49.25.5 x 66.06.8'W

We have now rounded Cape Breton Island and have been largely steaming for a few days into the Cabot Strait heading for the St. Lawrence River. The Gaspésie peninsula and its gray-blue stretch of high hills lie about 14 miles to our port. Meanwhile, the radio chatter has taken on a distinctly French accent - the likes of which our deckhand Daniel Baxter cannot help but lampoon to our French deckhand Lucie L'Haridon.

Headwinds or too light of winds have offered little opportunities to put up our canvas. Now, while the engines do most of the work our crew now finds the time to repair our few wind-beaten sails; the main course and its big leech seam tear is now fixed and the sail is now bent back aloft, ready for action. As I write this Diven is finishing bending on our inner jib in the bowsprit. Now, all that is left is a rip near the clew of our fore-topmast staysail; a more troublesome fix apparently, but one that will have to be accomplished.

As we move inland to green-tinted waters, we seem to be leaving the stark chill of the North Atlantic behind us. Yesterday, for maybe the first time in days, the off-going watch stayed on deck to banter in the afternoon, instead of fleeing to the deckhouse or their bunks. We are getting just enough sun in the mornings to trick poor Tom into thinking he has a good varnishing day, only to be ruined, time and again by an unpleasant afternoon of rain, spray or both!  However, maybe our luck will turn now that Diven finished having a talk with the "Divine" at our 0800 watch change for more sun on Tom's behalf - a request for a hot, dry sunny day here in Quebec. I laughed.

A real purpose behind my writing in Europa's logbook and the ASTA (American Sail Training Association) blog is to inspire others to sail on tall ships. It was not until after college that I became involved in this offshore lifestyle - certainly not too late, but if I had known about this when I was younger I would have been frothing-at-the-mouth excited about getting involved! Do not be fooled - a tall ship may seem far away when you see it from the shore, but getting your hands on its lines to set sail is a more accessible experience than most people realize.

On Europa I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with one shipmate who was influenced through my writing to get directly involved in tall ship sailing - Nate Engel. Like me, he wishes he had known he could have started sailing earlier.
Nate, in the six weeks he has been on Europa, has gone from being a trainee on the voyage crew, to working alongside the professional crew in their longer watches and extended responsibilities. While it is not unusual for hardworking and diligent trainees to be asked to join the professional crew, what makes Nate unique is that, unlike most, he came to Europa with that goal specifically in his sights.

Hailing from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a self-described "middle of the woods" town, Nate comes from a seemingly unlikely place for an aspiring tall ship sailor. Where then did the now 24-year-old Nate, among the lakes and woodlands of his home get the inspiration to sail on an ocean-faring square-rigger? His inspiration was largely kindled by going to ASTA tall ship festivals and events in the Great Lakes. As a child, he says his family would drive hours to see the ships come into port, and that in later years he himself would travel extensively in the lakes to visit any port that had the tall ships. Even from childhood he says he aspired to be a "pirate." Not to go robbing and plundering of course, but to live a lifestyle the literary pirate symbolizes; as Nate says, a life of "bravery, independence and freedom."

After two years of college in an engineering school and unsure of the course set ahead for him, Nate started working full-time to save money to come on board the Europa as voyage crew. As he put his nickels and dimes in the bank, Nate needed to decide on which ship to go on. Picking up the ASTA "Sail Tall Ships" book, he was astounded. "A whole new world was opened up to me," he says. "I had no idea there were so many tall ships willing to take inexperienced people." His decision to choose the Europa came quickly after reading my article and excerpts from the logbook entries from my own summer on Europa in 2009, along with a visit to Europa's website for more details. It seemed, to him, a natural place to start.

Nate feels, in retrospect, that he made the right choice; "As soon as I stepped on board I felt more comfortable than anywhere else. I immediately fit in and knew I made the right choice as to where to start sailing." Wanting to learn and get onto the professional crew roster as a volunteer, Nate's will to work soon found him in the day watch, working 8am to 8pm to assist the bosun and to also help master-varnisher Tom Fitzgibbon beautify the ship in preparation for this summer's festivals. His hard work afterwards landed him an invitation to join "port watch" to work with the professional crew. Now his duties go beyond steering, lookout, sail-handling and helping out with deck maintenance. He now can be seen working with us to accomplish some of the less-glamorous, but still essential daily work; cleaning, dishwashing and baking bread (which is fun, when it works.) But being on the crew has many perks, and Nate now gets to stitch sails or fight the wind in furling our high sail aloft. It is less sleep and longer hours, but we all think it is fun, good and honest work, something unique that you know you can really talk about.

Of his time thus far on Europa, Nate says that "It's more of a job interview than a vacation."  He doesn't hide the fact that he wants to make a career out of sailing tall ships. His only regret is that he didn't know he could do it earlier. "I am so glad tall ships still exist and feel lucky now to be a part of them," he says, "I can't see myself doing anything else." "The feeling you get when you are at the helm and the ship is completely powered by wind in the sails, will never change." It sounds like he has more direction now, then he did back on shore when he was trying to find his way, before he discovered the tall ships.

Nate told me a story about the first port he sailed into on Europa; Guayaquil in Ecuador. As the crew was going ashore, Ruud Blokzijl saw Nate staying on the ship. He asked him, surprised "Nate, you're not going to shore?" Nate's reply? "I spent over 20 years on shore; I think I prefer the ship."

Nate's experience mirrors my own in that I did not realize just how open, friendly and accessible the tall ship community is to newcomers. You do not have to be a sailor, but you can become one, whether for a few days or weeks to have a unique experience or for something more, the ships are open to those enthusiastic and willing to learn their ways. Perhaps, in so doing, you can learn something about yourself in the challenge sea-faring offers. It is really quite easy, pick up a book, visit a ship, visit a website and be unashamedly brash about your questions! There is something in it for everyone.

By Matthew Maples