day 11: Thursday June 25 evening—Max
We believe Moleskine magic brought out the whales. Today turned out to be the longest day after summer solstice. We had been spotting Moleskines popping up around Antigua here and there ranking in abundance with the number of Polaroid cameras on this expedition. After dinner as we were getting ready for our Moleskine Arctic photoshoot on deck and making the announcement to head up, whales appeared and gazing out into the ocean ensued.
On what he loves most about being at sea:
- being surrounded by nature, the elements
- it teaching us how small we are compared to the world
- knowing how powerful the ocean can be, right now it's calm but it can change quickly
On how to become a captain:
- education—Mathematics and English are both very important, English is the language at sea; perhaps having studied astronomy too, and an interest in nature is necessary
- safety training and courses in personal survival, first aid, fire fighting and human behaviour
- obtain a Seaman's book
- build up experience working as a deckhand, then able bodied seaman
- knowing the boat—different boat sizes have different training and requirements
- ~10 years experience to become a great captain
On what qualities/characteristics he looks for in his crew:
- tolerant
- social minded/social competency
- responsible
One item he always has with him:
- binoculars
On the significance of the location of the wheelhouse:
- located midship as there is less movement
- rudders are now hydraulic, before when the rudder was at the back of the boat, the wheelhouse with the steering wheel also needed to be at the back of the boat
His home on land:
- Cologne, Germany
Heading to bed, sun still shining brightly, at 2 am. I reckon breakfast will be rather quiet at 7:30am.
Zzz,
Max