The Asgard II is an Irish tall ship with sank of the Bay of Biscay on 11th September 2008. A fine ship and a great loss to Irish sail training. I live in the hope she will be raised from her watery grave to fight another day.
Asgard II From My Eyes
"How was it then?" was the eagerly awaited question. "Well let's see, it was wet, cold and windy, people were as sick as dogs, sleep was little and far between, we were constantly swaying, we even had to turn back into port one night…" After hearing this, coupled with the fact most people thought I'd lost the plot wanting to pay to go away sailing for a week with a bunch of strangers in the first place, the idea that I was already attempting to secure my next voyage seemed ludicrous. Such was the lure of the Asgard II.
She had an appeal, she drew people in and kept them interested but always left them longing for more, a strange attraction. Lets face it, the thought of being stuck in a confined wooden floating ship with others whom you had no control over, ranging from 16 to 60 plus, who came with personalities from Ross O'Carroll Kelly to Victor Meldrew(I don't believe it) to Dougal, whilst having curfews (Cinderella anyone?), sometimes having to try in earnest to manoeuvre food into your mouth while concentrating on not falling over and ending up in some poor unfortunate's bunk leaving him with cabbage and spuds for company for the night, isn't exactly everybody's cup of tea. Never mind being yelled at to haul or let go ropes( what this one?!), standing on deck on lookout in the wee hours of the morning when being wrapped up in a duvet seemed a much nicer plan, trying so hard not to write your initials in the wake of the ship on helm duty, don't even get me started on galley duty,. The never ending mountain of dishes stacked and waiting to be washed dried and put away, have you seen the size of the saucepans? Seriously, they're big believe me(emphasis on the big). The highlight, handing out the meals to everyone, I'm pretty sure most people hated going in serving the permanent crew on their first trip ("that's the captain's mug", uh-oh!), the fun started when Asgard II had a nice pitch or roll going, it took concentration, no, more determination and a lot of luck to get the plates out without any causalities, the pressure! Sure this wouldn't tick everybody's boxes on an ideal trip away, but I don't think she was supposed to.
The thought of a shower becoming a luxury, one every couple of days or so if you're lucky, definitely turned some peoples noses up, "you mean I cant shower every day?!", but lets face it, everybody was in the same boat (literally). All these combined with a great crew made the Asgard what she was, an unforgettable adventure.
I have yet to meet somebody who didn't thoroughly enjoy being on board Asgard, some satisfied with the taste of one voyage others longing for more. I cannot even fathom the feeling she left you with after sailing her, you felt a great attachment, every time I saw her in different ports I couldn't help but smile. I think it was a sense of pride, proud to have sailed her, proud she was Irish, proud to be Irish and proud to see her changing many other peoples' lives along her journey. Everyone left a part of themselves aboard Asgard II and was left with part of her charm instilled in them.
That's exactly what she did, she changed lives, she allowed people to come into a group of unknown people and be who they wanted to be, to forget about how everyone else saw them and put their best foot forward. People flourished, confidence was gained, friendships were made that would stand the test of time, teams, like well oiled machines were formed overnight, from people who until a few hours ago never spoke one word to each other, it was like a magical experience (all be it full of hard graft), the Asgard II provided people with the chance to, yes, learn to sail but most importantly to learn about themselves as people.
What made the Asgard special? A number of factors, her camaraderie, her atmosphere, but most of all the permanent crew. They were the back bone, always there at the ready, answering questions, seeing things before they happened, full of sailors' stories (someone once said fairytales begin with "once upon a time" sailors stories with "and there I was…"), fun, likable, quirky, reliable people full of vast varying experience and indispensable knowledge, without them Asgard II was nothing.
I can safely say I'll never forget standing on the deck of the Asgard II during the Tall ships 2005 sailing out of Waterford. The Asgard II, the Jeanie Johnston and Dunbrody side by side, an historic moment, hoards of people lined the shores, fogs horns sounded, helicopters flew by, people waved, to us the crew standing on deck, flying the flag, off on an adventure aboard and what a trip it was, sun and little wind, the sight of ships under full sail, starry nights, learning why the captain is no longer a fan of oranges or tuna (of course he picked the perfect time to recant his tale, while I was eating an orange!), deck showers, arriving in Cherbourg with the generator not too happy, land sickness (swaying walking through the aisles of shops is normal), the festival, the fun. What more could you ask for? Lying on deck surrounded by the deep blue sea with nothing in sight only the vast ocean and the odd stray bird for company, what worry in the world would you have. Never mind the mundanity of life on land, the sea is an escape, a different world, and Asgard II provided that. A package holiday, now why would you want that when the Asgard II could give you the most memorable time ever.
Why did people wish so much to sail her again? Simple, it was the memories. What can compare to standing on deck at twilight and the sight of dolphins breaking the bow, trying to manage to get yourself steady in your bunk to tie up the lee sheet, harbour stowing the sails ("you think I'll be able to tie that knot up there standing on that foot rope with one hand? Not asking a lot!"), meeting new people from all walks of life, laughter, pictures, pubs, setting sail, the cup of tea that came just at the right time on watch, hanging out on the bowsprit, learning Murphy's law or that "bleeding jaysus" meant stay well away! I'll never forget my first introduction onboard, the captain was duly explaining the ways and wonders of the "heads", and informing us how one sheet of toilet roll was the ration, "now there's being green and there's just plain mean" I thought, little did I know then he was being deadly serious (as if you'd doubt that face!).
Every trip on Asgard II was different. Affecting each person a different way. But there is no way anyone could or ever would want to forget their voyage aboard Asgard II. She taught me many things about myself, about sailing, about life and for that I'll always be indebted to her. If planks of wood could talk, the stories she'd tell!
Her legacy will always live on.
CMulrooney
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