0011 -  43.50.6'N x 78.52.8'W
By Matthew Maples

"Sorry, I hate pigeons" said Harko, the mate, after he slammed his flip-flop loudly on the deck to scare away a scrounging pigeon. I remember when I first saw him, on board, this pigeon - during the afternoon coffee break on the 27th. How a solitary pigeon finds its way onto our deck on Lake Ontario, relatively far from land and cities is beyond me. I didn't mind him at first, but I realized that I agreed with Harko after I cleaned the library early yesterday morning. The bird had taken refuge after a small thunderstorm made our deck unpleasant at our anchorage. After cleaning up his excrement, he thereupon proceeded to create an even bigger mess!
Suddenly his walking our corridors, bobbing his head lockstep with his feet seemed a lot less cute. Apparently Harko tried to throw him overboard that morning, but he just flew back on to the ship!

The highlight of yesterday was a long overdue, yet fantastic, sail! Not long after heaving anchor that morning did we set all plain sail.
We sailed from the north end of Lake Ontario, to its southern shore, and then tacked the ship to reach the north again, ending at an anchorage just twenty miles from our final destination, Toronto. During my watch in the afternoon, the ship was heeled over and we could hear the waves forcefully and loudly parted by our bull-faced bow as we made an average of eight knots. After so many weeks of motoring it is a relief to have the too-rhythmic "thrum" of the engine replaced by the hum of staysail sheets as they vibrate with the wind.

Our tack in the afternoon was good. Harko told me afterwards that it "went well" even though we had a "quite small (amount of) hands.(and
that) not everyone had done it before." The tack was a maneuver using the wind and our sails to push our ship towards a new direction. With this tack, we were able to change the heading of our ship, from the South West to the North West, and sail her close-hauled until the end of the day - a mighty good and refreshing sail that filled spirits on board as surely as canvas.

The end of the day also saw a filling to our bellies, as we ended with a "braai" barbeque - always my favorite type of day on board Europa - a thoroughly satisfying and well deserved feast of lamb, beef and pork cutlet for the post-climactic sail of our voyage leg. High spirits rose with the smoke and scent of cooking meat, which tasted better after an afternoon of hard, but good, work. We now have our anchor dropped at the north of Lake Ontario, a mere 20-ish miles from Toronto. We are close enough to civilization that I just heard a train pass by while I type this in the ship's office.

One of the best things about tall ships is the relationships you develop with the people around you. In land-life, you have your family that you know and the friends that you pick. A ship, however, will challenge you to work and live with people "outside your norm". In the case of Europa, that can encompass not just any age group, but any culture as well! Always we are busy on ship, so you do not have the time to sit down and interview everyone. But one by one and bit by bit, you learn tidbits about people and over time you come to realize that they are almost always far more complicated (in a good way) than you initially imagined.

An example would be our voyage crewmember Pieter Kesteloo.
Initially, when he came on board in Panama he was quiet and observant. Yet, with the departure of a large amount of voyage crew in the last few ports, Pieter has stood "up to the plate" to fill in the gap -He works as hard as the crew and can often be seen varnishing the wood or furling errant canvas aloft! In short quips over meals and in between jobs I have come to know him much better and I find that many of his sentiments echo my own, despite our age and cultural differences. Some of which I feel are "fit to print."

Pieter came to Europa with a small mission in mind; to reflect on his forty years of life; "Out on the ocean with zero influence," he said, is a "mind clearing experience." He summed his time on Europa with one word; "balance"; Living on Europa made life more "elemental". Travel, he explained to me, makes life simple. For here he could meet new people, enjoy passing scenery, work hard, learn and reflect. Here far away from his home in the Netherlands and from the distractions and noise of our modern, wired society, he could finally think, away from obligations.

There is an inherent simplicity in travel that he says he cannot find at home. For at home there is the burden of meetings, calculation and corporate diplomacy inherent in working for a large Dutch natural gas company. Here on Europa our days our determined in response to the wind and waves as we find solutions to getting from point A to point B. It is a simple life, mentally, he says; "it is regulated, organized, challenging and ever-changing" - a perfect backdrop for deeper thinking. For here, on quiet nights away from city lights, there is a certain solace among the bare elements.

After nearly seven weeks, Pieter's reflections have given him some insightful conclusions; for one, he is thinking about a career change.
His corporate life, he says, leaves him several degrees removed from being able to witness the good his actions cause. Whereas on the Europa, where we work as a team, our individual actions have direct effects on the crew around us-a decision to help a shipmate in need as they furl a sail may directly affect their success or failure.

He says that he wants to work "on something beautiful or work at something that gives people pleasure." As he tells me this during lunch yesterday I realize why he may have come to Europa. This is a beautiful ship, no doubt, and wherever we go we leave smiles in our wake. I think it really "brings up" someone else's day to see us, whether on the sea or coming down their river. Sailing ships are a symbol of freedom and of living in harmony with the elements around us. Something that I feel makes a difference, however small, to those who see us.and much more to those who come sail with us. As a symbol, our working existence is a material manifestation of dreams and ideals - an inspiration, so to speak.

We have apparently inspired Pieter, after his reflection, to pursue a new career that allows him to make "more direct" differences in the lives of people around him. He wants to see them smile; much as I see others smile and wave as we sail past their towns and homes, and as they come visit our ship in port.

Speaking of, we should arrive in Toronto early tomorrow morning for a parade of sail and the beginning of a tall ships festival. Should be busy and hopefully, we will make many people happy and perhaps inspire a few to something new.