A few days after my return on board in IJmuiden we departed with the Clipper for our annual youth trip. Every year a group of young people is selected by the municipality of Amsterdam and Randstad to join a sailing trip on the Clipper. With sailing as top priority, this trip is a highlight for the crew as well. This year Dunkerque is our destination and my plan is to sail west at the English Channel as far as possible in order to be able to use the low-pressure area for our return.
Spectacular rescue exercise
Our trip started with an evacuation exercise with the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) after leaving IJmuiden last Sunday. A helicopter brought a rescuer, a doctor and a stranger on deck and the KNRM lifeboats from IJmuiden and Zandvoort got all the trainees from board. A excellent exercise for crew and KNRM.
Shabab Oman II 
After a short time on board the lifeboat, everybody returned to the Clipper and we headed for the Street of Dover. There we agreed to meet the sailing ship "Shabab Oman II", our sister ship, similar but a bit bigger than we are.
At the time this ship was built, the crew of "Shabab Oman II" was trained on board the Clipper Stad Amsterdam for eight weeks resulting in a special bond between the two ships. Although there was not much wind, we sailed together with all sails set for a while. The "Shabab Oman II" launched a boat to take photos and came on board our clipper. The annual youth trip 2017 started with two very special encounters for crew, trainees and ship.
49°56’N 001°18’W