Last time I stepped onboard Europa was in 2018 sailing from the Azores to Harlingen. Last time I sailed to Antarctica was the 2015/16 season – 7 years ago! Feelings to come sailing again were of course excited but also nervous – would I remember the lines? How to furl a sail? How to bake bread with just the right amount of love in it?

But of course, Europa is still Europa, and I quickly fell into the rhythm of the ship. Even the not so rhythm of the Drake Passage…
Dancing in the galley, little chats in the deck house in the night and peaceful moments watching the birds swoop alongside us. Spotting satellites when all the stars are moving is a game I forgot, or have just learnt.

Antarctica makes me feel like a teeny tiny speck of dust like we pick out of the Velcro in our jackets for bio security. I definitely don’t remember smelling the blow of a whale last time I was here. Even among this incredible nature, for me the best part is the people onboard. To see old friends, and make new, this is the most special. I never really left their company in this seven years, and even when I step off they will stay with me forever.