Here are stories I wrote about preparing for the trip.
It’s the day before I am scheduled to drive to Rotterdam with Herman, a Superintendent. He’s going to do a hull inspection and some checks on some other stuff. Super excited. It will be interesting to see how day-to-day life unfolds on a much, much…
Yesterday, Yeliz, my crewing manager, called to say the route is (finally) known. It’s a doozy. Here is what it looks like: Leg 1: Rotterdam, Netherlands to Narvik, Norway Leg 2: Narvik, Norway to Hamburg, Germany Leg 3: Hamburg, Germany to Nuuk, Greenland Leg 4:…
My bags are packed. They have been for a few days now. They sit there, like the hospital bag I once kept ready in our hallway before giving birth to my two children. But this time, the waiting has a different quality. It is not…
My son, husband, and I started watching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s documentary Long Way Round. I’ve always wanted to see the series, and this feels like the right time to watch and pick up a few pointers. What struck me immediately was how they…
Some moments hit you in the chest, not like a punch, but like a kaleidoscope of butterflies bursting to life inside your ribcage. Your heart starts beating fast and light, and suddenly your brain is flooded, not with clarity, but with colour and movement and…
Choosing which books to bring along is one of my favourite parts of preparing for a voyage. There is usually time to read, even during watches. Yesterday I spent a few hours sorting through old favourites and new discoveries, trying to decide which ones would…
Time is moving quickly now toward the day I board an Oldendorff vessel at the beginning of August (still waiting to find out where this will be). The past few months have been a whirlwind of preparation. Getting a "Fit for Sea" stamp of approval…
The OC Voyage is not only a trip across the sea, it’s also a dive into storytelling. Since I'm a true geek, I’ll be trying out different ways to capture the experience, using a mix of tools that range from the handmade to the high-tech,…
D, my sibling, used to make the most extraordinary mixed cassettes for the family. Even back then, their taste in music was wildly eclectic. They blended genres with what I can only call controlled chaos—ska with classical, reggae with Monty Python. I wore those cassettes…
I’ve always admired those highly organised people with their to-do lists, checklists, and laser-sharp focus on details. I wish I could say I was one of them. After all these years of travelling, both for work and for myself, you’d think I’d have it down…
Last week, I finished the last in a long series of medical tests. That means I officially have the greenlight to embark on what I’m calling my OC Voyage*. The last company I worked for, Oldendorff Carriers (OC), gave me the most amazing parting gift,…
I never really liked reading books by Ernest Hemingway. Too macho for me. Too much Tarzan on steroids and alcohol debauchery. And the bulls, OMG, the bulls. Yet, oddly enough, I did enjoy The Old Man and the Sea. There was a thread of interwoven…
Oldendorff Carriers is kindly letting me join one of their bulk carriers for six weeks. This is a dream I had carried for decades. Since my twenties, when I used to sail long-distance with my father. Whenever we were in larger harbours, or even out…