
29/07/2025
Quite a large group of this voyage is into games and gambling. Card games are being played almost every night, occasionally also poker. The murder game has been on for a few days now, and as one would expect with this group, people are making pacts, secretly trading cards and conspiring cooperative kills. Even though we have been on board for a few weeks now, there is energy in the air.
I have never seen a group this motivated to learn the lines for the famous pin rail chase we had earlier in this trip - hyping each other up, going for the win. Sails are set in record times and there is quite a big group of people helping with maintenance: varnishing, making grommet, making baggy wrinkles; people are crafting all the time.
During the ‘pass the pig’ tournament, it became clear once again we have some risk takers in our midst and therefore, I organised ‘the games’ yesterday afternoon. We played Dutch games and silly games like the Dutch game 'spijkerpoepen', thumb wars, rock-paper-scissors, ‘who can put on an overall one-handed fastest’ and grommet throwing. You could earn points by winning, but also by betting on the right team. Lose your bet or double it. Everyone was so invested with every single game, cheering people on like they were horses in a race. We let out some energy, had light spirited fun, and due to rather obvious cases ‘bending the rules’ by at least half of the teams, no ultimate winners. That is also a great quality of this group; they are immensely competitive but are in the end not obsessed with who takes the win. It is all about the fun and the process. At sea, there is mental space for creativity, games and silliness. And then of course the added benefit of always having people around to play with.
Even though this all seems very intense, there is also peace. In the morning the deck is empty – the atmosphere is calm and silent. After coffee the first people start maintenance; calmly painting, scraping or crafting with a view on the ocean. Sometimes there is chatting or music, sometimes it is meditative moment. After lunch everybody seems up; we clean, set sails, listen to lectures or play boardgames. And then, in the late afternoon, when the light slowly turns golden, peace returns once more. The last hours of light are enjoyed with reading, writing in diaries, or simply napping in the afternoon sun.
- Marretje Adriaanse, July 26th 2025