Fotoshoot

20 June 2025

Fotoshoot

When you’re getting your picture taken, you usually make sure your hair is combed and your clothes are neat. But what do you do for a photo shoot of a ship? Naturally, you want her to look her best too. So, you hoist all the sails, trim them carefully, tidy up the deck, and pick a course that fills every sail — certainly no luffing allowed!

After spending the previous day rigging the mizzen gaff topsail, yesterday it was finally time for the shoot. Around midday, all sails were set, the finest flags were hoisted, and the drone took off from the aft deck to capture video and photos from every possible angle.

The first round of drone flying was a success, although the lighting wasn’t ideal. So, we waited for the golden hour — that magical moment just before sunset — hoping for softer, more flattering light. For a moment, clouds threatened to ruin our shot, but just before the sun dipped into the sea, it reappeared, bathing the ship in golden light. The result? Some truly spectacular footage of the Oosterschelde, fully under sail and absolutely radiant at sea.

Today, the wind has picked up slightly. We’re now sailing with reefed gaff sails, and both the outer jib and upper topsail are furled tightly. Still, we’re making great speed — 7 to 8 knots — and the miles to the Azores are ticking down fast. Just a little over one hundred nautical miles to go!

After three weeks without sight of land, everyone is looking forward to spotting the Azores on the horizon — and maybe even making one or two stops before reaching our final destination: Horta.

Today brought the first signs that land is near: an increasing number of birds, mostly Shearwaters that breed on the islands, and two pods of dolphins — both Atlantic Spotted and Common. Later in the afternoon, we even spotted a few distant whale blows. Fingers crossed the islands live up to their reputation as a hotspot for whale and dolphin watching!