The ship is restocked with fresh produce and a new group of guests, so early this morning we could cast the lines and set the sails. In the lee of Martinique there wasn’t much for the sails to do. But once north of Martinique, the draft between this island and Dominica was sufficient enough to sail at 11 knots. And this while sailing close to the wind and with a sea swell.

It is the first day on board for our guests, so we do an abandon ship drill. This means nothing more than a practice run with all passengers, pretending we have to get off board due to a serious accident. We do this not because it’s so much fun, but to ensure that when such an event would occur everyone knows what to do and panic is less likely to break out. Also, this routine is compulsory for passengers ships, which the clipper Stad Amsterdam is. Safety first.
After this drill, we will actually leave the ship and play at “man overboard”. No calamities, just descending from the swimming platform into our tropical swimming pool….

Richard Slootweg
Captain Clipper Stad Amsterdam