Aboard the Queen of the Sea
- heloisebuckland
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Guest blog by crewmate Angus
My time with Saecwen started with a ‘bat signal’ in the form of a Whatsapp message, informing me that a long awaited Atlantic low-pressure system had emerged. There was a short window of fair-weather for Saecwen to make her way across the Bay of Biscay and, to my delight, there was a berth with my name on it. With little but a broad idea of what was in store for me, I gathered my belongings and caught a flight to Brest where we set sail for A Coruña around 350 miles to the southwest.
When I pictured a sail from France and along the Spanish coast, the name Abyssal Plain wasn’t one I pictured coming my way. I’d expected beautiful coastlines and tasty seafood, maybe a beach or two - in the name of foreshadowing I have to say they did appear in the end - however, I was greeted on the chart by the Abyssal Plain that rests at the bottom of a 4000 metre continental shelf. This created some rather turbulent waters and a spot of seasickness. Having danced this dance before, I knew that sleep is your best friend in these situations. So when I wasn’t on watch, catching a blood red moonrise or delighting in the dolphins that joined us from time to time, you could find me bellow having a nap or a “Hurkel Durkle” - a 200 year old Scottish phrase that means to lie in bed past the point when you should get up; a phrase that I feel should be used more often.
Once we reached the coast of Spain and it’s expansive Rias life took on a more relaxed pace, though the foreboding names continued; the ¨Costa de la Muerte¨ (Coast of Death) is peppered by headlands with names such as ¨The Villain¨, ¨The Bewitched¨ or ¨The Vultures¨. Luckily their names didn’t stack up with the landscapes that slid past, as we hopped from A Coruña to Muros with couple of stops along the way. We enjoyed evenings of delicious Spanish tapas, nights aboard learning to play Mahjong and hikes ashore.
But what was just as important as the adventures was the downtime, whether at sea or at anchor. I heard stories about sailing trips to Morocco in the original Saecwen, boat raids and that one time Charles’ grandfather caught a shark and scared a new crew member so badly that she abandoned ship the next morning. There were so many stories - but you’ll have to ask for yourselves as I can’t do them justice. From her classical construction to the pictures in the cabin, there is a real sense of history on Saecwen and I like to think I’ve given her a push as she sets out to make a little more.
It’s a real privilege to have been able to spend time on a boat like Saecwen. Have a fantastic time Charles and Heloise, look after each other and let me know when you get that Finisterre sponsorship. I’ll be wanting a hoodie ;)
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