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‘Ostend at Anchor’: "It's real honest work!"

‘Ostend at Anchor’, Europe's second largest maritime festival, is in full swing in Ostend. Until Sunday you can visit over 170 ships and get a taste of everything that has got to do with the sea. Ed Giardina and his family are probably some of the visitors who had farthest to travel, but he thinks it was well worth the trip.

Ed Giardina: "I'm here with my wife Denise and two young girls Lucca and Stella. We live on the coast in Los Angeles in California in the US, but to tell the truth this is the first time we've been to a maritime festival though similar festivals exist in the US. We've just been on a sailing trip on a three-master, the Mercedes from Amsterdam. It was cloudy when we set off, but then the sun came out. The sea was so spectacular and the girls enjoyed it! It was fascinating to see the crew climb into the rigging. Everybody knew what to do. There was no need to discuss anything."

"It got me thinking. People should think about the contribution they make. Working on a ship, it's real honest work. As a crew member you know what to do. It's no easy life, but there is clearly pleasure in its simplicity."
 

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