting very remote places only a few others have been before, learning a lot about sailing and experiencing what it is like to sail 24/7, being involved in the Watch system and leaving my comfort zone once in a while, experiencing all kinds of weather from heavy storms and rough seas to sunny chill out days on deck. The absolutely amazing crew - I really thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful work you do. Janke, Finn and Merle for sailing us safely to Cape Town, Sarah, Jordi and Rich for guiding us im Antarctica and giving these great lectures, Gjalt and Merel for always keeping our belly filled with superb food, Rempart, Enguerrand, Mille, Rune, Lex, Beth, Adam, Loek, Greg, Adrian for always being happy and doing a fabulous job. Thank you Bark Europa Team for sharing your passion with us and keeping this old lady running.