Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Well, no rum was involved, but still, sailing is a lot of fun! This weekend I went on the DIS tall ship sailing trip. Sorry, no pictures at the moment, I didn't want to take my pretty camera on the ocean, but I will steal other people's as soon as possible.

The set up: 25 DIS students, 2 interns, 4 crew members, 1 ship, and lots of food and alcohol.

The results: new friends, great memories, and a renewed determination to live on or near the ocean.


We left Copenhagen Saturday morning, after putting up the sails and chasing all the Japanese tourists off our boat. (Seriously, there were about 100 of them, and they kept climbing on the ship, trying to take pictures and just generally be a nuisance. Our fantastic captain soon put a stop to that. But I hate to think how many photo albums and YouTube videos we will soon be featured in!) But we were soon underway, and for the first time of the season, the ship was able to leave Copenhagen under sail, as opposed to using the motor. The crew was very excited about that, so I guess it is a pretty big deal. With the wind at our back, we made quick time under the bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark, past Malmo, and continued up the Swedish coast. Essentially, we had very little work to do. We made lunch, played cards, organized our bunks (which were awesome!) and did our best to stay warm.

We made such good time, that we docked for the night in a port farther away than usual, Landskroner, Sweden. Naturally, the crew, leaders, and some students decided to venture into town, and managed to find the one bar in the very small town. A good time was had by all :)

In the morning, I was awake early, so made my way up to deck, got some reading for class done, and watched the sleepy town wake up on a lazy Sunday morning. I absolutely love the feeling of complete ease that I always associate with the ocean and port towns. It seems like a whole different world, with its own language, culture, and wonderful associations. This trip served to remind me how much I need to live near the water.

We did eventually get under sail again, and began to make our way back to Copenhagen. Of course, the wind was coming straight from Copenhagen, so we had more to do- lots and lots of tacking. Turning the ship is a bit like a well choreographed dance: everyone has a role to play, and each must do so at the right time. The captain serves the role of the music, coordinating everyone's actions to achieve the maximum results. I love that feeling of being part of something bigger than myself; I know that my small action fits in perfectly with a larger plan, and the results of said-plan are more than I can accomplish on my own.

We did make it back to Copenhagen, said goodbye to the crew, and made our way back to our host families, apartments, and kollegiums, all dreading the amount of work ahead of us (or at least I was). But it was totally worth it!