4am Morning Watch. 64 miles from Folkestone. A little light in the sky. Dry. Light headwind. Half an hour on starboard watch, little to see. Next duty: completing the ship’s log with position, wind speed… when suddenly:
Overnight someone on the ship has unfortunately suffered severe sea sickness, and requiring an immediate evacuation, and a helicopter and a lifeboat are on their way. We move the boom to starboard and make it fast to give space at the back of the ship for the helicopter evacuation. I don’t see the rest because the trainee crew are sent down to the mess while the professional crew take charge. However we are able to watch through the portholes as the lifeboat comes alongside and two medics come on board to assist the helicopter crew.
Watch finishes at 8am and it’s time for breakfast, followed by morning briefing. Our helicopter evacuee is safe in the hospital.
The daytime is quiet. It’s a beautiful sunny day as we pass the Isle of Wight and the Needles lighthouse. Few people are on deck, sleep is much in need. I sit and enjoy being at sea.
4pm. First dog watch. I’m back on watch, and it’s my turn to take the Helm. It’s enjoyable, focusing on the compass and the rudder direction. And then: more action: the helicopter returns with a different crew wanting to practice with us.
It’s 5:30pm and we head into to Poole for a 24 hour stopover. The captain guides the ship with regular calls to the Helmsman of “Port 5”, “Midships”, “Starboard 10”. We come alongside the mooring, and our RIB is in the water to push the bow of the Pelican so we can moor. The phrase “All hands on deck” is no longer just a metaphor as we put the mooring lines ashore and put out the gangplank. Dinner of spaghetti bolognaise goes down well. In the evening there’s shore leave and many of us enjoy a pint in Poole.