The STS (Sail Training Ship) Leeuwin II is a 1850s-style, three-masted, barquentine tall ship. The ship is named after the original Leeuwin, which was a Dutch ship that discovered and mapped some of the southwest corner of Australia in March 1622. The Leeuwin II was launched on 2nd August 1986, but the company went bankrupt in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s. The government bailed them out a few months later with the condition that they must only sail in Western Australian waters. It is currently operated by Leeuwin Ocean Adventure, a private, non-profit organisation. Any money they make goes to the permanent crew’s wages and repairs for the ship, the leftover, gets donated to charity.
With a crew of 13 members, 3 teachers, and 35 teenagers, there are a lot of people on board for a week-long sailing trip with minimal outside contact. The crew consisted of Peter Dunning (Captain), Andy (First Mate), Rachel (Bosun), Mark (Engineer), Bruce (Chef), Gwen (Cook’s Mate), Mikkie, Brad, Else, Callum (Watch Leaders), and Cody, Lachie, Dylan (Trainee Watch Leaders).
Are crew members allowed to have relationships with each other on the boat?
Living together in such close proximity means you get to know the other people really well. You see them at their worst and their best. This creates a really close relationship between everyone, and some may want to take it further. That, however, is not allowed. As Andy, the First Mate, said on our first day aboard the ship, “This is a sailing ship, not a relationship.”
The reason is that, to sail a boat, teamwork is required; a few people can’t just do all the work. Every sail has at least 4 lines that need to be eased/hauled and that requires manpower; the yards on the foremast, even more. If you start having a relationship with someone, you spend more time with them, and perhaps start ignoring everyone else. If you have a fight, then you won’t really work together as well anymore.
Developing close friendships, however, are unavoidable, as you spend just about every minute with those people. Which is still fine, as long as it doesn’t go further. Even though romantic relationships are not allowed on board, there are always relationships off the boat. Families and friends of the crew.
How do crew members manage relationships when they are away on a voyage?
Mikkie (age 48), Green Watch Leader, is usually away from his wife for long periods of time, either on the Leeuwin or the Navy. He and his wife don’t really mind being apart as they both are rarely home due to their jobs. They came to an understanding that, while they do love each other, they love their jobs as well and won’t be happy having to do something different. As such, they both manage to make a long distance relationship work and have been doing so for quite a few years now.
Cody (age 22), Green Watch Trainee Leader, is living on the boat as a cadet for an entire year. Whenever the Leeuwin gets back to Fremantle to dock, he always receives a Snap from his brother which usually says something along the lines of ‘Welcome back.’ During shore days, he makes a point to text any friends and family he knows are nearby to meet up, maintaining those close relationships and using any opportunity to catch up.
These are just 2 examples of how the crew maintains their relationships with everyone around them. Technology may be useful at some points, but out on the ocean, there aren’t really any phone lines so keeping in touch that way is not always an option. Some of the crew even volunteer on the Leeuwin to have a new experience, but also to form new relationships and close friendships.
Thank you for this. It is interesting to understand how other lives may be so different to our own due to their working circumstances but how people make it work.