Duration
Duration
A DAY IN THE LIFE
On Fair Jeanne
Get a taste of what to expect when you join a Tall Ship Adventure. Don't forget to check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.
THE WATCH SYSTEM
Voyages on Fair Jeanne
Participants are split into watches that run on 6 hours on / 6 hours off or 4 hours on / 8 hours off schedule depending on the number of trainees. Weather on the Green Watch, Red Watch or White Watch you will be "on watch" and on deck setting and dousing sails as well as maintaining the wellbeing of the ship while underway.
​
​
"The best part of being in a watch is that you live in such close quarters that you get to know these people better than you ever thought possible in such a small amount of time."
You spend so much time together on a watch that often you will sing songs (whether you can carry a tune or not) and swap stories and jokes. If it's soaking wet and raining on deck, you're all dealing with it together. You and your watch, including your officers, are in charge of what happens. By the end of the voyage on Fair Jeanne, you will have sailed a tall ship, been through some incredible challenges with people you just met but who now you would do anything for. You are a part of a group: you face challenges as a team, look out for the safety of your fellow crew members, navigate the ship through easy and difficult times and create lasting friendships and memories that come with being a part of a tall ship crew.
A TYPICAL DAY
To be honest, no two days on Fair Jeanne are going to be completely the same. The schedule changes constantly. For example, if there is lots of good wind, you might be sailing for a greater portion of the day. If the water is like glass, we might anchor and go swimming or motor into port and go exploring. Hopefully, the following schedule can give you a rough idea of what a day on your voyage might look like. Either way, you'll have plenty of opportunities to work on your logbook levels. You can find information about our logbook here.
​
​
​
.jpg)
.jpg)
0700
Wakeups. Definitely one of the hardest tasks of the day for most of our trainees.
0730
Breakfast. It's time to make your way to the wardroom and enjoy the delicious breakfast our cook has provided.
0800
Colours. This is where the entire ship's company musters on the aft deck and the captain will provide a quick rundown on how the day will unfold and address any questions.
0810
Happy Hour! It's time to get to our cleaning stations with our watch and get to work. Cleaning duties include: cleaning up after breakfast, giving the deck a quick scrub, making our bunks etc.
0900-
Day Watch begins. It's time to get those sails set. Off watches have free time to take a nap, chat with friends, read, sketch, play music or work on their log book levels. Just remember, if you're on deck, you're on watch.
1200
Lunch time! This is also when the first change of watch of the day happens.
1400
Potential swim call. We try to get some swimming in every day. This might be the time where we anchor or heave to and go for a quick dip.
1600
Change of watch and lessons. There is another change of watch. Off Watch trainees have free time until dinner.
1800
Dinner...finally. After a long day of sailing, it's time to eat! If the boat is no longer underway, the entire ship's company will eat together and have what we call a "mug up". This is where everyone eats together and enjoys each other's company.
2000
Night Watch Begins. If we are sailing through the night, this is where the night watches start. These usually run on a 4 on 8 off system. This way everyone is getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night. If we are anchored or docked, we will run an anchor or harbor watch which lasts only 1 to 2 hours.
0000
Hope you brought warm clothes because it's time to wake up for your night watch and it's cold! But it's worth it because we are in the middle of the lake you can see so many constellations. It's breathtaking!
0400
Final change of watch of the day. Every now and then, the cook will make Night Watch snacks. These are what some would consider a highlight of the night as they are always delicious. Some say the 0400 to 0800 watch is the best one because of the gorgeous sunrise.
