Extracts from the diary of Quartermaster
Bart Huijs onboard clipper ship Stad Amsterdam
PHOTOGRAPHS ANTHONY SMITH WORDS BART HUIJS
CROSSING
THE PACIFIC
ONBOARD
22ND JANUARY PAPEETE, TAHITI
After our twenty-day crossing from the Galapagos,
spending the last three days in Papeete harbour has felt a
little strange. During such a long time at sea, you forget so
many of the sights and sounds of land, and it can be a bit
overwhelming when you first step back ashore. But once
you get used to it again it’s all very nice. There was plenty
of entertainment during the gangway watch — all night
long, young people were out on the streets having fun,
trying to impress each other by doing wheelies on their
scooters! Tomorrow we set sail on our four-thousand mile
trip to Sydney and another twenty-one days at sea.23RD JANUARY LEAVING PAPEETE
Before setting sail we topped up on water and fuel and
brought aboard some fresh fruit and veg. As soon as
everything was safely stowed, we brought in the gangway
and set sail at 10:30am. The captain is expecting 40 knots
of wind during the next days, so we’re preparing the
storm-sails. It could be an exciting start to the trip!