Come Sail Away
Anyone else ever dreamed of captaining a pirate ship?
I have always fantasized about what it would be like to actually stand on the main deck overlooking the seas. Climbing the rigging. Setting the sails. Helm in hand, as I sail towards my heading. This was the day I got to live my dream, and how it was one of the best days of my life.
December 5, 2021 I drove in to port and looked upon the mighty vessel. The One and All, a training vessel located in Port Adelaide. I had seen Tall ships before and I always thought they were the coolest thing. They’ve always had a sense of being out of time, like they didn’t really belong in modern times, being surrounded by freight ships, speed boats and yachts.
When I saw the ship, I was about to board, I couldn’t believe it, I geeked out and had a giddy feeling build up inside me, perhaps it was my inner child or a deeper calling. Maybe I was a swash buckling pirate in a past life, or maybe the sight of the ship resonated with the yearning I have to be free.
Free to travel. Free to live unburdened, untethered and unconditionally my way.
Oh a pirates life would certainly be for me.
After a safety briefing, everyone was given free rein to explore the ship at their leisure. I had booked a five hour cruise and you can bet I planned to make the most of every second.
First up was the opportunity to climb the rigging. Now I’m somebody who is not great with heights, so I was fighting an internal battle of what to do. I knew I did not want to miss out, and there was no way I was going to let fear compromise who I am and what I want. So you can bet, I was the first volunteer up those ropes. I was harnessed up and away I went. I had to swing myself around to the outside of the rigging and pull myself up. The gaps between each foothold were big and not always the easiest to get your foot into, but I went up quickly and without hesitation.
When I reached the top… Wow.
The view was unbelievable.
The smell of the ocean tickled my nose, the breeze gliding gently across my skin. The sound of the waves crashing against the bow. The suns warmth embraced me. Time seemed to last forever. I felt so at peace, and so damn happy. My smile must have stretched a mile. It was the best feeling.
With my feet safely back on deck I chatted to the crew members, who taught me how to anchor the ropes and they explained what each were called and their purpose. I loved being hands on, and being able to experience it all myself.
I made my way to the quarter deck to talk to the captain, he was a lovely man, who actually let me steer the ship.
Tightening my hands around the helm, I could feel the weight of the vessel, the drag of the wind in the sails. I could hear the crashing of the waves, the call of sea birds flying high above. I was is total bliss. Turning the notches of the helm to stay on our heading… it was magic.
I captained the ship for at least fifteen minutes before moving on to see what else I could do, I would have stayed there the whole time if I was allowed to. I then got to know some of the other visitors onboard, continued to explore the ship and spent the afternoon relaxing on the deck, eating amazing food that the crew had prepared, and just taking in the full experience and view. That’s when I got to see dolphins swimming along side the ship, dancing in the waves. It was the perfect way to end an amazing day of sailing on the high seas.
This turned out to be such an amazing day, and I am so glad I had the courage to go by myself. To fully immerse myself in the experience, and complete a life long dream. I will certainly go back to do it again.
The ship was run by a group of volunteers, and when we docked they asked me if I wanted to join up and take part in future voyagers as a volunteer, because I showed passion and had a real affinity with life at sea.
I can honestly say that I would love to do so and will look into doing it in future.
