La Coruña — Porto

Shtandart will leave A Coruña, built in 2nd century AD. Or the oldest functioning European lighthouse – The Tower of Hercules may call us from afar. Then Cape Finisterre is waiting for us. Long before our time, this place was considered the actual end of the world. They say if you walk to the farthest point and bend over you can see the four elephants and the three whales that hold our flat Earth on their back. Weather allowing, we’ll sail close to the rocks and go ashore in a village nearby to check out what is it you can really see there.

Alternatively, we might visit the cozy little harbor surrounded by fishermen shacks, on the hill above which rests the medieval town of Vigo.

We will continue what we started last leg. But the studies are going to be taken one step further.

It’s time to dive into deeper secrets of controlling a tall ship. Sail tuning and maneuvering, key details of action planning and execution. For the watch officer assistant it’s not enough to just know what to do. They need to be able to explain it to new hands, control and direct the action in real time. It’s not easy, but it’s a valuable experience.

Everyone will get their chance to lead setting and dousing the sails, the most action-hungry of you would get to stand on the bridge and tack or jibe the ship on their own. Quite possibly this is the most exciting time throughout the whole trip. Your heart sings when you see smooth teamwork under your guidance and realize that it is your hands and hands of your teammates that make the frigate move so flawlessly through a complicated maneuver.

But this is just a tip of the iceberg of WOA knowledge. You’d need to learn the ship’s systems. You’d need to be able to pump the galley tank and blackwater tank, give a safety speech to the new hands going aloft, or free a telltale stuck in the t’gallant. In other words you need to understand nearly everything about the ship and her people to be at the right place at the right time.

IYT International Crew (basic skills and knowledge of a qualified crew member): extra 120 Euro;

VHF short range radio operator: extra 180 Euro.

- By plane