The Sea Stallion gets a bath

The Sea Stallion was emptied and scrubbed clean ready for the trip across the North Sea. Photo: Werner Karrasch
The Sea Stallion was emptied and scrubbed clean ready for the trip across the North Sea. Photo: Werner Karrasch
Published 18th Jul 2008

Preparations for next week’s voyage across the North Sea are under way.

After a good night’s sleep at the local sports field at Lowestoft on the English North Sea coast, the next stop after Ramsgate, skipper Vibeke Bischoff was in a mood for cleaning at the morning meeting on Friday.

“This weekend will be spent making the ship ready for the voyage across the North Sea,” she said. “We’ll start by emptying the whole ship, taking out personal effects – get the whole damn lot out, including all those salami and mackerel salad sandwiches right at the bottom.”

“Get everything out, hose the ship down thoroughly and pump the hull dry using the midship pumps – and remember the lunch boxes,” Vibeke Bischoff called out to the crew, who had just swallowed a luxurious breakfast of porridge, yoghurt, and ham and cheese sandwiches on the landing stage in Lowestoft’s marina.

Everything was topsy-turvy for the next four hours. Fortunately, we weren’t able to get rid of the smell of tar from the ship, so now it’s back to normal – nice and clean. And then there was shore leave for everyone except the anchor watch. Over the weekend, the whole ship will have a thorough check-up, so it is well prepared for the demanding trip home to Denmark.

“When do we leave for Denmark?” one of the crew asked.

“Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, depending on the weather,” answered Vibeke Bischoff. “We say hello to 16 new crew on Saturday evening and goodbye to 16 of the old crew on Sunday.”


Created by Lars Normann