From Australia to Canada

By Joel Murphy, Trainee on Pacific Swift Summer 2018 Trip 2

 

Discovering SALTS

It all started a little over a year ago. I had just completed a tall ship voyage in Australia. I absolutely loved sailing the ship, however for a number of reasons I didn't have the best time. I thought to myself, “next time I sail, I want to go somewhere beautiful and where I am guaranteed to not know anyone.”

So I searched #tallship on Instagram and was scrolling through when I spotted the most beautiful photo of the Pacific Swift and Pacific Grace sailing side by side. I found the SALTS home page, found their website, and found out that they are 13,000 km away from me. I decided I needed to see this place, these ships, and crew in person.

I sent a few emails back and forth and eventually applied. A few months went by and I watched their YouTube video more than enough times, until 3-4 months later I received an email saying I had been accepted on Voyage 2 (Victoria to Port Hardy). Well shucks, it all became real. So I just did it, I started making plans for my first overseas trip. I booked time off work, paid for my voyage, flights, and accommodation. Again I watched the YouTube videos and followed their Instagram closely until it was time to leave.

Risks and Rewards I arrived in Canada on the fourth of July: found out data is crazy expensive, spent three days in Vancouver and six in Victoria, and fell in love with Victoria. The lakes, waterfalls, and hikes are breathtaking! I arrived at the dock on the thirteenth and lined up for the Grace, only to realize I was in the wrong line. I was on the Swift. The first day was amazing meeting everyone getting assigned into watch groups and getting my bearings on the ship. So I'm not going to go into detail about everything that happened on this voyage because I believe it’s best to experience it firsthand and nothing I say will do it justice. What I can tell you is this: my whole journey was a risk. A risk to try one more youth scheme of sailing on a boat that I found on Instagram! It had cost me thousands of dollars to get to, only to find out I was the oldest trainee. "Now to tell you I had the time of my life would be the understatement of the year."

We all yelled, screamed, sang, ran flat out like a lizard drinking, jumped off ratlines, flipped off bowsprits, swam in beautiful lakes, showered in freshwater waterfalls, watched whales breech and seals chase fish, cried hearing/telling stories, played instruments, hiked through rain forests, rowed dories, changed each other's names, sailed the beautiful Pacific Swift, cleaned (a lot), tucked sheets in with butter knifes, tested each other’s and certainly the crew’s sanity, broke out of comfort zones, climbed up and around the ship with smashing waves in a storm, found out you can bite a jelly fish and live to tell the story, and discovered that sunscreen and granola is a good exfoliation. Now that's just to name a few.

Home Away from Home The day we disembarked at Port Hardy, it wasn't like saying goodbye to a friend. It was like saying goodbye to a close family, that means the absolute world to you. This is the environment that‘s created on these trips and one you can't begin to fathom.

 I was swept up by the crew and trainees of the SALTS program. I've never felt so blessed, humbled, accepted, emotional, and proud in all my life. This experience has truly changed my life and was worth every cent. I have a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye, and a smile on my face writing this because I know it means goodbye for now. But not forever. I am 1000000% coming back. I cannot thank everyone on this voyage enough nor the SALTS team for providing such an inspiring and adventurous program. I love you all and can't wait to see you all again!!