Tall ships trainee Laura Farge, who was featured in The Royal Gazette on June 13, yesterday shared her thoughts on her adventure on the high seas.

She returned home on Sunday after leaving the Island on June 12 aboard the Polish A class ship Dar Mlodziezy bound for Norfolk, Virginia.

She arrived on the East Coast on June 15 after a trip she described as the "most amazing experience''.

Laura said she expected the hard work and now believed it was all worth it.

"I have so many pen pals and e-mail buddies now because I met so many people,'' she said.

Aboard the ship with Laura were two other Bermudians, Trevor Leitch and Nicola White, who were assigned to her watch which ran from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

Their duties included steering the ship, looking out for other ships and laborious tasks such as scrubbing the ship's deck and painting rust.

The three also climbed the masts and pulled in the sails numerous times.

Laura said the ship was always kept immaculately clean and the work paid off as the ship looked spectacular when it arrived in Norfolk.

And she said there was an occasional sail alarm at 2 a.m. or 6 a.m. when all crew members would have to don their uniforms and go onto the deck.

While Laura said she was unable to sleep aboard the ship when it was berthed in Bermuda and Norfolk, she slept like a baby when the ship was at sea as the waves created a rocking effect.

She said she initially thought the crew members were crazy to sleep on the hard teak decks but said she was doing it too after a few days.

"I could probably sleep anywhere now,'' she said.

Laura said the trip was through calm seas and the crew were fortunate not to run into any bad weather.

However she said she did have a bout of seasickness when she first left Bermuda but got her sea legs two days later. When she arrived in Norfolk, she continued, she got land sick.

"I'm most comfortable in a mall but I couldn't even enjoy myself because I was swaying to and fro,'' she said.

She also said she did not eat very well while on board as she is a vegetarian and did not wish to eat any of the sausages offered for meals.

She said she was very well treated by the crew members who were always asking if she and the other trainees were enjoying themselves.

"They treated me like a princess,'' she added.

Laura applauded the Bermuda Tall Ships Committee for being very well organised.

"I enjoyed the festivities in Bermuda and I know the rest of the crew did too'' she said.