Departure from Denmark

It was a group of expectant and slightly nervous adventurers who set foot on board NEPTUN for the first time on 17 September 2023. The start of our first circumnavigation, and a very big day for the ship, the association and the crew in general.

The day passed quickly with moving on board and doing the initial crew interviews as well as the first safety exercises before setting sail.

On the 18th, the crew set out on the long journey all the way to Fur, as the weather forecast in the North Sea was very bad. On fur, the safety exercises continued and the ship was sea-secured - something you do before you get underway to ensure that all objects on board do not tip over when the ship is moving.

Thyborøn to Plymouth UK

After the strong wind in the North Sea, there was a fine weather window to advance towards England.
The old lake was rough for the first 12 hours, and NEPTUN and the crew were tested during those hours. It was a tough fight and for many their first experience with seasickness.

When the old lake had subsided it became more comfortable, and we continued on a westerly course, as there had to be 20-25 knots from the north-west before the wind would go south.

It was a great day finding the transom and stern to starboard neck down through the oil fields in the North Sea - I think everyone enjoyed this day.

Along the way, we had a leak in the fresh water system on the main engine, which required us to fill several buckets of water in the system during each shift.

The southerly winds came as promised, where we continued our sailing down towards the English Channel, but had to turn around and seek shelter in Harlingen from wind, weather and sea.

Harlingen is a big maritime town and the first land law was to see all the old Dutch ships in the harbor and canals and of course at the end of the day we also found a little beaver thing that could serve a Dutch beer or two.