26 June 2021 – Day 6

At the crack of dawn part of the crew went on a much needed supply run in Hoorn while the rest started their morning with some exercise on the deck. As we sat sail for the Wadden Sea an incredible aroma started to rise up from the ships kitchen. Full of energy and with an incredible sense of pride and trust in each other we descended upon our morning feast like a colony of hungry seagulls.

After a very intense week program there was now more room to appreciate and celebrate the incredible growth we all experienced as both an individual and as a group. Just like a starry night, where standing still and calmly gazing above reveals more and more stars, this moment of peace in our busy week allowed us to truly grasp just how far we’ve come in such a short period. This led to a spontaneous dancing session on the sunny deck, as the typical Dutch southwest winds carried us forward, trading the fresh water of the Marker and Ijssel Meer for the salty Wadden Sea.

It was here in the Wadden Sea that captain Frank and his mate Natalya carefully navigated the Aldebaran on the mudflats. Here we could enjoy yet another amazing swimming session where it seemed that we were truly in the middle of mother nature. As the tide retreated we could hear the bones of the mighty Aldebaran creak, as she settled herself firmly onto the mudflat. A truly sensational experience, which coincidently occurred on the day of the mudflat. Full of awe and excitement we descended upon what was just a few moments ago the bottom of the Wadden Sea with the Aldebaran waiting for us on the horizon.

Making sure that to arrive back at the ship before the water would rise again, since behind the beauty of this incredible world heritage site lurked the treacherously strong forces of the tide. With the crew safely on board nature showed her strength and picked the over 300 tons of the Aldebaran with great ease, sighing and creaking as the Ship slowly picked her self up from the ground. This joyous moment heralded the start of our final evening and under the warm blanket of good food, singing and guitar music and above all good company we gazed one final time towards the stars with a red moon slowly rising above us.

Written by Enahu Tahitu